Checklist App for Scene Examination

The Forensic Institute for Research and Education (FIRE) has developed a smartphone app for first responding officers on crime scenes called CASE (Checklist App for Scene Examination). The most pristine a crime scene will ever be is when the first responder arrives, and the CASE app uses a checklist approach with smartphone technology to document evidence at risk to loss or alteration before proper processing.

The app was developed under the direction of seasoned crime scene investigators from across the nation with dozens of years of combined experience. Additionally, LifeWings Partners, LLC, used over two decades of demonstrated expertise in checklist development for high consequence industries to provide guidance. The newly revised 2013 Crime Scene Investigation: A Guide for Law Enforcement served as a reference for the app checklist definitions. WillowTree Apps, Inc., known for creating award-winning apps across multiple industries, designed the CASE app for iPhone use.

The CASE app provides law enforcement a well-thought-out aid that can systematically guide them through the often chaotic setting of a crime scene while providing smartphone technology needed for documentation. Text, photography, video, and audio are available along with the ability to ascribe date, time, and GPS information. All documentation is for each crime scene is bundled and exported via USB cable to an external device. After 72 hours, all data is deleted automatically from the phone.

For more information about the CASE app, development team, the Forensic Institute for Research and Education (FIRE), or FIRE director Dr. Hugh Berryman, D-ABFA, go to www.csimtsu.com.

This project was supported by Grant No. 2011-DB-BX-0102 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, the Community Capacity Development Office, and the Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

This app is for first responding officers. It is neither intended for nor should be used to replace crime scene processing units. Additionally, all departmental, jurisdictional, and governmental policies and procedures should supersede app checklist procedures.