PHOTOGRAPHY IS AN INDISPENSABLE TOOL IN POLICE INVESTIGATIONS, CREATING A PERMANENT RECORD FOR PRESENTATION IN COURT AND PROVIDING OFFICERS WITH A REFERENCE ON WHICH TO BASE THEIR TESTIMONY. GENERAL CRIME SCENE PHOTOGRAPHY SHOULD BE PLANNED AND CARRIED OUT IN A SYSTEMATIC MANNER, SO AS TO RECORD A COMPLETE AND TRUE PICTURE OF THE CRIME SCENE. VIEWS OF THE CRIME AREA SHOULD BE UNCOMPLICATED, USING THE PERSPECTIVE OF THE AVERAGE WITNESS. CIRCUMSTANCES WILL DETERMINE THE NUMBER AND NATURE OF THE SCENE. ALL IMPORTANT DETAILS SHOULD BE SHOWN. WITH THE AREA PHOTOGRAPHED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE AFTER ARRIVAL ON THE SCENE. OBSERVATIONS OF THE OFFICER SHOULD BE WRITTEN IN MEMORANDA AND SUPPLEMENTED BY PHOTOGRAPHS. CRIME SCENE PICTURES SHOULD BE CLEAR AND REALISTIC, AND SHOULD INCLUDE BOTH THE PRECISE LOCATION OF THE APPARENT CRIME AND THE SURROUNDING AREA. TO INSURE THE ADMISSIBILITY OF PHOTOGRAPHS IN COURT, THEY SHOULD NOT DISTORT THE SCENE; PHOTOGRAPHS SHOULD BE TAKEN FROM EYELEVEL AND IS NORMAL LIGHTING. EXTRANEOUS PERSONS AND OBJECTS SHOULD BE REMOVED FROM THE CRIME SCENE, ALTHOUGH SIGNS OR MARKERS PLACED BY POLICE MAY BE USEFUL IN SUBSEQUENT IDENTIFICATION. WIDE ANGLE LENSES MAY BE USEFUL IN RECORDING THE GENERAL APPEARANCE OF ROOMS AND THE POSITION OF OBJECTS. IF EXISTING LIGHTING IS INSUFFICIENT, FLASH SYSTEMS MAY BE REQUIRED. TECHNIQUES FOR THE USE OF ARTIFICIAL LIGHTING ARE PRESENTED. (TWK).