Practical Crime Scene Processing and Investigation

Gardner's approach to crime scene investigation is logical, methodical, and organized. It provides a solid ground for teaching a basic crime scene course. The processing model presented in the book provides the police academy cadets with a guide on how to approach each crime scene. Very well presented! Plus, Gardner knows his forensics - YEAH! There are so many books out there with strange bogus forensic information, the kind that makes you go, "WHAT??? Noooooo." As a practicing Criminalist with a Masters in Forensic Science, I am happy with his book as a permanent fixture on my desk and in my classroom.

I am forensic scientist who has qualified as a expert witness numerous times in numerous courts in both Firearms Examination and Crime Scene Investigation. I also teach Crime Scene Investigation at the collegiate level. I have used this text for the past four semesters and have been very satisfied with it. As an professor, I received teaching aids that went along with this book. Both the teaching aids and the book have been well received by my students (and have made other professors jealous). The students also comment on the case examples that are in the book and how these real examples help them to understand the topics better. This book received one bad review on this website written by Boyd B. I must say I disagree with this bad review on many levels. The review criticizes the author for going into too much detail in bloodstain pattern analysis saying he takes a trigonmetric approach but lacks detail in other disciplines. Well the fact is, Mr. Gardner takes a similar approach to shooting reconstruction. Mr. Garner also goes into much detail in search patterns and crime scene sketching giving numerous examples of different approaches. His section on fingerprints is very good - especially when used as a field guide. The fact that Gardner goes into more detail in one of the most complex aspects of crime scene investigations (bloodstain pattern analysis) is a true testiment to his desire to make a difference in investigations. You can certainly tell that Mr. Gardner has spent significant time in the field and gives a practical (as the title says) approach to crime scene investigation. I have used this book to teach college students and forensic scientists who are training in crime scenes and police officers. I highly recommend you read this book if you are looking to get into the field or just want to know more about crime scene investigation.

Every officer should have this book in their library. Couple this with Crime Scene Investigation (ISBN# 9781593453251) and Practical Homicide Investigation (ISBN# 9780849333033), and you've got an excellent reference set on crime scene investigations.

This text is required reading in many current crime scene processing courses, and rightly so. It provides a solid foundation to anyone wishing to learn how to process crime scenes and serves as an excellent reference for those already in the field.

This book is an outstanding reference on crime scene investigation. Gardner writes from experience after many years with the US Army's Criminal Investigation Division, an agency known for their superb crime scene skills. Gardner's book covers the many facets of crime scene investigation with particular emphasis on documentation, one of the most important aspects. He presents the Army's 18-step method for crime scene processing which the reader will find to be an excellent model to follow. I am a working police detective and have received a great deal of training in crime scene investigation and own numerous texts on the subject. Gardner's book is far better than anything else I have seen to date.