The first attending officer will then determine if there are any witnesses to the crime and interview them with initial questions in order to determine what occurred at the scene so that it can be effectively investigated.
It is the role of the First Attending Officer to determine the edges of the crime scene, and then corner the scene off using crime scene tape, making sure that the scene can be kept clear and uncontaminated by preventing access from the public. It is their responsibility to perform this task as soon as possible, to make sure that no evidence within the scene can be contaminated.
The First Attending Officer should also establish a basic Common Approach Path, in an attempt to minimize the contamination of evidence on the floor as the emergency services enter the scene.
The OJ Simpson Case
The first attending officer at the OJ Simpson Crime Scene was Robert Risk, who was responding to a 911 call from Nicole's neighbours, who found her body. Robert Riske and his partner investigated the scene, being careful not to contaminate the evidence by stepping in the blood, by avoiding the main path and stepping in the foliage. He noticed that the door was open, at which point he entered the house and noticed that there was no sign of forced entry, so used the phone to call the station for backup. When picking up the phone, he neglected to dust for fingerprints, or use gloves; therefore contaminating any potential evidence on the phone.
Riske however; neglected to establish a common approach path before the arrival of the paramedics and Forensic Team, meaning that much of the evidence was contaminated due to being stepped on.