Physical Evidence Used In Military Sex Offense Cases
1. SAFE – encourage Sexual Assault Forensic Exam; don’t insist; use at least 96 hours window for evidence; military hospitals give SAFE priority1
2. Clothing – seize, even if washed; remember bedding; no time limits
3. Photos – document everything & everywhere; external building photos (more pieces of evidence look like a better case), neutral locations where victim & offender met, spent time; work locations of v & o
4. Cellphone, facebook, computer photos of the crime; forensic analysis of computer for pornography, e-mail
1 MEDCOM Reg. 40-36 (21 Jan. 2009), 6.b.(3);
5. Demonstrative evidence – create diagrams of all scenes; lists of items seized or tested;
timelines
6. Offender – suspect sexual assault forensic examination kit and clothing by command
authorization or consent to CID agent; document offender’s room, even if no contact there (more
information is always better)