FEDERAL

LAW ENFORCEMENT
TRAINING CENTER

STUDENT GUIDE

CRIME SCENE SKETCH

SG-205 (8-82)

DEPARTMENT OF THE TREASURY

 CAVEAT
This material was prepared by the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center for
use in its training programs. Consequently, all reasonable efforts were made to
make the policies and procedures set forth herein be in conformance with
Federal law and regulations at the time of printing.

Anyone using this material for any other purpose should consider the possibility
that Federal legislation and/or court interpretations after this material was sent for
printing have made parts of the material obsolete and take appropriate action to
satisfy themselves that the material is current.
 C-RIMINALISTICS

"The Crime Scene Sketch"

I. DEFINITION.

Websters New Collegiate Dictionary defines the word

sketch as "a rouah drawing representing the chief features
of an object or scene and often made as a p reliminary
study." (Emphasis added.)

II. IMPORTANCE.

It is essential that some means of an accurate

representation of the crime scene be presented in court
in a manner that all members, judqe, jury, prosecutor,
defense attorneys, witnesses and others involved, can
view an accurate, objective descr i ption of the crime
scene as it existed before any item was altered or re-
moved.

Photography and sketching combined, should, as a

rule , be utilized to record the crime scene. Disadvan-
taqes of photoaraphy include the cluttering of the scene
and the camera' s inability to " see" certain objects hidden
by other objects. The most effective method of recording
the placement, size or dimension of phys ical evidence or
areas, will be the officer's Crime Scene Sketch.

III . PURPOSE OF THE SKETCH.

The purpose of a Crime scene Sketch is manifold .

A. Used for court presentation.

B. Acts as a supplement to photographs.

c. Depicts the actual measurements of the crime

scene.

D. Records the actual position of the evidence

and other pertinent objects .

E. Records the ?hysical dimensions of the scene .

F . Shows actual distances between objects not

determined by photographs.

1
 G . . Refreshes the memory of both officer and witness.

IV . GENERAL RULES FOR SKF.TCHING.

In order to prevent distortion, accuracy is of vital
importance. Distances should not ~e measured by paces and
then recorden on the sketch by feet and inches . All
meas u rements shou ld he recorded in a systematic method and
measured accurately, not by guess work or approximation .
It i s also very i mportant to determine what is to he
sket ched .

The officer responsible for the sketch shoulc be

familiar with the scene , the surrounding a r ea, what has been
dec l ared physical evidence, what areas should be sketched,
and how much area is to be covered, both i nterior and exte -
rio~ to support the investioator in properly recording the
crime scene . If possible, a rough sketch, completed prior
to t he departure of witnesses or victim, would be of
significant value to the sketcher, to p in - point exact
pos i tions at the time of the incident anc identifv e ntry,
or e~it points of the culprit .

V. BASIC RULES FOR SKETCHING,

A. Always i nclude the magnetic north indicat ion on
your sketch.

B . Use accurate measurements f urnished to you by

yo ur measur ing team and be sure they are verif~ed.

C . Keep your sketch clear of non-essential items.

This is an advantage of a sketch over a photoqraph. The
clutter can he removed.

D. Do not rely on memory to finish your sketch or

to make corrections back at headquarters or any other
plac e removed from the crime s cene l ocation .

E . Record camera posit i ons and include these on

both sketch and photograph.

F. If necessary, record measurements on supolernental

sheet , but include a Title Block for each sheet, including
the sheet on which the sketch is placed .

G. Use standard accepted symbols for obiects. If

symbols are your own, be sure t o include an explanation
of symbol meanings in the Legend .

2
 VI. TYPES OF SKETCHES.

There are various types of sketche~ used by police

organizations. However , we are interested in three types
normally used in police work for crime scene sketching.

A. The Locality Sketch - Th i s · type of sketch shows

a graphic picture of the scene and its environs, to include
such items as, roads leading into scene, location of the
building or house, and neighbor i ng bu i ldings or fields, It
can aid in demonstrating the route used to approach or
leave the cri~e scene. (See Figure 1.)

B. The Grounds Sketch - This sketch can depict the

layout of the entire structure, the qrounds surrounding
the structure, floor plans of a multi - floor or apartment
style structure. (See F'igure 2.)

C. The Detail Sketch - This type of sketch depicts

the immediate area of the scene only, i.e., the room where
the crime was committed and the room details, including
items of evidence and their exact locations. It may be
sketched as a flat projection without walls or ceiling, or
may be drawn as a cross-projection to show walls, floors,
laid out on the same plane as the f l oor plans. (See ·
Figure 3.)

VII. THE ROUGH SKETCH.

This sketch refers to the officer's work drawn at

the crime scene. The sketcher must keep in mind that such
sketches may be introduced into court as evidence. All
measurements, locations, directions and indications should
be accurate, with no deletions or additions made after
leaving the scene. The measurements with the data r ecorded
cJ~. a..\. .. ,.~ on the sketch provide the basis for the completion of the
~~.a.. "'111/~ J f inished drawing.
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(:,v; ~CK\ c e. The Rough Sketch need not be drawn to__§.£a)e, but
consideration should be given toward maintaining qeneral
proportions and positions consistent with the real scene.
The task of the draftsman who will be responsibl e for the
preparation of the f inish~d_§r awing wirl be much less
confus ing. (See Figure 4.)

VIII. THE FINISHED DRAl,!ING .

The purpose of the finished drawinq is to help pro -

vide the court with a clear, concise picture of the crime
3
 ~~
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 Case #9PT-203
518A "E 11 Street
Glynco, GA 31524
7 / 30 / 82 - 1430 hour s
Homicide
Victim - Bob Burns
Inve stig ator - Paul Harle y
As sistants - Charl e s Ma this
Tony Pazz i o

DETAIL S KETCH

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F i gure 3

Th e de t a il sk e tch i s a reprodu ct i o n of t h e immediate crime

s c e ne , suc h a s t h e room in whic h t he c rim e was committed or
th e location o f th e tr a f f i c acc i de nt . Th e detail sketch shows
a ll phys ic a l detai ls immediately re l at ing to the crime or
a c c ide nt, furnitu re, ev i de n ce , p o int of i mpact , etc.

3c
 # ROUGH SKETCH
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scene. With such a g raphic presentation, judqe, jury and
attorneys may be able to perceive the arrangement and th e
exact locations of .significant e lements of the crime scene,

At the same time, the drawinq serves to refresh the

officer's memory. Bear in mind that considerable time may
have passed between the origina l investiqation and the
courtroom presentation .

The Finished Drawinq will be based upon information,

notes, and the Rough , Sketch d eveloped during the oriq inal
investig ation. As a rule, this drawing will be accomplish-
ed by a quali(ied draftsman or b y someone with mechanical
drawing abili~y. It should b e drawn to scale and should be
subject to apBroval and verification by the officer who
made the original sketches and notes, (See Fiqure 5.)

IX. ESSP.NTIAL ELEMENTS.

The sketch should include only tho s e items essential

to the crime scene; all unnecessary items will tend to
clutter the sketch and confuse the drawing. The Rouqh
Sketch should include and conform to the following:

A. Outline of room.

B. Location of all doors , windows and, if n eed be ,

electrical wall outlets.

C. Exact location of furniture.

D. All items considered to he of evidential value .

E. All moveable items shou ld be measured from at

least two f ixed objects or points , e.g., doors , y1indows,
corners, etc.

F. If large areas are to be port rayed, a suffic i e nt

degree of accuracy. can be obtained by measurinq in yarC.s or
tenths of a mile.

G. If small areas are involved, it mi~ht become

necessary to measure as p recis ely as one sixteenth of an
inch.

H. Caution must be observed t o insure the Finished

Drawing and the Rough Sketch are c onsistent wi t h each other
with no discrepancies between th e~ .

4
Case #9PT-203
518A "E" Street
Glynco, GA 31524
7/30/82 - 1430 hours
Homicide
Victim - Tom Jones

FINISHED DRAWING

· · SAFE

Fl LE
CA Bl NE

COUCH
Figure 5
Investigator - Sgt. Paul Harley
Sketcher - Charles Mathis
Measurers - Hugh Crews
Tommy Pazzio

4a
 I. The use of magnetic compass indication symbols
should be employed to prop~rly orient the sketch.

J. The Rough Sketch is not normally drawn to scale.

However, the relative proportions of the sketch should be
consistent with those of the room. Thus, if the room
measures 15 feet by 30 feet, the ~oom sketch should be
approximately twice as long in one dimension as it is in
the other.

K. The use of stick figures should be used if tem-

plates are not available.

X. TITLE BLOCK.

Each Rough Sketch must be authenticated. This ·

requires a Title Block to record information pertinent to
the crime scene.

Title Block Information

A. Case number.

B. Location/address.

C. Location within building.

D. Date/time of sketch.

E. Offense.

F. Victim or scene portrayed.

G. Name of sketcher.

H. Name(s ) of officer(s) measuring area,

XI. LEGEND.

The Legend provides a means to reduce the amount of

special skill or artistic skill needed to produce a simp le,
but accurate sketch. In large scale outdoor scenes, con-
ventional mapping siqns or symbols may be used to depict
landscape features. It is not always necessary to draw an
item i n its own form. A s ymbol, number or letter may be
assigned and then identified in the legend. f
'\;/
o.) 'f'O; t'\.\ 0. \M~ W~ \ \
b) ~"·· ~
5
 Where areas contain numerous items of fixture s,
furniture, etc., the lettering can be extended by adding
to the basic letter A, e.g., AA, AB, AC, etc. Numbers for
items of evidence may continue indefinitely.

Because of the dimensions and the complexity of the

scene, a second sheet may be required for the Legend and
measurement record of the sketch. The secon<l sheet must
be identified with the same information Title Block as
recorded on the sketch portion. (See Figure 6.)

XII. CRIME SCENE SKETCH KIT . .

There are commercial outlets that sell co~plete kits

for sketching. It is poss ible, however, for a small
organization to purchase the required materials from a
local source, thus saving at least half the cost.

Minimum materials needed are:

A. Pencils , soft lead and eraser.

B. Plain bond paper 8 1/2 11 X 10 1//. 11 •

C. Ruler, wood or metal, 12 11 • •

D. 50 Foot metal tape measure.

E. Compass, magnetic.

F. Small briefcase for transport.

If it is available; the use of graph paper will aid

greatly by providing a qraphic scale to the sketch.

XII I. PREPARING TO SKETCH.

Begin the sketch by recording the di~ensions of the

room or area in question. Lay out a base p l an of the walls,
doors, win dows,and be sure to locate all fixed objects to
be used later as reference points . Once the basic plan
has been recorded, start p utting in the moveable objects
that have been selected as being of significance.

The final sketching s hould consist of those items to

be recorded as essential items of evidence . Be sure that
you remember to record the camera positio ns and , if other
than a standard symbol is used, to explain it in the Legend.

6
 LEGEND

(Ti tl e Block)

Case #9PT- 20 3 The legend may be i n~l u ded

518A "E" Street on the rough ske tch . If a s e p a rate
Gl ynco, GA 31524 sheet is used to re cor d me a s u reme n ts ,
7 /30/82 - 1430 h ours etc . , be sure t o i nclu de a t i tle
Hom i c i de block.
Vi ct im : Bob Bur ns
Inves ti gat or : P a ul Jones
Ass is tan t: Ma r y Smith

Meas u reme n ts Fixtures Ev idence

A- B - 1 1 6 11 L - Couch, 6 ' x 3' x 3' 1 - Vi c tim

B- C - 2 1 6 11 Wall AB-L - 5'
C-D - 5' Wall KJ-L - 5' 2 - Revolver
D- E - 2 ' 6" SW, 4" barrel
E- F - 1 1 6 11 M - File Cabine t SN 120 5
F-G - 16 ' 2 1 6 11 x 2 1 6 11 x 5' .38 cal ib e r
G- H - 5' Wall AK-M - 5 1 6 11 Model 51
H-J - 3' Wall FG-M - 5' Ch r ome plated
J-K - 5'

-------
K-A - 16' N - Safe , Marx Mo d . 1 0
3' x 3' x 3'8"

Camera Pos i tio ns

K- 1
J-1
Eviden ce

-
-
'

5'1 " ( Head)

4' (Head)
------
A- 1 - 4 1 8 11 ( Ri gh t Foo t)
C-1 - 4 ' l l "(Righ t Foot )
D- 2 - 7 1 6 11 (Gun But t )
F- 2 - 7'5 " (Gun But t )
G-2 - 5'1" (Gun Bar re l)
H-2 - 5'9" (Gu n Barre l)

Fig ur e 6

6a
XIV. CRIME SCENE NOTES.

A sketch is a graphic representation of the crime

scene, but there are many facts that will not be shown,
e.g., color of walls, floors, ruqs, unusual items of
furniture, fixtures, figurines, paintin~s and other sundry
objects. A good investigator/sketcher will note these
facts in his police notebook for further reference for
~ossible linking the suspect to the crime. Photographs
will also contribute to the recordina of many details.
XV. METHODS OF SKETCHING.

There are various methods for locating items within

the crime scene area. The three methods we will cover are:

A. Straight Line Method (See Figure 7).

B. Rectang ulation Method (See Figure 8).

C. Triangulation Method (See Figure 9).

The two methods most generally used are the rectan-

gulation and triangulation methods. Both methods can be
emp loyed in field and accident sketching .

There is an additional t y pe of sketch known as the

Cross Projection Sketch. This type of sketch is used when
items of evidence such as bullets, blood or other items
have entered or are upon the walls or ceiling ana it
becomes necessary to portray them in their proper location.
When items are located in walls, etc., flat projection will
not do the j ob. By the use of cross projection the walls
are folded down, as well as the ceilin~ and are shown on
the same plan as the floor. It will now be possible to
show the location as well as the measurements from perman-
ent p oints. (See Figure 10.)

When the finished drawing is placed on cardboard or

heavy material, it could be folded to form a scale roodel
of the crime scene.

XVI. ELONGATED FOR.MS.

When the sketcher wishes to establish the location of

any elongate d form such as a kitchen knife or a human body,
it is necessary to establish the positions of at least two

7
 case #9PT-203
518A "E" Street
Glynco, GA 31524
7 /30/ 82 - 1430 hours
Homicide
Victim - Bob Burns
Investigator - Paul Earley
Assistants - Charles Mathis
Tony Pazzio
STRAIGHT LINE METHOD

B DEN N c
G

F ¥"'"

E
~-- - - - - -> K-----~
A Figure 7 D
Straight line measurements are normally made of
furniture or evidence which may be located on t h e wall.
Two- measurements are taken, one from ea"Cli side of th'e object .

Example: Couch, 6 ' x 3' on wall

CD - E = 5'3", AB - E = 6'9"

7a
Case #9PT - 203 RECTANGULAR SKETCH METHOD
518A "E" Street
Gl ynco, GA 3 1524
7/30/82 - 1430 hours
Homicide
Victim - Bob Burns
Inves ti gator - Paul Harley
Assistants - Charles Mat hi s
Tony Pazzio

B
DEN N c
I
t G-
I
I
2. - - - - - --

A Figure 8
E
I D
The rectangular coordina t e me thod us es the principle
of measuring the distance of a n object from two fixed oi n s.
Two measurements a r e ma e at right ang l es from nearby adjacent
walls or other fixed points to the evident ial ob je ct. Al l
measurements are recorded in t he cr i me scene sketch legend .

Example: BC-2 = 3 '

CD-2 = 5'3"

7b
 TRIANGULATION SKETCHING METHOD

B DEN
N c
I
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(ir I
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I
F \
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\
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/
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A Figure 9 D
Triangulati o n method may be u sed to determine distances
either indoo r s or outdoors . Two fixed points (corner of room,
door frame, tree, fence post, u t1J.1ty pole, etc.) are selected
as po in ts of reference. Measurements are taken from the object
to each point of reference, formi ng a triangle . The point of
intersection of the two lines is the exact location of the
object .

Example: D-1 = 3'4 11 (Head)

C-1 = 9'1" (Head)

7c
 Case #PTO -# 2 ...
518A "E" Street
Glynco , GA 31~24
1/28/81 - 143 0 h o u rs
Homicide
Victim - Bob Burns
Investigator - Paul Harley

~\
Assistants - Charles Mathis
Tony Pazzio

CROSS PROJECTION

DEN

m 80IJ
D
J.

Cross-projection in sketching is
useful when t~e items of locations
of interest are in the wall
surf aces as well as elsewhere in
an enclosed space. The walls, Figure 10
windows, and doors in this type
of sketch are drawn as though the
walls had been folded flat on the
floor.

7d
separate po ints on the object . For exampl e , the ooint
and butt end of a knif e or the right ea r -and l eft- toe of
a cadaver wou l d be satisfactory . (See Fiqure 11 . )

/
/
/

/
/
/
/
/

FIGURE 11

8
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FIGURE 12

The reason fo r t he ex t ra measurement i s simply that

i f the measurement of on l y one point were carried o ut,
t he n we would not know the exact orientati on of the objec t ,
in as Much as it cou l d be rotated in a 360° circle a r ound
t he one · measured point. (See Fiqure 12.)

9
 Usina a Body Sketch like the ones below, all marks
and wounds on a body can be recorded. Close-up photo~raphs
should be taken of such marks. In c lude ruler in one
photograph to indicate scale. A. second photograph should
be taken without a ruler .

BODY SJ<ETCJ-l

/---...... ....
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10
 SKETCHING' SYNBOIS

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