As a police officer, the primary factor you should consider is the preservation of life and on an active scene, you must prioritize life over any other aspect of an investigation. “Sometimes emergencies dictate procedure. An emergency may include a dangerous suspect at or near the scene, a gravely injured person, or an environmental hazard such as downed power lines or chemical spills. Any of these emergencies can present a life-threatening situation for the officer and others, and their handling takes priority over other actions and situations” (Hess et al., 2017). You also should prioritize the suspect’s life. Some suspects are responsible for atrocious crimes, but they still bear the image of God and we must do what we can to preserve their life too. “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them” (English Standard Version, Genesis 1:27). Making sure the scene is safe helps you investigate the scene better. This gives you time and the ability to request resources for your investigation. Crime scene units only work when the scene is safe and are a valuable asset to any investigation. “Crime Scene Investigators document the crime scene. Photographs and physical measurements of the scene, to identify and collect forensic evidence, and to maintain the proper chain of custody of that evidence is recorded by them.” (Kapoor, 2020). Making the scene safe and keeping it safe is important and is the first step to conducting any investigation.

English Standard Bible. (2016). Crossway Bibles. (Original work published 2001)

Hess, K. M., Orthmann, C. H., & Cho, H. L. (2017). Criminal investigation (11th ed.). Cengage Learning.

Kapoor, E. (2020, August 29). Scene of crime and its importance. Indian Law Portal. https://indianlawportal.co.in/scene-of-crime-and-its-importance/