Finding stuff that could be evidence

[Web Monkey]

Every now and then, someone posts that they found a gun, box of drugs, body or something else that could be evidence of a crime.

Would PSD people rather the site be marked with an SMB tied off to a rock or something nearby, or just surface and try to remember where it is?

(I assume touching or moving it would be a bad thing, so I won't even mention that).

For that matter while I assume drugs or a body would merit attention, would a car or a gun be something that should always be called in?

Terry

[ditch-diver]

My (our) preference is that if you have a float or a pelican to mark the sight and call us.

And we always want people to call in cars and or guns they see as well. I always tell people I'd rather have 50 'false alarms' than have someone not call in a single 'case-breaker'

[Web Monkey]

My (our) preference is that if you have a float or a pelican to mark the sight and call us.

And we always want people to call in cars and or guns they see as well. I always tell people I'd rather have 50 'false alarms' than have someone not call in a single 'case-breaker'

Thanks!

I'm always amazed that people toss stuff into the water and think they've sent it off to the Phantom Zone. It's just water.

Terry

[ditch-diver]

Welcome to our world!! The term "criminal mastermind" is just from the movies :^)

[BladesRobinson]

My (our) preference is that if you have a float or a pelican to mark the sight and call us.

And we always want people to call in cars and or guns they see as well. I always tell people I'd rather have 50 'false alarms' than have someone not call in a single 'case-breaker'


I AGREE ! ! ! !

If you have a good surface marker buoy that can be properly secured to the bottom in a way that it will not drift off, be cut off by chafe or be pulled underwater by current or tide, then leaving the item in place and allowing the local PSD team to do the recovery may be a good option. That is assuming the object being marked won't drift off, be consumed by pelagics, or be taken by other divers in the area.

I believe most PSDs would like to see the object as it was found, document it's position and location, and make a proper recovery without destroying evidence held by the item being recovered (i.e., blood splatter/DNA, balistics, fingerprints, etc).

If you can mark it and contact the authorities by VHF marine radio or cell phone, they can advise if they would prefer you to bring it ashore.

[rjack321]

The one time I found a gun it was in a rather non-descript plastic case. I'd already moved+opened the damn thing before I realized what it was. So up it came. "Along the sidewalk's seawall, 40ft west of this spot in 18ft of water" was good enough for the non-detective, non-investigator officer I gave it to. I'm still curious if they were about to get ballistics on it after being in the (salt) water a few months.