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Club member Officer Rachel Roberts (center left) hosted guest speaker Lauren Thomas (center right), a Crime Scene technician with Lewisville PD. (Click photo above to open full-size image.) Thanks to popular television dramas, like CSI, the general population understands how critical the process of gathering evidence at a crime scene is to helping solve a case or put the bad guys behind bars. But the day to day work of the Lewisville PD generally is neither as gory nor as high tech as what you see on TV, joked Lauren Thomas, Crime Scene Technician (CST) with Lewisville Police Department, during her presentation to the Lewisville Noon Rotary last week. CSTs respond to property crime scenes, like burglaries, as well as crimes against persons, including robberies, aggravated assaults, and homicides, explained Thomas. They then go through a five-step process of gathering evidence, which is the same, regardless of the nature of the crime: - Talk with first responders
- Conduct a walk-through of the scene
- Take photographs, including at least three pictures (long range, medium range and close up) of anything of evidentiary value
- Collect evidence
- Process the evidence
When processing a scene, Crime Scene Technicians are looking for fingerprint evidence; DNA evidence from blood, saliva, bodily fluids or skin cells; evidence of a firearm, such as shell casings or bullet fragments (which can be linked to a specific gun); and trace evidence, including hairs, clothing fibers, paint chips, and pieces of glass. CSTs typically use plastic sealable bags or brown paper bags to collect evidence, she noted, and wet items are placed in paper bags to prevent mold growth, which could damage or destroy something needed to prove a case. “It’s important that we be thorough when collecting evidence,” noted Thomas. “Our work can make or break a case when it goes to court.” Interested in learning more? Check out this article on "Gathering Physical Evidence for a Crime Scene Investigation," and download a free Citizen Detective Guide, at Uncovered.com. |
From an early age, John Cuellar learned what it meant to achieve the American Dream. The grandson of Mexican immigrants Macario Cuellar and his wife, Adelaida, Cuellar joined the family business as a teenager, when he started working at El Chico #11, located at Six Flags Over Texas, in 1961. Cuellar later earned his law degree from Harvard and served from 1973-1996 as General Counsel of Cuellar’s El Chico Restaurants, a brand that has become a household name in Texas and gained notoriety around the globe.
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