COVER STORY Mobile Crime Scene Units
aluminum body and the exterior compartments have a satin-anod- ized aluminum fi nish. The truck is furnished with Whelen LED emer- gency lighting and a Will-Burt Night Scan 120Vac light tower. Sgt. Steven Crosby, Philadelphia PD Mobile Crime Lab, selected the F550 crew cab because there is no common area, which he felt encourages people to hang out at the scene and get in the way of crime scene investigators trying to access their supplies. “We went with the F550, which could carry everything we needed, because vehicles with a lighter chassis wouldn’t have held up under the weight of the equipment. The truck is simply for investigating crime scenes.” Crosby planned this as a concept vehicle with a place for everything, including all their needed tools, such as power tools, their 3D scanner, and slide-out trays for various collection supplies. The high base with dual wheel has few issues with heavy snows. The four-door crew cab holds four comfortably. The 18- foot mast lights up crime scenes with four LED lights powered by a generator, which also powers their power tools. There is also an internal power source from which they can pull a 100- foot cord and their contract included a built-in shelf with char- gers and portable CID lights from Streamlight. Crosby stated, “We enjoy the handheld high-output light-
ing and LED night scan lighting supported by an internal fuel- powered generator, which gives us lots of power. The vehicle is armed for security, arming all compartments and doors and we have two compartments that lock with an additional combina- tion locking system for evidence.
The front winch is really useful and its uses have included pulling two bodies out of the river after they were recovered by divers. Our color backup camera has a 7-inch LCD monitor for visibility. Our backup alarms can be turned off if we are in a residential neighborhood late at night.” The side compartments feature custom designed slide-out shelves and bins with rolling doors and slide doors for easy ac- cess from outside and they do not have to enter the vehicle to access the compartments.
Crosby noted that the most important things to consider when ordering a crime scene vehicle are lighting, power, and including 4WD if your coverage area is rural or has steep streets and roads that must be accessed in inclement weather. The onboard 7.5kw gen- erator is an important item and theirs is a full-power generator that runs on diesel fuel fed directly from the vehicle tank, with a remote start, which powers the roof-mounted light tower and it charges multiple cordless extraction tools and their back-up batteries. They have an inverter that can convert power from the vehicle to 120 to use their laptops and other devices. The truck always has power, remote start for cold weather, and a warm-glow plug for quick starts.
“It was worth investing in the vehicle. It is reliable, has every- thing you need to work scenes and is comfortable to work in. It has good lighting and power, ease of access without physical strain, and designed to be a work truck,” Crosby commented.
Sirchie Vehicles
www.sirchie.com/vehicles
Sirchie provides both criminal investigation equipment and vehicles as a single source supplier. The specialized police vehicles are manufactured to meet the real-life, in-fi eld needs of crime scene specialists. According to Tony Saggiomo, Vice
16 LAW and ORDER I June 2015
Philadelphia’s 4WD Ford F550 Crime Scene Unit by Sirchie.
Philadelphia’s 4WD Ford F550 Crime Scene Unit by Sirchie showing easily accessible side panel storage and rear entry.
President/CEO, Sirchie Vehicle Division, “We provide the total solution for forensic products.”
Sirchie manufactures most vehicles with four-wheel drive available. Larger units, such as the 25- to 26-foot vehicles, are used to process major crime scenes. Saggiomo reported that while some areas do regionalize their needs, usually medium to large jurisdictions purchase crime scene vehicles, although some small jurisdictions from affl uent townships may purchase them on their own. The vehicles are mostly used for evidence collection, but Sirchie has a lot of ability to do tests onboard that will establish probable cause to collect evidence on the scene. Jurisdictions that do not have immediate access to their main lab might purchase a vehicle capable of running more tests. Sirchie sets up the entire vehicle for evidence collection. They
use aluminum and steel to manufacture metal cabinetry because it holds up so much better than wooden cabinets. The metal cabi- netry is also non-porous and less conducive to microscopic con- tamination. The welding, electrical, fabrication, upholstery and fi nal assembly is all done under one roof and they can custom accommodate any equipment the customer wishes, making any modifi cations needed for special equipment.
When a customer contacts Sirchie, they respond with a detailed proposal and a covering letter with features they suggest for that customer. They talk to customers and offi cers all over the world with their global reach and they learn about customer needs and wants every time they have these conversations. Sirchie provides everything from the chassis to the forensic equipment and factory certifi ed training on both, creating a total solution. Durability and regional requirements are always stressed when evaluating a department’s needs. For example, a crime scene vehicle operating in the hot climate of Saudi Arabia will have sig-
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