Evidence Tracking Evidence Tracking Name Class Date Professor Evidence Tracking Evidence is essential to solving any case and proving the guilt of an offender in a court of law. Once a crime has been reported the first step of the responding officer is to secure the crime scene to ensure it is properly preserved until forensic investigators can arrive on the scene. The evidence collection process begins with thoroughly documenting the crime scene. The process begins with a walk through of the crime scene in order to identify potential evidence and to develop an idea of what occurred at the crime scene. Once the evidence has been identified the evidence collection process will begin with collecting evidence that is fragile or easily damaged or destroyed. In the rape scenario DNA evidence is crucial to proving a crime occurred and showing the guilt of the offender. Rape cases are hard to prosecute and require physical evidence to prove the act of rape even occurred. In a majority of cases it is the word of the victim against the word of the perpetrator. DNA evidence can provide conclusive evidence that a sexual assault occurred and point to the guilty offender. In the rape scenario evidence that was located and will need to be collected is the semen on the comforter and the tissue located in the trash can. This evidence can contain valuable DNA that points directly to the offender. The semen and the tissue can contain the DNA profile of the offender and the tissue. The evidence collection process begins first by identifying the evidence in a walk through and then properly documenting the evidence. Documenting the evidence is an essential step in the collection process. This begins with photographing the evidence where it sits in order to show the court where the evidence was located and in what condition. Once the evidence has been photographed it must be collected using uniform collection standards. The comforter that was located contained a semen stain that must be collected in order to develop DNA on the criminal suspect. Most items of evidence will be collected in paper containers such as packets, envelopes, and bags and liquid items can be transported in non-breakable, leak proof containers (Schiro, 2006). When collecting DNA from the comforter the forensic technician will mark the wet stain with a permanent marker in order to make it easier to locate during the DNA analysis. The technician will then wait for the comforter to air dry before placing it in a clean package and properly sealing and documenting for transportation. The second piece of evidence that was located at the crime scene was a tissue in a waste paper basket. The tissue will need to be collected using a pair of tweezers or using a pair of gloves and then be placed in a plastic container. The plastic container will need to be sealed and then properly documented for transportation. Documentation does not include j ...