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d.
The Team Approach
In order for the scene to be secured, access limited, and the evidence pro-
tected, someone must be in charge. This is usually the first officer on the
scene, or the detective who has been assigned responsibility for the investi-
gation. A team approach is the most successful. To process a crime scene
competently, all involved must understand the specific role they play and
cooperate with each other and the person in charge. In turn, the person in
command must understand the roles of all of the other players and facilitate,
or at least not impede, their work. The roles of various individuals are
described in numerous books that specifically address crime scene investiga-
tion (e.g., Svensson and Wendel, 1955; Goddard, 1977; Fisher, 2000; Ogle,
1995; Geberth, 1996).
 
e.
Assess the Scene
Before stepping foot into the crime scene, much less collecting the first item
of evidence, everyone on the team must obtain an overall perspective from
outside the perimeter and, collectively, devise a logical approach. The detec-
tive should apprise everyone of any initial impressions and what is thought
to have occurred. The detective should provide at least an initial idea of what
questions need answering. An important duty of the scientific representative
who is present at the crime scene is to help the detective understand the
scientific questions generated from the legal questions.
After discussing the question, the hypotheses, and how they may influ-
ence the evidence to be collected, a coordinated plan must be formulated
and followed to collect the most relevant evidence with the least compromise
to the scene or specific items of evidence. In particular, the team must decide
which areas to search, the order of the search, and what further specialists
or equipment may be needed. The collection of evidence should be priori-
tized. Especially where a piece of evidence might be submitted for more than
one type of analysis, methods of collection and preservation should be dis-
cussed before proceeding. Sometimes the collection and preservation proce-
dures preferred for one kind of analysis may jeopardize the evidence for
another type of analysis. An informed compromise must then be agreed upon
by those involved.
For example, in 
 
Crime Scene
, Ragle (1995) presents a case in which a gasoline-
soaked (as determined by smell) bedspread recovered from a car also con-
tained bloodstains and brain tissue. Three types of evidence were present,
biological (blood and brains), chemical (ignitable fluid), and physical (the
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Principles and Practice of Criminalistics