149 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
149 lines
7.0 KiB
Plaintext
February 1991
|
||
|
||
|
||
POLICE PRACTICES:
|
||
COMPUTER AIDED DRAFTING FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT
|
||
|
||
|
||
Today, computers are used extensively in police work.
|
||
Current computer programs accommodate practically every police
|
||
function--records management, dispatching, personnel scheduling,
|
||
and supply maintenance, to name only a few applications. But,
|
||
are departments using computers to their fullest potential? In
|
||
many instances, the answer is "No!"
|
||
|
||
One area often overlooked involves installing computer-
|
||
aided drafting (CAD) software into computers. With CAD
|
||
software, the computer is used to assist with a drawing or a
|
||
design.
|
||
|
||
Most people would ask why a police department would need a
|
||
CAD program; after all, cops don't design or draw anything.
|
||
However, the value of this software package becomes obvious
|
||
considering the reoccurring need of police officers to
|
||
reconstruct crime scenes or to diagram scenes of traffic
|
||
accidents. In these types of investigations, a drawing shows
|
||
what occurred and reinforces the narrative of the report.
|
||
|
||
USES OF CAD
|
||
|
||
In a traffic accident report, the details included are most
|
||
likely proportional to the seriousness of the incident.
|
||
Usually, a minor "fender-bender" only qualifies for a few terse
|
||
lines telling what happened and a very simple diagram. On the
|
||
other hand, a multivehicle accident involving serious injuries
|
||
or fatalities dictates a more comprehensive investigation, one
|
||
that includes a detailed narrative and a scale drawing of the
|
||
accident site.
|
||
|
||
Once filed, reports on minor traffic accidents with no
|
||
injuries are often forgotten, never to be seen again. But, this
|
||
is not the case with reports on major accident investigations.
|
||
Insurance claims adjusters, lawyers, and perhaps even a judge
|
||
and jury will scrutinize these reports should cases go to
|
||
litigation. In these instances, it is important that the
|
||
diagram of the accident scene be as detailed and precise as
|
||
possible.
|
||
|
||
The same holds true for accounts of crime scenes. In their
|
||
reports, investigators must show an entire overview of the crime
|
||
scene, as well as specific areas crucial to the case. This
|
||
usually requires more than one drawing. The position of the
|
||
victim, the location of the weapon and other pertinent evidence,
|
||
and entrances and exits to the crime scene are factors in the
|
||
investigation and prosecution that must be carefully noted.
|
||
And, in many instances, the precision and detail of the report
|
||
reflect the quality of the investigation and credibility of the
|
||
investigators.
|
||
|
||
THE WORKINGS OF A CAD PROGRAM
|
||
|
||
Reconstructing an accident or crime scene requires the
|
||
investigator to show exactly what transpired, who was involved,
|
||
and the position of the objects involved. All this is
|
||
facilitated with a CAD program, because it contains pre-drawn
|
||
intersections and roadways, or buildings and rooms, onto which
|
||
information can be entered.
|
||
|
||
For example, in figure 1 (not shown in BBS version of this
|
||
article), the investigator positioned the vehicles involved in
|
||
a traffic accident, showed the direction in which the vehicles were
|
||
traveling, and indicated tire marks, visual obstructions,
|
||
traffic signs, and the scale of the diagram in feet. For a
|
||
crime scene investigation, a CAD program can be used to draw a
|
||
general view of the area and then to "zoom in" to a specific
|
||
room.
|
||
|
||
CAD programs also offer a variety of fonts and styles of
|
||
letters to show differentiations in the diagram and to give the
|
||
finished product a professional appearance. Some CAD programs
|
||
allow for letters and numbers to be indicated at any angle and
|
||
at any scale. CAD programs normally include a library of
|
||
symbols, such as vehicles, traffic signs, etc., to be used for
|
||
reconstruction purposes. And, once familiar with the program,
|
||
users can create their own symbols and store them to be
|
||
retrieved for future application.
|
||
|
||
ADVANTAGES OF CAD PROGRAMS
|
||
|
||
Using a CAD program for accident or crime scene
|
||
reconstruction offers many benefits. First, there is the
|
||
professional appearance of the diagram. A CAD program allows
|
||
the investigator to add to the diagram at any time, and the
|
||
diagram can be enlarged and reduced at any time. Once a diagram
|
||
is created, it can be resized to fit available space on a
|
||
preprinted report form. With a plotter, the same drawing can
|
||
also be made large enough for a courtroom exhibit. The finished
|
||
product is clean and free of corrections. Sloppy drawings
|
||
oftentimes reflect poorly on the quality of the investigation.
|
||
With CAD programs, there is no mess; erasures or corrections
|
||
simply do not show up on the finished product.
|
||
|
||
CAD programs prevent duplication of effort, because only
|
||
one drawing needs to be made. Then with a few keystrokes on the
|
||
computer, sections can be shown from different angles.
|
||
|
||
Many departments contract with draftsmen or engineers to
|
||
produce scale drawings. This can be quite expensive and time
|
||
consuming, which may result in a backlog of projects. Also,
|
||
additional meetings with investigators may be required to
|
||
decipher notes or measurements.
|
||
|
||
There is also the time factor to consider. Some detailed
|
||
scale drawings consume considerable workhours before they are
|
||
completed. Then, if an error is detected, the entire project
|
||
might have to be redone. With a computer and a CAD program,
|
||
alterations are generally simple and the time required to do
|
||
them is minimal. Enlargements or reductions, which would mean
|
||
additional hours at the drawing table, are produced in a matter
|
||
of seconds.
|
||
|
||
Storing or filing scale drawings also poses problems. A
|
||
large-scale drawing on a big sheet of poster board is difficult
|
||
to store since it doesn't fit in filing cabinets. As a result,
|
||
the drawing is placed wherever there is room--behind a desk, in
|
||
a storage room, next to a filing cabinet. If it is moved for
|
||
one reason or another, it may never be found. And, the more the
|
||
drawing is used in presentations, the more "worn" it becomes.
|
||
|
||
Oftentimes, additional copies of drawings need to be made
|
||
for defense attorneys and prosecutors. Large drawings are not
|
||
photo copied easily, and photographs take too long to process
|
||
and do not show details clearly. With a CAD program, making
|
||
multiple copies is a simple matter.
|
||
|
||
CONCLUSION
|
||
|
||
There are CAD programs on the market that have been
|
||
developed specifically for accident and crime scene
|
||
reconstructions. Most of the programs are inexpensive and
|
||
cost-effective, and the funds spent for them are quickly
|
||
recouped in workhours saved. With a CAD program, police
|
||
departments, regardless of size, can increase their efficiency
|
||
and expand the potential of their computer systems.
|
||
|
||
_______________
|
||
|
||
Information for this column was submitted by Joseph E.
|
||
Badger, a retired Indiana State police sergeant.
|
||
|