Though there are many benefits to using laser 3D scanners in criminal investigations, timesaving takes the cake as the greatest benefit. Processing a crime scene is a lengthy ordeal that involves gathering data and preserving the findings. Long before evidence is presented at trial, there is a lot of work that needs to be done and a lot of hours that go into the processing of said evidence.
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With the help of laser 3D scanners, this process just became a lot easier. One reason that crime scene investigators are standing by these lasers is that they can capture data much quicker than the human eye without questioning if the tape measure is being held right or if everything is level in order to get an accurate reading.
Evidence that is collected with this type of laser is stored digitally, which means that crime scene investigators can continue their investigation at a later time. This also allows investigators to go back and review evidence as needed.
The proliferation of forensic investigators appearing as characters in TV shows and movies has created what has come to be known as the “CSI effect.” The CSI effect is the commonly held belief that forensic evidence allows crimes to be solved easily and definitively in one hour, something that couldn’t be further from the truth. This has created a new challenge for criminal investigators who are rarely able to present evidence that jurors are used to seeing on TV and that leads to the unequivocal cut and dry conviction of a criminal defendant in a short period of time.
However, 3D laser scanners are helping, since they do allow criminal investigators to present very clear imagery augmented with computer graphics in a relatively short period of time after processing a crime scene.
More and more, investigators are using 3d laser scanning to present jurors with more precise data and clearer crime scene models.