For many years crime scene investigations have relied on accurate reporting from the location to ensure a crime scene reconstructionist and law enforcement can digitally redesign the scene. the accuracy of the documentation, images, and reports collected from the scene is of high importance in order to be able to tell what happened at the scene and must be collected in a way that it can stand up in court as proof of what took place at the scene.
The antiquated ways of collecting the information from the scene leaves room for human error lost paperwork, and inaccurate reporting. Thus, technology is needed to aid crime scene investigators to improve the efficiency at the scene and collection of information. This inspired the design of the DT301X-TR rugged tablet with an integrated 3D RealSense camera which improves documentation of crime scenes, while also improving the amount of time it takes to collect data on the scene.
The DT301X-TR rugged tablet helps crime scene reconstructionists and law enforcement be more effective when reconstructing a scene because the tablet can capture information and use that information with integrated data capture and software to easily and accurately reconstruct the scene and be able to determine what happened there. Rugged tablets for crime scene investigations also come with built-in GNSS sensors which allow for centimeter grade accurate surveying of the crime scene. Once the information is accurately recorded and logged in the system, the software can take the measurements and reconstruct the scene showing multiple points of view from the scene including all the angles that matter when understanding what happened at the scene.
The 3D RealSense camera integrated into rugged tablets allows for precise data collection at the scene, documenting images from all angles in real-time. The images can be referred to at a later time for further investigations to remember every single piece of evidence from the scene.
One of the biggest concerns is accuracy in crime scene reconstruction as when a crime is tried in court it is difficult to bring evidence in to show the scene and impossible to take jurors to the crime scene itself, with issues of showing the jury evidence from a particular point of view. Photographs and video presentations are necessarily limited to the point of view of the camera at the time the images are collected. Viewing the data from the top of the vehicle, for example, would not be possible with photographs unless the scene photographer had thought to photograph from that vantage point. The interpretation of point clouds can be restricted to real-world measurements, unlike animations.
Rugged tablets solve this issue by allowing the reconstruction of the scene to be viewed by jurors via a 3D modeling of the scene to show key elements from the scene that are important to decision making.
The Oregon State Police Department was able to reopen a case and reconstruct the scene to make a final determination as to what happened at the scene and case. In this case study, the crime scene reconstructionist shares how the DT301X-TR was used to establish what was needed to make a case and determine what happened at a crash scene. The findings were astounding.
Rugged tablets for crime scene investigations are a game-changer for reconstructionists and law enforcement who need accurate data and efficient processing.