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Crime
Scene Response Team
The Washington State Patrol Crime Scene Response Team (CSRT) is a partnership
between the Crime Laboratory Division and the Criminal Investigation Division.
The CSRT provides a comprehensive investigative capability for crime scenes
at the request of any law enforcement agency in the state.
CSRT Capabilities:
Crime
Laboratory Division CSRT members are skilled in the following:
- Collecting, controlling, and properly preserving all types of evidence,
including:
- Physiological specimens -- blood, semen, saliva, tissue, and
bone
- Firearms -- cartridge components, firearms, gunpowder residues,
and gun shot residues
- Other weapons
- Tools
- Toolmarks
- Arson accelerants
- Explosive residues
- Trace evidence -- fibers, hair, paint, glass, soil, building
materials, particles, shoe prints and impressions, and tire impressions
- Performing field tests or examinations for presumptive identification
of some types of evidence, including:
- Blood
- Semen
- Trace metals
- Hair
- Fiber
- Performing evidence interpretation of:
- Blood spatter patterns
- Bullet trajectories
- Criminal activity reconstruction
- Assisting in evidence collection decisions at autopsy
Latent Fingerprint Identification
CSRT members are skilled in the following:
- Processing crime scenes for latent prints on various types of surfaces:
- Porous surfaces (i.e., paper, cardboard, unfinished wood, other
absorbent surfaces)
- Non-porous surfaces (i.e., glass, mirrors, plastics, metal,
other non-absorbent surfaces)
- Photographing latent prints
- Obtaining postmortem fingerprints
- Coordinating efforts with coroner/medical examiner to obtain dental
information
Criminal Investigation Division
CSRT members are skilled in the following:
- Crime scene surveying/measuring and CAD diagramming
- Crime scene photography - still and video
- Interviewing and interrogation
- Drafting affidavits for search warrants
- Writing search warrants and obtaining telephonic search warrants
- Evidence search/collection
- Collision reconstruction
CSRT CALLOUT CRITERIA
As a general guideline, the CSRT will respond to the following situations:
- Death investigations (except for traffic fatalities)
- Sexual assault cases
- Kidnappings
- Assaults/shootings involving a law enforcement officer
- Other felony crimes as warranted by circumstances
Requests for crime scene investigation or assistance should be made
to the Crime Scene Coordinator through the Washington State Patrol Communications
Center at Tacoma by calling (253) 548-2020.
The Crime Scene Coordinator will make an assessment of the resources
needed for the particular situation based upon the details provided
and will make arrangements for the required personnel and equipment
to respond in a manner commensurate with the needs of the case.
HOW TO CALL OUT THE CSRT
- Secure the scene.
- Call (253) 548-2020.
- Ask for the Crime Scene Response Team Coordinator at (360) 753-1118
(office).
- Be prepared to answer the following questions:
- Type of offense and scenario.
- Victim/suspect information.
- Evidence of interest.
- Scene processing requested (e.g., fingerprint development,
blood stain collection, interrogation, trajectory, forensic mapping,
etc.).
- Search warrant status.
- Priority of assistance needed (e.g., immediate response, or
can be scheduled).
- Contact person and telephone number.
- Meeting location.
- Airport and ground transportation information if priority requires
aircraft transportation.
Washington
State Patrol
Olympia, Washington
(253) 548-2020
After hours, please contact your local WSP Communications Office
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