Forensic Entomology outside the Police service: advantages and disadvantages

Forensic Entomology represents a fascinating field by applying entomology and ecology under medico-legal aspects. However, medico-entomological expertise requires not only scientific training (= education), but also knowledge about what happens in infested corpses and at scenes of crime (= experience). The achievement of experience differs in respect to the position of the expert; he can be employed within the police service or work in an academic institution such as an institute of legal medicine, entomology, biology, etc. or maybe work as a private consultant. In fact, during a homicide investigation, entomology police services often have a good and immediate access to the scene of death as well as to the corpse during autopsy. The entomologist at an institute of legal medicine or even the freelancing colleague often face the disadvantage that both are joining the investigation not earlier than during autopsy of the body or even later. This may be even a problem for the expert of an entomological police service, dealing with samples collected by a colleague and not by himself. Therefore there is a need for standardised guidelines and protocols describing how to collect entomological evidence, which should include the training and teaching of crime scene technicians. The death scene is the most important site of any entomological investigation, and taking notes and samples as early as possible on the scene of death as well as on the corpse is essential for expertise in forensic entomology. On the other hand, entomological case work by the police service is usually restricted on homicides or unexplained death investigations, ordered by prosecution. At an institute of legal medicine corpses not interesting for police investigations may be infested by maggots. Those will be examined, providing the entomologist with the chance of a better understanding of the local necrophagous fauna composition and infestation patterns representative for different sciences (e.g. indoor versus outdoor) and stages of decomposition. Supported by additional information regarding findings at the scene of death and the possible time of death, the expert can perform his entomological examinations and calculations. Accumulating experience is extremely important in real case work. The disadvantages (prevented or delayed access to the scene of death) and advantages (working with many infested corpses, time for performing research and collecting case relevant data) of a service not associated within a police department illustrates the need of a multidisciplinary approach with a close interaction of investigators, forensic entomologists and pathologists as early as possible. It is actually difficult for an expert, whereever he belongs, to work in every case at the scene of death and on the corpse. We strongly suggest that a single, trained person should collect the data and samples of a case from the beginning at the death scene until the end at the autopsy.