midterm

• Crime Scene Approach


  1. Consider overall safety of team

  2. Anticipate unfavorable terrain and weather condition

  3. Designate staging area

  4. Coordinate with IOC

  5. Request SOCO assistance
• Crime Scene Documentation


  1. Conduct immediate recording and documentation through photography, videography or notetaking

  2. Document weather condition prior, during, and after crime scene processing
• Search and collection personnel

  • Wear appropriate personal protective equipment such as gloves, face masks, hairnet and shoe covers
  • In cases of explosion incidents, wear overall white suits and hard hats
• Preliminary Crime Scene Survey

  1. Conduct careful walkthrough with IOC

  2. In explosion incidents, bomb tech/EOD personnel who Rendered Safe Procedure (RSP) shall join

  3. Determine actual extent of crime scene and install police line

  4. Determine appropriate search method and necessary resources

  5. Establish command post
• Physical Evidence Assessment


  Identify/recognize type of evidence according to priority and forensic relevancy
• Narrative Description of the Crime Scene

  1. Record time and date of arrival

  2. Record persons present

  3. Record overall condition of crime scene (type, weather, lighting, temperature, sound/noise/smell, condition of appliances)

  4. Describe original position of victim and evidence, condition of entry and exit points

  5. Record time and date of completion
• Crime Scene Documentation


  1. Photography/Video Recording

  2. Note taking

  3. Sketching
• Crime Scene Search


  1. Start from accessible areas and then proceed to hardly accessible locations

  2. Identify fragile/transient evidence (body fluids, latent prints, volatile substances)
• Physical Evidence Recording and Collection

  1. Indicate specific evidence locations on diagram or sketch and photo log

  2. Tag and photograph evidence in place before collection

  3. Mark all recovered evidence

  4. Use appropriate evidence container

  5. Place identifying marks on evidence containers

  6. Seal all evidence containers
• Final Crime Scene Survey

  1. Conduct vigorous search for hidden evidence

  2. Discuss survey jointly with IOC for completeness

  3. Review documentation to detect unintentional errors

  4. Account all collected evidence

  5. Conduct inventory of equipment
• Post Crime Scene Processing

  1. Inform IOC of types of evidence collected and their significance

  2. Discuss with IOC about future case conferences

  3. Furnish IOC with inventory list of collected evidence

  4. Check crime scene and discard used items

  5. Do not leave trash at crime scene

  6. In case of temporary cessation, scene must be sealed and secured

  7. Upon resumption, the concerned SOCO team shall reopen the scene

  8. Establish and maintain communication with IOC

  9. Conduct debriefing

  10. Release crime scene to owner/authority is responsibility of IOC
• Case Conference


  1. Conduct if necessary

  2. Forensic correlation may be conducted by SOCO team to review and evaluate information and evidence
• Clandestine Laboratory


  Forensic Chemical Officer (FOCO) shall undertake initial scene assessments and advise SOCO TL
• Bombing Cases


  1. Explosive Ordinance Disposal Team (EOD) should clear and declare area safe prior to SOCO

  2. EOD must submit for swabbing by SOCO team before entering crime scene
• CBRN Situation

  SOCO team shall directly coordinate with special rescue CBRN team of BFP prior to crime scene investigation
• Mass Victim Identification (manmade)


  1. SOCO team shall act as first responder in identification of victims prior to Interim Disaster Victim Identification Task Group (DVI TG) arrival

  2. In natural disasters, NBI shall primarily be in-charge of identification, coordinating with PNP FG and other experts

  3. In manmade mass fatality, PNP shall primarily be in-charge, coordinating with NBI and other experts
• Responding to Ambush Incidents

  Chief/SOCO TL shall verify all active operations have ceased and area is safe, and request security from territorial police
• Cases SOCO specialists shall be requested to process

  • Involving prominent personalities as victims/perpetrators
  • Involving National Security
  • Encounter with dissident terrorist, syndicates, and organized groups
  • Terrorist-related incidents
  • Bombing and explosion
  • Mass actions
  • Heinous crimes
  • Arson cases and structural damage
  • Robbery, hold-up, hijacking, carnapping by armed persons/groups
• Handling Cadavers for Forensic Examination

  1. Cadavers turned-over by IOC to SOCO TL/Medico-legal Officer for autopsy

  2. Recovered remains brought to PNP-accredited morgue for identification

  3. Cadavers wrapped in linen before placed in cadaver bag

  4. SOCO TL supervise inventory and security of personal belongings

  5. Identify properties and clothing as evidence and turn over to Evidence Custodian

  6. Prioritize immediate collection of biological samples

  7. Place identification tag on body

  8. Bring cadaver to accredited funeral for autopsy and examination

  9. IOC responsible for retrieval and collection of evidence from body at hospital
• Conduct of Autopsy


  1. PNP personnel must ensure cadaver is protected from contamination

  2. PNP personnel prohibited from referring funeral morgue services

  3. Family preferences for funeral parlor given priority if accredited by PNP

  4. No fees for autopsy of cadavers

  5. Prescribed fees for non-criminal cases

  6. Request for autopsy from IOC considered sufficient for unidentified cadavers within 12-hours of estimated TOD
• Release of Cadavers


  1. Examining Medico-legal officer responsible for release to family/kin with proper documentation

  2. Funeral parlor requires authorization letter from family/kin for release
• Other Provisions


  1. For foreign victims, notify embassy and obtain consent from nearest kin/embassy representative prior to autopsy

  2. For religious considerations, request for waiver or letter from nearest kin for non-dissection
• Processing Crime Scenes of Robbery/Theft

  1. If amount involved is 200,000 pesos or less, processed by local stations

  2. If amount involved is more than 200,000 pesos, refer to SOCO

  3. Sensational, heinous, high-profile cases, and cases involving government employees and foreign nationals in significant places processed by SOCO team

  4. Never use items or facilities within crime scene
• Other Provisions


  • If the victim is a foreigner, the embassy of the victim must be notified and consent from the nearest kin/representative from the concerned embassy is obtained prior to autopsy. The medico-legal officer is responsible for the release.
  • For religious, considerations, request for post-mortem examination shall be accompanied by a waiver or a letter requesting non-dissection of the cadaver signed by the nearest kin.
• Processing the CS falling under the definition of robbery/theft

  • If the amount involved is 200.000 pesos and below = local stations
  • If the amount involved is more than 200.000 pesos = refer to SOCO
  • Sensational, heinous, and high-profile cases (murder, bank robberies, rape, etc.), government employees and foreign nationals that occur inside/within the vicinity of significant places i.e., office of the President, church = SOCO team
  • Never use items or facilities (washroom, toilet and toiletries, telephone, etc.) within the vicinity of the crime scene.
  • No smoking, eating, or drinking.
  • All seized electronic equipment shall be turned-over to the Anti-Cyber Crime Group (ACG)
• Golden Hour


  Principle that effective early action can result in securing significant material that would be lost to the investigation
• Where the police are informed of an incident shortly after it ahs occurred

  • Offenders may be in the area
  • Forensic opportunities that could be lost
  • Testimony of witnesses can also be obtained while the offense is still fresh in their mind
  • CCTV images and other data can be collected before it is deleted
  • Action can be taken to secure scenes before they become contaminated
• PNP CSI forms


  • Request for conduct of SOCO assistance by the IOC
  • SOCO report form 1 (after SOCO report)
  • Evidence Log
  • Photographic Log
  • Sketch Details and Measurements
  • Inventory of evidence collected
  • Persons who entered CS
  • Significant person present at the vicinity of the CS
• Make a record of the assessment of the CS, observations and unusual situation noted during the processing for future reference
• Procedure in Photographing the CS

  • General View/Long Range
  • Medium View/Mid-range
  • Close-up View/Range
• Sequential Photographs of the crime scene

  • Views of the exterior of the building/vehicle with relation ot other building/s, vehicles, roads, streets, etc.
  • Point of entry (in and out)
  • Point of exit (in and out)
  • Condition of the cs
  • Area from which valuable are removed
  • Articles left from the scenes
  • Trace evidences (hairs, fibers, cig butts)
  • Toolmarks, shoe and tire impression
• Types of Sketches


  • Floor Plan/Overview
  • Rectangular-coordinate Method
  • Triangulation method
• Stages of Search


  • Preliminary
  • Detailed
  • Vigorous
  • Final
• Search Methods


  • Zone/Quadrant
  • Strip
  • Line
  • Double Strip/Grid
  • Spiral
  • Pie/Wheel
• Crime Scene Search


  A systematic method employed by the SOCO team and IOC in searching the cs and the surrounding areas where the alleged crime/incident/event has taken place for the purpose of finding and collecting evidence
• Evidence


  Means sanctioned by the Rules of Court. "Of ascertaining in a judicial proceeding the truth respecting a matter of fact. These includes but are not limited to documentary, testimonial, electronic and object evidence gathered in the course of investigation."
• Forensic Evidence


  A form of legal evidence that can be used in a court of law to prove a legal question and as a category of public presentation
• Forensic


  Derived from the Latin word, "Forum" – a marketplace where people gather for public discussion or disputation
• Discarded Evidence


  Pieces of evidence used in the commission of the crime mostly known in the garbage which has forensic evidentiary value (used gloves, masks, cig butts, used condoms, tissue, device and other trace evidence)
• Physical Evidence


  Addressed to the senses of the court that can be exhibited, examined, or viewed by the court. (Weapons, tools, fingerprints, body fluids, hazardous chemicals, soil, burnt debris, explosive)