Special Agents of the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) Crime Scene (CS) Department respond to crime scene requests from local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies throughout the 46 counties of the state. The department may also respond to crime scenes outside of SC if an ongoing investigation extends into another state.
SLED CS Agents are Class I Law Enforcement Certified and respond to crime scene requests 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. SLED CS Agents respond to scenes such as:
Officer-Involved Shootings
Homicides
Suicides
Child Fatalities
Large-scale property crimes
While on scene, SLED CS Agents investigate and document the crime scene as well as locate, collect, and process evidence related to the case. In addition, Agents are trained to perform job functions in Advance Digital Photography, Footwear/Tire Tread Examinations, or Bloodstain Pattern Analysis/Crime Scene Reconstruction Examinations (BPA/CSR).
Requests for crime scene assistance should be made through the SLED Operations Desk at (803) 737-9000.
FOOTWEAR/TIRE TREAD ANALYSIS
The Crime Scene Department conducts examinations and comparisons of footwear and tire tread evidence. Identification of impressions made by a particular shoe or tire is based upon the correspondence of discernible individual characteristics (i.e., accidental or deliberate markings on the tread surface) sufficient in number and/or uniqueness to rule out coincidence. If insufficient characteristics are present, it will not be possible to make a positive identification.
The presence of corresponding class characteristics (i.e., basic outsole design, tread design, overall physical dimensions, etc.) may permit the conclusion that an impression could have been made by a particular shoe or tire. However, in these cases, the stipulation must be made that the impression could also have been made by any other shoe or tire possessing the same class characteristics.
It should be noted that the size of questioned impression outsole does not necessarily correlate to the “shoe size”.
BLOODSTAIN PATTERN ANALYSIS/CRIME SCENE RECONSTRUCTION
The Crime Scene Department provides bloodstain pattern analysis and crime scene reconstruction services when requested. It is recommended that the department supervisor be contacted prior to submission of such cases to the laboratory in order to ensure that necessary documentation and evidence is submitted for examination. Requests for crime scene assistance related to bloodstain evidence should be made through SLED Operations at (803) 737-9000.
