Patrol Officer’s Response to Death Scenes – 4 TS, 3 SD, 1 LS

In nearly all instances, a law enforcement patrol officer will be the first enforcement unit on the scene of a death. In many jurisdictions, these same patrol officers are tasked with the responsibility of investigating these deaths, either through completion or until they recognize the need for more advanced assistance, if that assistance is even available.

In jurisdictions where criminal investigators and CSI personnel will be responding, it is still vital the patrol officer has an understanding of scene security and the process of the investigation.

This course is specifically designed with the patrol officer, patrol supervisor and detective in mind. The participate will be led through the process of understanding the death scene from the moment they get assigned the call through the scene investigation process.

The course will focus on scene security, witness management, interpreting manners of death, evidence recognition and collection, scene documentation, wound identification and terminology, investigating infant and child death, signs of an altered scene, and preparing the final case summary and report. This course spends some time in the area of suicide investigation. Suicide is the 10th leading “cause” of death in the United States and the largest manner of death an officer will respond to. The officer is exposed to a variety of suicide and self-harm methods of death. Knowledge of some suicide methods could save the life of a responding officer. We will also cover Corpus Delicti, Modus Operandi, chain of custody as well as Mo statutes and case law relating to evidence.

The course will also explain the 10 most common mistakes made at death scenes & how these mistakes impact the investigation outcome and prosecution.