Before a collateral assignment of patrol officers is made in a small department, an administrator should determine if the department needs a crime scene unit. The needs assessment should examine the clearance rate and whether or not physical evidence is being adequately collected, preserved, and used at trial; investigation reports are accurate and complete; followup investigations are being conducted; and investigations are sufficiently thorough to connect similar crimes. The availability of assisting agencies must also be considered. Once a decision has been made to create a crime scene unit, the first step is to develop a policy for its implementation and deployment. The primary goal should be the collection and preservation of physical evidence. The 25-officer Nantucket Police Department recently established a five-person crime scene unit to investigate a growing number of burglaries. Training included a 5-day FBI course. The unit controls the crime scene and determines the crime scene perimeter and search area. It sets search objectives and the equipment and personnel needed. After collecting all evidence, the unit conducts a final survey of the scene to review all aspects of the crime and the investigation. In less than a year of operation, the unit has solved most of the cases assigned to it.