Team members wear protective clothing into scenes where hazardous materials may be present. The team lead determines what level of protective equipment each scene requires.

Field tests tell Evidence Response Teams when blood may be present, but metals, vegetable enzymes, and cleaners can show up as positive results. The FBI Lab will conduct the full analysis of any sample.

The sketcher is one of the key roles on an Evidence Response Team. The sketch shows the precise relationships between articles of evidence, which is something photographs can't do.

Alternate light sources help evidence teams see things that are difficult or impossible to spot under normal lighting conditions.

Latent prints are the fingerprints humans leave behind when they touch objects or surfaces. An Evidence Response Team finds, documents, and preserves these prints.

A crime lab in Japan discovered that super glue fumes can enhance and preserve fingerprints on a hard surface.

A crime scene photographer may take dozens of photographs or thousands depending on the scene. The photos should tell a complete and unbiased story.

Crime scene sketchers use different measuring and sketching methods depending on the scene. But all sketches must be precise, with measurements accurate within one-quarter of an inch.

This method for capturing footprints is often used after an angled beam of light shows dusty footprints on a floor.

A pencil, quick reference cards, and a sturdy storage box with a clipboard, called a posse box, are among the essential equipment for an Evidence Response Team member.

With a full or partial shoe or boot tread, the FBI Laboratory can determine the size and type of footwear a person had on. A spatula keeps the casting material from destroying a footprint in sand or soft soil.

Properly logging and packaging evidence is a time consuming but essential part of processing a crime scene.