However there may be circumstances that may suggest a

However, there may be circumstances that may suggest a sketch be created.
Sketches are not to be substituted for photographs, reports, or field notes. Remember from our
discussion on notes; notes, photographs, and sketches are to support and complement each other.
5.3 CATEGORIES OF SKETCHES
There are two categories of sketches:
1. Rough
2. 2. Final
5.3.1 ROUGH SKETCH
A rough sketch is completed at the scene. It should be created in pencil. A pencil is the ideal
instrument because of all the editing that is necessary during the creation of the sketch. Using a
pen makes it difficult to correct minor mistakes. The more you edit the rough sketch with a pen,
the messier the rough sketch becomes. Eventually, this may result in pertinent measurement
and/or other details of the sketch being altered or lost. The rough sketch can be created several
ways. It may be done free handed or by the use of commercially available crime scene templates.
The paper used may be a large tablet of drawing paper or graph paper. Notebook paper will
suffice if that is all you are able to obtain each sketch, a header, legend, scales and orientation
indicators.
Rough sketches should include pertinent measurements of the scene and items within the scene
such as furniture, cabinets, shelves, and fixtures as well as evidence. The walls, doors, and
windows should all be documented and measurements obtained. The sketch should also include
important measurements for proper analysis of bloodstains and shooting scenes. If the final
sketch is intended to be viewed in 3D, height measurements become extremely important.
Rough sketches can become very detailed very quickly. One method to alleviate this is to create
separate sketches for each room or wall containing bullet defects and/or bloodstain patterns. No
matter how many sketches are created within a scene, the following information should appear
on each sketch.
5.3.2 Final SKETCH

The final sketch must be completed in ink. The final sketch may also be computer generated
since most crime scene investigators are not architects or licensed surveyors, and thus, the final
sketch will not be an architectural drawing. Thus, the courts only require that the final sketch be
a true and correct representation of the scene and not a scaled architectural drawing.
5.4 SKETCH VERSUS FORENSIC MAP
A sketch only depicts the scene in an only visual reference. That is, measurements cannot be
made directly from a sketch. A sketch may include dimension lines to show room size. A sketch
will lack a reference scale that is used to obtain measurements directly from the sketch. A
forensic map on the other hand includes a scale (e.g., 1″ = 10′) that may be used to obtain
approximate measurements directly from the forensic map. Please understand this does not make
the forensic map an architectural drawing simply by including the scale.