Expert Witness vs Scene Manager
Definition
Scene manager is a field role: the practitioner controlling the physical recovery and recording. Expert witness is a court role: the person presenting findings and opinions under an obligation of impartiality to the court rather than to the instructing party.
- Scene manager role
- Field role controlling physical recovery and recording
- Expert witness role
- Court role presenting findings and opinion
- Duty owed by expert
- Impartiality to the court, not the instructing party
- Overlap
- Same person can hold both roles on one case
Common questions
Can the same practitioner be both scene manager and expert witness in a single case?+
Yes, and it is common in practice, but the practitioner must be clear in court about which role generated which statement, since the two roles are held to different standards of impartiality and scrutiny.
Why does this distinction matter for cross-examination?+
Cross-examination of the scene manager tests whether recovery and recording followed correct procedure, while cross-examination of the expert witness tests the reasoning behind an opinion. Conflating the two can let flawed field procedure escape scrutiny.
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