Common Approach Path

A Common Approach Path is set up at a crime scene as a directed pathway for anyone investigating the scene of the crime to follow. This pathway is set up before Scene of Crome Officers begin collecting evidence from the scene, also the CAP will usually be set up as quickly as possible before any other agencies enter the crime scene in order to prevent any contamination to the scene itself. By seeking up a CAP will allow all agencies working at the crime scene to follow the route of the CAP without damaging or contaminating any evidence at the scene. The CAP is also useful when Scene of Crime Officers are collecting the evidence, as when setting up a CAP the whereabouts of all the evidence at the scene must be took in to consideration in order to set up a pathway. By setting up a Common Approach Path will ensure that agencies working within the crime scene will not be injured by any dangerous items or evidence at the crime scene as the CAP will be a safe route to follow around the scene. 

The O.J. Simpson Case

Within the murder case of Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman, at the scene of the crime a Common Approach Path was not set up. the CAP is usually set up by Scene of Crome Officers, however as they did not arrive to the scene of the crime until around 3 hours after the phone call was made for 'back up' other personnel had already entered the crime scene. However in order to preserve the serene and evidence from being damaged an officer at the crime scene should have carried out the procedure. Yet this was not done so which led to many officers and other agencies at the crime scene walking in the pools of blood from Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman leaving bloody footprints from the investigators all over the crime scene. Therefore this contaminated a lot of crucial evidence from the scene, which results in the evidence not being sufficient enough to use within a court.