Not too many years ago, Sgt. John Naccarato of the Clackamas County (OR), Sheriff’s Department was using a 25-foot tape measure and a notepad to measure and record data at a crime or crime scene. “It was really time consuming,” Sgt. Naccarato recalls. “It took a couple of guys to get the measurements and it took a great deal of time.”

Once he had the measurements, Sgt. Naccarato used a software program that is specifically for creating crime and crime scene diagrams, called The Crime Zone™, from The CAD Zone, Inc, of Beaverton, Oregon. The Crime Zone has all the tools one needs to draw accurate, detailed diagrams of the scene, both in 2D and 3D. Crime Zone is highly accurate and has multiple ways for the user to draw to their exact measurements, ensuring that the final diagram is a factual representation of the scene.

‘Pocket Zone’ Allows One-Person Scene Mapping, Drawing

Sgt. Naccarato found out that The CAD Zone also a publishes a product called Pocket Zone, an innovative program that turns a Pocket PC into a data collector that can be used with many types of laser measurement devices. Pocket Zone, when paired with a total station or other laser device, makes it fast and easy and record all 3D point and line data at crime and crash scenes. Some systems can even be used by a single person.

Upon learning about this new tool, Sgt. Naccarato got creative. He traded his PDA for a friend’s HP iPAQ handheld PC which is compatible with the Pocket Zone software. Next, he obtained a grant from the Oregon Department of Transportation to purchase an TruPulse Model 200 rangefinder from Laser Technology, Inc. This device allows him to capture slope and elevation measurements in 3 dimensions. Finally, the sergeant purchased a cable that connects the data collector to the laser, along with a monopod on which to mount his laser.

The results? Sgt. Naccarato claims he can now single-handedly take measurements at the scene, accurately and quickly. He no longer has to wait for a total station team to come take measurements. When he responds to a crash, he can get all the needed information and have the road opened, faster than ever before.

Data Collected is Accurate, Secure

The data gathered using Pocket Zone is saved to a proprietary .pzd file which can be opened as a diagram in The Crime Zone drawing software. Since the files are the same format, there is no need to “convert” the data, eliminating any conversion errors. Both Pocket Zone file and the resulting Crime Zone file contain the raw coordinate data and it can never be overwritten or erased, so there is no possibility of tampering with the data. Points collected in error or points  you do not wish to display in the drawing are moved to an “erased” layer where they are not displayed, but they remain part of the permanent data record.

The Crime Zone uses the 3-dimensional coordinates for each point recorded in Pocket Zone and displays the points in both 2D and 3D views. Any lines, arc, curves, symbols, and text  that were added in the Pocket Zone drawing at the scene are all brought seamlessly into Crime Zone, where other final details can be added to the diagram. The completed Crime Zone diagram is ready to present in court.

A Highly Portable Solution

One more reason Sgt. Naccarato values his portable scene mapping equipment is that it all fits snugly inside a compartment on his motorcycle. The sergeant carries everything he needs to map the scene and get the road opened quickly.