Common Approach Path (CAP)
Definition
A single designated route into and out of an inner crime scene, chosen to avoid or minimise disturbance of evidence. Every responder uses the same path; footwear impressions outside the CAP become potential evidence.
- Abbreviation
- CAP
- Purpose
- Single controlled route in and out of a crime scene
- Set by
- First responder or crime scene manager
- Marked with
- Scene tape, common approach path signage, or common markers
Common questions
Who decides where the common approach path runs?+
The first officer to secure the scene, or the crime scene manager once they arrive, selects the route, typically the least evidentially sensitive line of approach, such as an existing path, driveway, or corridor rather than open ground near the body or point of entry.
What happens if someone steps off the CAP?+
Any mark left outside the designated path, such as a footwear impression, becomes a potential exhibit that must itself be documented, photographed, and possibly cast, and the responder's own footwear may need to be recorded for elimination purposes.
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