Unbeknownst to most, crime scenes should not be cleaned by property owners where crimes have been committed. In addition, police and municipal workers do not clean crime scenes in the private sector. But what exactly is crime scene cleanup? In the following article, Bill Tyrrell, who runs Triage Bio Clean Services, explains just what a crime scene cleanup is all about and some of the techniques he uses.
Having a crime committed on your property can be a traumatic and psychologically damaging experience. If this occurs in a property you own or rent, you may be surprised to know that the onus of cleanup belongs to you. Cleaning up after a crime yourself can make the trauma much worse, as well as physically dangerous to future residents of the home. In order to be assured a safe, clean property going forward, it is always recommended to leave the cleanup to the pros.
But what exactly do the professionals do? Here are a few techniques to better help you understand the ins and outs of crime scene cleanup:
- Hazardous Material Removal – Methamphetamine labs and sites where dangerous chemicals have been used to perpetrate a crime require special knowledge and equipment. These days, a site of a potential terrorist might also contain dangerous chemicals or bomb-making agents. Obviously no one should tamper with such chemicals themselves unless proper protective measures have been taken. Crime scene cleaners are trained in HAZMAT cleanup and wear full suits, gloves, protective apparatus and breathing devices to ensure no exposure to harmful substances. In addition, some special equipment used might include a no-touch cleaning system, an ozone machine to remove harmful odors and even a fogger, so air can be thickened to clean odors from hard to reach places.
- Biohazard Cleanup – The federal government has declared all bodily fluids biohazards. As such, any crime scene that has been splattered with blood or bodily waste requires the cleaning of someone trained for biohazard. Biohazards require special containers for removal and can only be transported to special sites, where they are generally burned. Biohazard cleanup should only be attempted by someone highly knowledgeable in the task since blood-borne pathogens exist everywhere in the crime scene. The cleaner may also have to clean up pieces of bone, brain, muscle and other organs. Bodily matter can stick to walls, carpets ceilings and needs to often be scraped out or whole pieces of flooring need to be removed. While technically the coroner is responsible for collecting human detritus, crime scenes can be messy and something is always left behind. The crime scene cleaner needs thick skin and a stomach to match. A lot of specialty equipment is needed to ensure that biohazards are truly cleaned from a crime scene including steam cleaners, hospital strength disinfectants, enzymes and chemical treatment tanks to store bodily materials picked up by vacuums.
- General Construction – One skill required to properly clean a crime scene is some knowledge and experience of general construction, especially demolition. Oftentimes a blood stained carpet needs to be removed entirely. Chemicals from a meth lab may contaminate whole swaths of wall and floors and ceilings are often too infected to remain on the property. Every crime scene cleaner has to know some basic construction techniques in order to remove damaged parts of a home without destroying something perfectly good.
- Psychological Training – Not everyone can shrug off the disturbing site of a crime scene. Nor can most people scoop up pieces of dead bodies. Crime scene cleaners are people too, and they require the skill set to go through with these disturbing actions. Any true professional undergoes a complete battery of psychological testing to properly prepare for the grim tasks that are part of the job.
Crime scene cleanup may not be the most pleasant task, but someone needs to do it. Should you ever need a crime scene cleanup, do your research and hire wisely.
