CSI: London Terrorist Bombings, Part 1
Jim Kouri, CPP
July 09, 2005
Many friends have asked me: "How do you think British law enforcement is investigating the multiple bombings that occurred in London's mass transit system on July 7." My response is that the bomb technicians, crime scene units, investigating detectives, crime lab personnel and others are following a predetermined set of procedures for investigating bomb incidents. Police officers and detectives on the scene of an explosion must first gather evidence in order to better understand what they are dealing with, as well as for future prosecutions.
As with the current investigation of the London bombings, the actual search of the scene of an explosion is possibly the most important aspect of the investigation. Investigators will start with a quick visual search in order to familiarize themselves with the area. They always keep in mind that there could be multiple bombs planted in the immediate area of the blast and these additional bombs are planted for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill or maim the emergency personnel who respond to the initial blast or to kill or maim investigators. If a suspicious object is sighted during this phase of the crime scene search, detectives and other emergency personnel will evacuate the scene until bomb technicians can determine the nature of the threat or disarm the additional devices.
Once the visual search is completed, with the utmost care and continuous caution, detectives and police officers will start removing large pieces of debris from the area of the explosion. They will keep in mind that there could be live electrical wires or ruptured gas lines in the immediate work area. The scene of an explosion is viewed as hazardous at all times.
When any of the large pieces of debris are removed, they are stored within a protected location, catalogued as to the description and place of recovery, name of the officer involved, and held at the location for a subsequent detailed search. After the large pieces are moved and secured, detectives and officers must get on their hands and knees and start searching the debris looking for anything that appears foreign to the scene such as: leg wire (color-coded wire used in blasting caps); parts of a blasting cap; remains of a safety fuse; battery fragments; metal pipe fragments; other metal fragments (clock, propane tank, etc.); and bomb container fragments (metal, leather, canvas, cloth, etc.).
Whenever anything considered significant is found, it will be bagged and marked for identification purposes. The location, time, date, name of officer or detective, shield (badge) number and command will always be marked on evidence bags. If there are other data, these will be written on a separate report form or piece of paper and enclosed in the evidence bag. Investigators will never mark or deface the actual recovered evidence.
Detectives and officers at a blast scene will be persistent and they may have to go over the same area numerous times before uncovering anything of value. Ultimately, they will have to conduct a sifting operation because some objects such as watch springs and other internal mechanisms are so small that they could easily be overlooked by investigators.
The type of search to be conducted at the scene of an explosion will be determined by the bomb techs and investigators will be guided by their decisions. A properly conducted search may yield fingerprints, serial numbers, manufacturers’ names, price tags and many other investigative aids which would eventually help in solving the crime.
Any information regarding the nature of the explosion, type of device, damage, amount of explosives used, etc., is the function of the bomb squad or arson and explosive unit detectives because they are the ones who possess the expertise to make those determinations.
Investigative Techniques
Upon arriving at the scene of an explosion, investigators will immediately consult with the emergency personnel and familiarize themselves with the facts. The area will be thoroughly canvassed for witnesses. Witnesses may be found anywhere within the vicinity of the bomb blast. Once survivors are triaged and transported to a hospital, investigators will begin interviewing bomb victims.
Additional witnesses to interview will include: the first police officers at the scene; maintenance workers and other employees and residents within the premises; residents and employees of adjoining or adjacent buildings; delivery men, cab drivers, transients, and anyone who frequents or walks through the area.
Detectives and officers will also canvass the area for all license plates or motor vehicles parked within the area of the explosion. They will also check with all utility companies for any emergency crews that may have been working in the area of the bomb blast. In short, anyone who may have even the smallest piece of information will be interviewed by detectives and assisting uniformed officers. And investigating officers will double check to make sure that they have all the necessary information before concluding the neighborhood canvass. If close-circuit television cameras are installed in the areas of the attacks, the videotapes will be viewed and analyzed, as is being done in the United Kingdom.
If investigators take all of the required steps and follow the aforementioned format, they will find that they are able to answer questions from their commanding officers, and in the event that arrests are made, their case folders will be helpful in the preparation of the eventual prosecution and adjudication of the bomb incident suspects.
(Parts of the above column are excerpted from the book Assume The Position by Jim Kouri, available at Amazon.Com.)
As with the current investigation of the London bombings, the actual search of the scene of an explosion is possibly the most important aspect of the investigation. Investigators will start with a quick visual search in order to familiarize themselves with the area. They always keep in mind that there could be multiple bombs planted in the immediate area of the blast and these additional bombs are planted for one purpose and one purpose only: to kill or maim the emergency personnel who respond to the initial blast or to kill or maim investigators. If a suspicious object is sighted during this phase of the crime scene search, detectives and other emergency personnel will evacuate the scene until bomb technicians can determine the nature of the threat or disarm the additional devices.
Once the visual search is completed, with the utmost care and continuous caution, detectives and police officers will start removing large pieces of debris from the area of the explosion. They will keep in mind that there could be live electrical wires or ruptured gas lines in the immediate work area. The scene of an explosion is viewed as hazardous at all times.
When any of the large pieces of debris are removed, they are stored within a protected location, catalogued as to the description and place of recovery, name of the officer involved, and held at the location for a subsequent detailed search. After the large pieces are moved and secured, detectives and officers must get on their hands and knees and start searching the debris looking for anything that appears foreign to the scene such as: leg wire (color-coded wire used in blasting caps); parts of a blasting cap; remains of a safety fuse; battery fragments; metal pipe fragments; other metal fragments (clock, propane tank, etc.); and bomb container fragments (metal, leather, canvas, cloth, etc.).
Whenever anything considered significant is found, it will be bagged and marked for identification purposes. The location, time, date, name of officer or detective, shield (badge) number and command will always be marked on evidence bags. If there are other data, these will be written on a separate report form or piece of paper and enclosed in the evidence bag. Investigators will never mark or deface the actual recovered evidence.
Detectives and officers at a blast scene will be persistent and they may have to go over the same area numerous times before uncovering anything of value. Ultimately, they will have to conduct a sifting operation because some objects such as watch springs and other internal mechanisms are so small that they could easily be overlooked by investigators.
The type of search to be conducted at the scene of an explosion will be determined by the bomb techs and investigators will be guided by their decisions. A properly conducted search may yield fingerprints, serial numbers, manufacturers’ names, price tags and many other investigative aids which would eventually help in solving the crime.
Any information regarding the nature of the explosion, type of device, damage, amount of explosives used, etc., is the function of the bomb squad or arson and explosive unit detectives because they are the ones who possess the expertise to make those determinations.
Investigative Techniques
Upon arriving at the scene of an explosion, investigators will immediately consult with the emergency personnel and familiarize themselves with the facts. The area will be thoroughly canvassed for witnesses. Witnesses may be found anywhere within the vicinity of the bomb blast. Once survivors are triaged and transported to a hospital, investigators will begin interviewing bomb victims.
Additional witnesses to interview will include: the first police officers at the scene; maintenance workers and other employees and residents within the premises; residents and employees of adjoining or adjacent buildings; delivery men, cab drivers, transients, and anyone who frequents or walks through the area.
Detectives and officers will also canvass the area for all license plates or motor vehicles parked within the area of the explosion. They will also check with all utility companies for any emergency crews that may have been working in the area of the bomb blast. In short, anyone who may have even the smallest piece of information will be interviewed by detectives and assisting uniformed officers. And investigating officers will double check to make sure that they have all the necessary information before concluding the neighborhood canvass. If close-circuit television cameras are installed in the areas of the attacks, the videotapes will be viewed and analyzed, as is being done in the United Kingdom.
If investigators take all of the required steps and follow the aforementioned format, they will find that they are able to answer questions from their commanding officers, and in the event that arrests are made, their case folders will be helpful in the preparation of the eventual prosecution and adjudication of the bomb incident suspects.
(Parts of the above column are excerpted from the book Assume The Position by Jim Kouri, available at Amazon.Com.)
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