Document Detail


Crime scene ethics: souvenirs, teaching material, and artifacts.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  15027551     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
Police and forensic specialists are ethically obliged to preserve the integrity of their investigations and their agencies' reputations. The American Academy of Forensic Sciences and the Canadian Society of Forensic Science provide no guidelines for crime scene ethics, or the retention of items from former crime scenes. Guidelines are necessary to define acceptable behavior relating to removing, keeping, or selling artifacts, souvenirs, or teaching specimens from former crime scenes, where such activities are not illegal, to prevent potential conflicts of interest and the appearance of impropriety. Proposed guidelines permit the retention of objects with educational value, provided they are not of significance to the case, they are not removed until the scene is released, permission has been obtained from the property owner and police investigator, and the item has no significant monetary value. Permission is necessary even if objects appear discarded, or are not typically regarded as property, e.g., animal bones.
Authors:
Tracy L Rogers
Publication Detail:
Type:  Journal Article    
Journal Detail:
Title:  Journal of forensic sciences     Volume:  49     ISSN:  0022-1198     ISO Abbreviation:  J. Forensic Sci.     Publication Date:  2004 Mar 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2004-03-18     Completed Date:  2004-04-22     Revised Date:  2004-11-17    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  0375370     Medline TA:  J Forensic Sci     Country:  United States    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  307-11     Citation Subset:  IM    
Affiliation:
Department of Anthropology and the Study of Religion, University of Toronto at Mississauga, Mississauga, Ontario, Canada.
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Canada
Commerce
Ethics, Professional
Forensic Anthropology / education,  ethics*
Forensic Medicine / education,  ethics*
Humans
Police / ethics

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