The preservation of digital evidence (DE) presents unique problems beyond traditional evidence preservation. This document addresses considerations related to the preservation of digital evidence. This document is part of a series on evidence management and its primary audience is evidence management professionals.evidence function before the end of the officer’s shift. If the Evidence Technician is unavailable, the evidence shall be placed within the designated property/evidence storage locker [CFA 28.01 B.]. 3. If the Shift Supervisor summons an investigator or evidence technician to the crime scene, the IT managers should work with general counsel to develop and implement a plan for collecting and preserving electronic data in order to maintain a solid chain of custody. However, before even beginning to collect evidence and create the chain of custody, other potentially valuable evidence needs to be collected at the scene of the crime (in this ... 4.5 Maintaining Evidence Integrity Crime scene investigators and reconstructionists shall take appropriate steps to maintain evidence integrity by preventing contamination, tampering, alteration, or loss of evidence. Procedures and documents shall be utilized to account for the integrity and possession of evidence by tracking its III. EVIDENCE PRESERVATION & SPOLIATION. A party’s duty to preserve evidence in a civil case has received a lot of attention from Texas courts recently. In 2003, the Texas Supreme Court addressed the issue of whether a party has a duty to preserve material evidence in Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Johnston, 106 S.W3d, 718, 722 (Tex. 2003). In that ... Spoliation of evidence. § 8.01-379.2:1. Spoliation of evidence. A. A party or potential litigant has a duty to preserve evidence that may be relevant to reasonably foreseeable litigation. In determining whether and at what point such a duty to preserve arose, the court shall include in its consideration the totality of the circumstances ... Jun 20, 2015 · “(1) threats to preservation of the evidence, (2) 12 irreparable harm likely to result to the party seeking preservation, and (3) the 13 capability of the custodian to maintain the evidence sought to be preserved.” Rail Mgmt. v. Sultanov, 2017 WL 67119, at *1 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 6, 2017). (a) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) of this Code section or Code Section 17-5-55 or 17-5-56, on or after May 12, 2008, the investigating law enforcement agency shall maintain any physical evidence collected as a result of an alleged sexual assault that contains biological material, including, but not limited to, stains, fluids ... Preservation of evidence means the government must maintain the integrity of the evidence for later testing or analysis. To do this, property and evidence custodians must keep accurate and complete chain-of-custody records, properly store the evidence, and prevent contamination, damage to, or destruction of the evidence.Jul 31, 2015 · Preserve evidence or be subject to sanctions. By Jennifer Braster. The case of Quraishi v. Port Authority of N.Y. demonstrates the importance of pre-litigation preservation of evidence and making sure both counsel and the client have a correct understanding of the client’s preservation measures to avoid claims of spoliation. Quraishi v. 4.5 Maintaining Evidence Integrity Crime scene investigators and reconstructionists shall take appropriate steps to maintain evidence integrity by preventing contamination, tampering, alteration, or loss of evidence. Procedures and documents shall be utilized to account for the integrity and possession of evidence by tracking its May 19, 2023 · What is preservation of evidence? Preservation of evidence is the process of saving information that may be relevant to a potential or ongoing lawsuit so that it cannot be altered, lost, or... Oct 22, 2015 · A preservation of evidence request is designed to allow the letter recipient to preserve evidence, whether or not they are aware of the lawsuit or not. How it Works. There can be a number of ways that the preservation of evidence letter is initiated. One example is when a lawyer may issue a demand for preservation of evidence letter during the ... concluded that the plaintiff did not seek preservation of evidence that would be unavailable otherwise. Storck at 58. “[Rule 27] is not designed to allow pre-complaint discovery. . . . A Rule 27(a) deposition may not be used as a substitute for discovery.” Id. (citations omitted). Dec 1, 2017 · preservation obligations before receiving a subpoena Although a subpoenaed non-party must preserve evidence that it reasonably expects is responsive to the subpoena, a non-party’s duty to preserve ESI in the face of a boilerplate preservation demand when no litigation is pending is less clear. Oct 22, 2015 · A preservation of evidence request is designed to allow the letter recipient to preserve evidence, whether or not they are aware of the lawsuit or not. How it Works. There can be a number of ways that the preservation of evidence letter is initiated. One example is when a lawyer may issue a demand for preservation of evidence letter during the ... evidence function before the end of the officer’s shift. If the Evidence Technician is unavailable, the evidence shall be placed within the designated property/evidence storage locker [CFA 28.01 B.]. 3. If the Shift Supervisor summons an investigator or evidence technician to the crime scene, the Aug 29, 2023 · The evidence collected from the scene will most likely be the evidence in any litigation that ensues. Accordingly, this step is critical for litigation preparation. Preservation of the Evidence. Once the evidence has been identified and collected, the next critical step is to properly preserve the evidence. The NFPA provides as follows: IT managers should work with general counsel to develop and implement a plan for collecting and preserving electronic data in order to maintain a solid chain of custody. However, before even beginning to collect evidence and create the chain of custody, other potentially valuable evidence needs to be collected at the scene of the crime (in this ... Collection, Packaging, Storage, Preservation, and Retrieval of Biological Evidence. Page 2 of 8. Effective Date: 10/30/2012 . Training on these andother topics can provide further insight as to the item types and locations of possible biological material. Items Which Should Not Be Considered As Biological Evidence for the Purpose of this Statute Preserving evidence should be the top priority of those entrusted with gathering and collecting evidence. Evidence collection protocols apply to both pre-collection and post-collection evidence. If evidence is not properly preserved prior to collection, it may be contaminated or destroyed. If evidence is not properly preserved and stored prior ... What is preservation of evidence? Preservation of evidence is the process of saving information that may be relevant to a potential or ongoing lawsuit so that it cannot be altered, lost, or...Jan 1, 2023 · Next ». (a) One who desires to perpetuate testimony or preserve evidence for the purposes set forth in Section 2035.010 shall file a verified petition in the superior court of the county of the residence of at least one expected adverse party, or, if no expected adverse party is a resident of the State of California, in the superior court of a ... evidence function before the end of the officer’s shift. If the Evidence Technician is unavailable, the evidence shall be placed within the designated property/evidence storage locker [CFA 28.01 B.]. 3. If the Shift Supervisor summons an investigator or evidence technician to the crime scene, the A private person or entity does not have an obligation to preserve evidence, unless they were formally working for or with a law enforcement agency. (An example might be a scientific lab that is regularly retained by the prosecutor’s office to examine evidence.) However, most government agents have a responsibility to preserve evidence. The preservation of digital evidence (DE) presents unique problems beyond traditional evidence preservation. This document addresses considerations related to the preservation of digital evidence. This document is part of a series on evidence management and its primary audience is evidence management professionals.A private person or entity does not have an obligation to preserve evidence, unless they were formally working for or with a law enforcement agency. (An example might be a scientific lab that is regularly retained by the prosecutor’s office to examine evidence.) However, most government agents have a responsibility to preserve evidence. finding of spoliation of evidence. The obligation to preserve evidence begins when a party knows or should have known that the evidence is relevant to future or current litigation. See Stevenson v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 354 F.3d 739, 746 (8th Cir. 1993)(Sanctions not abuse of discretion in pre-litigation destruction of evidence without What is preservation of evidence? Preservation of evidence is the process of saving information that may be relevant to a potential or ongoing lawsuit so that it cannot be altered, lost, or destroyed. In other words, evidence preservation is the active avoidance of spoliation.Oct 7, 2020 · She viewed the move as a demotion and consulted a lawyer who sent the company a demand for preservation of evidence. The employee later quit and sued her former employer. However, pursuant to company policy, and despite receipt of the document preservation notice, the company deleted the employee’s email 90 days after she left. Jun 2, 2020 · The fundamental importance of digital evidence preservation is quite clear. Through this article, we want to highlight the necessity to follow a series of steps in order to preserve digital evidence, as even a small inattentive move could lead to a loss of evidence and the break of a case. In this article, we will be covering the following topics: the new york city bar association provides this sample preservation letter for use by practitioners based upon new york law at the date of publication.1 users are encouraged to adapt the form to the facts of a particular case, and are cautioned to update the form based upon changes in the law and technology name Spoliation of evidence. § 8.01-379.2:1. Spoliation of evidence. A. A party or potential litigant has a duty to preserve evidence that may be relevant to reasonably foreseeable litigation. In determining whether and at what point such a duty to preserve arose, the court shall include in its consideration the totality of the circumstances ... Oct 6, 2016 · The preservation of video surveillance varies greatly from place to place and certain occurrences can trigger the preservation of video surveillance, but not indefinitely. My advice upon receiving a new case where video surveillance may be available is to send out a preservation-of-evidence letter as soon as possible. Jan 23, 2014 · Summary. Businesses must understand their obligation to preserve all potentially relevant evidence, and since the ubiquity of social media makes it an unrivaled source of evidence, social media should be preserved in the same way as paper documents and emails. Since parties in litigation are entitled to discovery of all relevant, non-privileged ... Jun 20, 2015 · “(1) threats to preservation of the evidence, (2) 12 irreparable harm likely to result to the party seeking preservation, and (3) the 13 capability of the custodian to maintain the evidence sought to be preserved.” Rail Mgmt. v. Sultanov, 2017 WL 67119, at *1 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 6, 2017). evidence function before the end of the officer’s shift. If the Evidence Technician is unavailable, the evidence shall be placed within the designated property/evidence storage locker [CFA 28.01 B.]. 3. If the Shift Supervisor summons an investigator or evidence technician to the crime scene, the A private person or entity does not have an obligation to preserve evidence, unless they were formally working for or with a law enforcement agency. (An example might be a scientific lab that is regularly retained by the prosecutor’s office to examine evidence.) However, most government agents have a responsibility to preserve evidence. What is preservation of evidence? Preservation of evidence is the process of saving information that may be relevant to a potential or ongoing lawsuit so that it cannot be altered, lost, or destroyed. In other words, evidence preservation is the active avoidance of spoliation.Jul 31, 2015 · Preserve evidence or be subject to sanctions. By Jennifer Braster. The case of Quraishi v. Port Authority of N.Y. demonstrates the importance of pre-litigation preservation of evidence and making sure both counsel and the client have a correct understanding of the client’s preservation measures to avoid claims of spoliation. Quraishi v. Collection, Packaging, Storage, Preservation, and Retrieval of Biological Evidence. Page 2 of 8. Effective Date: 10/30/2012 . Training on these andother topics can provide further insight as to the item types and locations of possible biological material. Items Which Should Not Be Considered As Biological Evidence for the Purpose of this Statute Jan 1, 2023 · Next ». (a) One who desires to perpetuate testimony or preserve evidence for the purposes set forth in Section 2035.010 shall file a verified petition in the superior court of the county of the residence of at least one expected adverse party, or, if no expected adverse party is a resident of the State of California, in the superior court of a ... Oct 22, 2015 · A preservation of evidence request is designed to allow the letter recipient to preserve evidence, whether or not they are aware of the lawsuit or not. How it Works. There can be a number of ways that the preservation of evidence letter is initiated. One example is when a lawyer may issue a demand for preservation of evidence letter during the ... Abstract. For five types of evidence— drugs, firearms, glass, paint, and tool marks—the processes of identification, collection, and preservation were explained. For each type, it was established how to detect relevant evidence at the crime scene and judge its importance for further investigation. Also, necessary precautions and appropriate ... The Biological Evidence Preservation Handbook offers guidance for individuals involved in the collection, examination, tracking, packaging, storing, and disposition of biological evidence. This may include crimefinding of spoliation of evidence. The obligation to preserve evidence begins when a party knows or should have known that the evidence is relevant to future or current litigation. See Stevenson v. Union Pac. R.R. Co., 354 F.3d 739, 746 (8th Cir. 1993)(Sanctions not abuse of discretion in pre-litigation destruction of evidence without Sep 10, 2020 · Both seek the preservation of evidence, and both are best when clear, specific and instructive. Both must go out when you know less than you’d like about sources of potentially responsive information. Finally, both tend to receive minimal thought before dissemination, resulting in easily ignored, boilerplate forms crowding out artfully ... Please retain all this evidence. A number of court decisions have permitted court sanctions or “destruction of evidence” lawsuits where a party permanently alters important evidence after receiving written notice of a claim that also requests preservation of evidence. Unless I have your written explanation to the contrary Abstract. For five types of evidence— drugs, firearms, glass, paint, and tool marks—the processes of identification, collection, and preservation were explained. For each type, it was established how to detect relevant evidence at the crime scene and judge its importance for further investigation. Also, necessary precautions and appropriate ... Mar 16, 2017 · A party’s duty to preserve evidence is triggered once litigation is reasonably anticipated . The duty extends to any evidence that a party: is relevant to the anticipated action, including electronically stored information. The failure to preserve relevant evidence, also known as the spoliation of evidence, may result in the imposition of ... Nov 10, 2001 · Spoliation of evidence, which is sometimes referred to as “spoilation” or “destruction of evidence,” is a cause of action which holds someone liable for negligently or intentionally destroying material which is needed as evidence in litigation. Since 1990, it has been a very powerful tool in the arsenal of litigants and has forced some ... evidence function before the end of the officer’s shift. If the Evidence Technician is unavailable, the evidence shall be placed within the designated property/evidence storage locker [CFA 28.01 B.]. 3. If the Shift Supervisor summons an investigator or evidence technician to the crime scene, the The proper collection, preservation and documentation of physical evidence found at the crime scene often are the deciding factors when a criminal case is brought before a judge and/or jury. It is imperative, therefore, that officers and crime scene technicians exercise proper care and follow procedures Mar 14, 2019 · A preservation letter is a notice given to the defendant that you can send as the injured person to ask that they preserve any evidence they have. This letter shouldn’t be unreasonable but can be used to ask that they preserve any video, photographs, witness statements, or other types of evidence. These letters can be used in car accident ... Collection and Preservation of Evidence General Evidentiary Considerations. Accountability for Electronic and Physical Evidence. EBSA investigations require the... Accountability for Electronic and Physical Evidence. EBSA investigations require the collection and preservation of... Federal Rules of ...Dec 1, 2017 · preservation obligations before receiving a subpoena Although a subpoenaed non-party must preserve evidence that it reasonably expects is responsive to the subpoena, a non-party’s duty to preserve ESI in the face of a boilerplate preservation demand when no litigation is pending is less clear. preservation. The Biological Evidence Preservation Handbook offers guidance for individuals involved in the collection, examination, tracking, packaging, storing, and disposition of biological evidence. This may include crime scene technicians, law enforcement officers, healthcare professionals, forensic scientists, forensic Jun 2, 2020 · The fundamental importance of digital evidence preservation is quite clear. Through this article, we want to highlight the necessity to follow a series of steps in order to preserve digital evidence, as even a small inattentive move could lead to a loss of evidence and the break of a case. In this article, we will be covering the following topics: Preservation of Evidence: Evidence will be preserved in accordance with applicable Agency regulations and policies. Rule 81: Records of Proceedings and Preservation of Evidence (A) The Registrar shall cause to be made and preserve a full and accurate record of all proceedings, including audio recordings, transcripts and, when deemed necessary ... We request that all evidence related and even potentially-related to the claim be preserved. This preservation request seeks to preserve the greatest possible amount of evidence related to the claim. Please preserve all communications with our client, witnesses, and other persons and entities. This request includes but is not limited to letters ... evidence that (1) is reasonably calculated to lead to the discovery of admissible evidence, (2) is reasonably likely to be requested during discovery, or (3) is the subject of a pending discovery motion should be preserved. C. Who must preserve? The “party” with possession, custody, or control of the evidence should ensure it is Feb 5, 2021 · The whole criminal justice system would come to a halt. Therefore preservation and maintenance of such evidence become utmost necessary so that such evidence doesn’t lose its true nature, especially during the investigation and proceeding recently an official data revealed that CBI’s conviction has declined from 71% in 2010 to 68% in 2019. The preservation of digital evidence (DE) presents unique problems beyond traditional evidence preservation. This document addresses considerations related to the preservation of digital evidence. This document is part of a series on evidence management and its primary audience is evidence management professionals.Jun 20, 2015 · “(1) threats to preservation of the evidence, (2) 12 irreparable harm likely to result to the party seeking preservation, and (3) the 13 capability of the custodian to maintain the evidence sought to be preserved.” Rail Mgmt. v. Sultanov, 2017 WL 67119, at *1 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 6, 2017). The Handbook on Biological Evidence Preservation: Best Practices for Evidence Handlers. (PDF) Biological Evidence Preservation: Considerations for Policy Makers (PDF) Images. Biological Evidence Disposition Guidelines (PDF) Biological Evidence Retention Guidelines (PDF) Biological Evidence Storage Conditions Poster (PDF) Related Documents.Preservation of evidence means the government must maintain the integrity of the evidence for later testing or analysis. To do this, property and evidence custodians must keep accurate and complete chain-of-custody records, properly store the evidence, and prevent contamination, damage to, or destruction of the evidence.The preservation of digital evidence (DE) presents unique problems beyond traditional evidence preservation. This document addresses considerations related to the preservation of digital evidence. This document is part of a series on evidence management and its primary audience is evidence management professionals.May 31, 2009 · This handbook is intended as a guide to recommended practices for the collection and preservation of evidence at fire/arson scenes. [1] Follow Agency Policies! Actions taken following these guides should be performed in accordance with department policies and procedures and federal and state laws. Jurisdictional, logistical or legal conditions may preclude the use of particular procedures ... Mar 16, 2022 · In Public Health Trust of Dade County vs. Valcin, 507 So. 2d 596, 601 (Fla. 1987) the court finds a court order, contract, or discovery request imposes a duty to maintain or preserve evidence. If no request for preservation is made, there may not be a preservation duty other than a pending or reasonably foreseeable litigation. Nov 10, 2001 · Spoliation of evidence, which is sometimes referred to as “spoilation” or “destruction of evidence,” is a cause of action which holds someone liable for negligently or intentionally destroying material which is needed as evidence in litigation. Since 1990, it has been a very powerful tool in the arsenal of litigants and has forced some ... Jul 31, 2015 · Preserve evidence or be subject to sanctions. By Jennifer Braster. The case of Quraishi v. Port Authority of N.Y. demonstrates the importance of pre-litigation preservation of evidence and making sure both counsel and the client have a correct understanding of the client’s preservation measures to avoid claims of spoliation. Quraishi v. Jan 1, 2022 · Sec. 5. The appropriate governing body may levy annually a tax of not more than one cent ($0.01) on each one hundred dollars ($100) of taxable property for the control and prevention of venereal disease. The tax is in addition to other taxes of the local governing body. The tax shall be collected in the same manner as other taxes and shall be ... Courts first consider whether a duty to pre- serve evidence exists. To assess whether a duty exists, courts may consider: the conduct, event or information that may trigger a preservation obligation, to whom the preservation duty may extend, and the scope of the pres- ervation obligation. 1.Jun 1, 2019 · LEXIS 279 (Pa.Super. Mar. 27, 2019), a recent Superior Court decision, creates unsettling law on the preservation of video surveillance evidence and spoliation. In Pennsylvania, spoliation of evidence is defined as “the non-preservation or significant alteration of evidence for pending or future litigation.”. Pyeritz v. Preservation of evidence means the government must maintain the integrity of the evidence for later testing or analysis. To do this, property and evidence custodians must keep accurate and complete chain-of-custody records, properly store the evidence, and prevent contamination, damage to, or destruction of the evidence.Preservation of Evidence From crime scene to forensic laboratory to courtroom , all evidence must be inventoried and secured to preserve its integrity. Crime scene evidence admissibility ln court is predicated upon an unbroken chain or custody. it is important to demonstrate that the evidence introduced at trial is the same evidence collected ... Jul 31, 2015 · Preserve evidence or be subject to sanctions. By Jennifer Braster. The case of Quraishi v. Port Authority of N.Y. demonstrates the importance of pre-litigation preservation of evidence and making sure both counsel and the client have a correct understanding of the client’s preservation measures to avoid claims of spoliation. Quraishi v. Jun 2, 2020 · The fundamental importance of digital evidence preservation is quite clear. Through this article, we want to highlight the necessity to follow a series of steps in order to preserve digital evidence, as even a small inattentive move could lead to a loss of evidence and the break of a case. In this article, we will be covering the following topics: September 8, 2022. Author (s) Barbara Guttman, Douglas R. White, Shannan Williams, Tracy Walraven. Abstract. The preservation of digital evidence (DE) presents unique problems beyond traditional evidence preservation. This document addresses considerations related to the preservation of digital evidence.May 19, 2023 · What is preservation of evidence? Preservation of evidence is the process of saving information that may be relevant to a potential or ongoing lawsuit so that it cannot be altered, lost, or... Preservation of Evidence From crime scene to forensic laboratory to courtroom , all evidence must be inventoried and secured to preserve its integrity. Crime scene evidence admissibility ln court is predicated upon an unbroken chain or custody. it is important to demonstrate that the evidence introduced at trial is the same evidence collected ... Jun 20, 2015 · “(1) threats to preservation of the evidence, (2) 12 irreparable harm likely to result to the party seeking preservation, and (3) the 13 capability of the custodian to maintain the evidence sought to be preserved.” Rail Mgmt. v. Sultanov, 2017 WL 67119, at *1 (N.D. Cal. Jan. 6, 2017). Aug 29, 2023 · The evidence collected from the scene will most likely be the evidence in any litigation that ensues. Accordingly, this step is critical for litigation preparation. Preservation of the Evidence. Once the evidence has been identified and collected, the next critical step is to properly preserve the evidence. The NFPA provides as follows: IT managers should work with general counsel to develop and implement a plan for collecting and preserving electronic data in order to maintain a solid chain of custody. However, before even beginning to collect evidence and create the chain of custody, other potentially valuable evidence needs to be collected at the scene of the crime (in this ...
The proper collection, preservation and documentation of physical evidence found at the crime scene often are the deciding factors when a criminal case is brought before a judge and/or jury. It is imperative, therefore, that officers and crime scene technicians exercise proper care and follow procedures . Most of the salt consumed by americans is
Preservation letters As to your own client: A. Notifies them of the duty to preserve evidence. • i. Which minimizes the risk of spoliation sanctions against them; and • ii. Mitigates the attorney’s risk of sanctions by the court or a malpractice action from his own client for failure to advise the client of the duty to preserve evidence. May 19, 2023 · What is preservation of evidence? Preservation of evidence is the process of saving information that may be relevant to a potential or ongoing lawsuit so that it cannot be altered, lost, or... Feb 5, 2021 · The whole criminal justice system would come to a halt. Therefore preservation and maintenance of such evidence become utmost necessary so that such evidence doesn’t lose its true nature, especially during the investigation and proceeding recently an official data revealed that CBI’s conviction has declined from 71% in 2010 to 68% in 2019. For purposes of this rule: (1) A “preservation request” is a written notice to a party or nonparty requesting that the recipient preserve electronically stored information for possible use in pending or anticipated litigation. The preservation request may, but need not, relate to anticipated litigation against the nonparty. Jun 2, 2020 · The fundamental importance of digital evidence preservation is quite clear. Through this article, we want to highlight the necessity to follow a series of steps in order to preserve digital evidence, as even a small inattentive move could lead to a loss of evidence and the break of a case. In this article, we will be covering the following topics: May 31, 2009 · This handbook is intended as a guide to recommended practices for the collection and preservation of evidence at fire/arson scenes. [1] Follow Agency Policies! Actions taken following these guides should be performed in accordance with department policies and procedures and federal and state laws. Jurisdictional, logistical or legal conditions may preclude the use of particular procedures ... Oct 6, 2016 · The preservation of video surveillance varies greatly from place to place and certain occurrences can trigger the preservation of video surveillance, but not indefinitely. My advice upon receiving a new case where video surveillance may be available is to send out a preservation-of-evidence letter as soon as possible. Abstract. For five types of evidence— drugs, firearms, glass, paint, and tool marks—the processes of identification, collection, and preservation were explained. For each type, it was established how to detect relevant evidence at the crime scene and judge its importance for further investigation. Also, necessary precautions and appropriate ... May 19, 2023 · What is preservation of evidence? Preservation of evidence is the process of saving information that may be relevant to a potential or ongoing lawsuit so that it cannot be altered, lost, or... Dec 1, 2017 · preservation obligations before receiving a subpoena Although a subpoenaed non-party must preserve evidence that it reasonably expects is responsive to the subpoena, a non-party’s duty to preserve ESI in the face of a boilerplate preservation demand when no litigation is pending is less clear. Jan 1, 2023 · Next ». (a) One who desires to perpetuate testimony or preserve evidence for the purposes set forth in Section 2035.010 shall file a verified petition in the superior court of the county of the residence of at least one expected adverse party, or, if no expected adverse party is a resident of the State of California, in the superior court of a ... Preservation of Evidence. The following steps will be taken to preserve evidence: do not move anything unless absolutely necessary. to the extent possible, avoid contaminating evidence. photograph or video record the scene as well as individual objects before moving anything. protect forensic evidence from the elements. .