Crime Scene Entry Log

Another procedure carried out at a crime scene is that before any individuals including police officers and Scene of Crimes Officer can enter a crime scene they must sign into an entry log. An officer stationed at the entrance to the crime scene will usually manage this log. The crime scene entry log enables a record to be kept of who enters a crime scene and also when they leave the scene. This procedure is carried out in order to keep a crime scene secure, as by having an entry log no one can enter the scene who isn’t supposed to be there, also by looking at the entry log after the scene has been processed and closed officers or a judge handling a case connected to the crime scene can see exactly who was at the crime scene and when – allowing there to be proof that no unauthorised personnel entered the scene once it was declared a crime scene by the attending officers.

At the scene of the murders of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman, the procedure of setting up and using a crime scene entry log was not followed by any of the police officers or scene of crime officers. This can be seen in this case as before the lead detectives arrived at the scene to begin their investigation up to 18 officers had entered the scene. However the names of all these officers could not be identified, nor could their purpose for being at the scene. As this procedure was not followed this was detrimental to the case as the large numbers of people who had been through the scene would have caused contamination to key pieces of evidence. Also as the majority of officers could not be identified the defence of OJ Simpson took this as an opportunity to argue that any one of these officers who had no real reason to enter the scene could have been planting evidence.