It is the unfortunate nature of our society that violent crime is a reality in virtually every community. In a city such as Anaheim, CA, with a population of over 350,000, it is all too common of an occurrence. According to the Federal Bureau of Investigations Uniform Crime Report data for 2018, 1,192 instances of violent crime occurred within the city. Violent crime is categorized as that which contains an element of significant force such as homicide, rape, aggravated assault, arson, or robbery.
When a violent crime occurs, law enforcement responds and immediately begins an investigation. This may include processing the scene for fingerprints, biological evidence such as blood or tissue, and seizing any physical evidence that can be recovered. Additionally, Emergency Medical Services or the Fire Department may have responded to treat and transport victims or, in the worst cases, the Medical Examiner’s Office to handle any deceased individuals.
The Scene of the Crime
Sadly, the emergent nature of these crimes and the duties of the first responders very rarely leave the location in a better condition than when they arrived. Medical supplies, assorted chemicals such as Luminol, fingerprint dust or reagent, and myriad other items are left behind at the conclusion of the on-scene investigation. This is in addition to any damage done by the offender. If the crime is of an extremely serious nature, there is even the possibility that the initial examination of the scene may take several days. The situation may be further complicated if the incident involves a dead body that was not discovered for some time.
The primary focus of the first responders is the treatment of any victims and the prosecution of the crime; little thought is given to the state the scene remains in. What if the scene was your loved one’s home, your place of business, or any other imaginable locale you have a personal connection to? You or someone close to you may be dealing with the horror of being the victim of the very crime in question. Don’t allow yourself or a loved one to be re-victimized by attempting to clean up the crime scene on your own.
Potential Hazards
Aside from the psychological trauma just mentioned, there are a number of physical dangers that you could be exposed to should you undertake the cleanup process on your own. Biological matter (e.g. skin or fluids), blood, and other biohazards carry dangerous pathogens that should only be cleaned by trained and insured professionals with the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE). Blood-borne pathogens are among the most common infectious diseases that can be contracted from crime scenes. The right PPE is needed to protect you from:
Ø HIV – Human Immunodeficiency Virus
Ø Hepatitis B
Ø Hepatitis C
Ø MRSA – Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
Even if you were to obtain the proper PPE, the chances of cross-contamination due to improper donning and doffing techniques are extremely high. The Society for Healthcare Epidemiology of America released a 2019 study showing that 39% of trained healthcare workers improperly removed their PPE after patient treatment and 36% were subsequently found to be contaminated with a multi-drug resistant organism such as MRSA. If that great a number of healthcare workers made errors during treatment of patients with known serious illnesses, how likely is the average person to make mistakes when taking off unfamiliar equipment in the high-stress scenario of cleaning up the aftermath of a violent crime in a familiar place? Don’t jeopardize your own safety. Let the professionals handle the cleanup while you work on getting back to your normal life.
Specialized Cleaning Procedures
Eco Bear utilizes a four-step remediation process to ensure that the affected area is appropriately sanitized and safe to return to normal use. The crime scene is first cleaned with all contaminated material either eliminated or removed, medical-grade chemicals are then used to sanitize the entire scene, deodorization may then be necessary based upon the specific nature of the event, and finally, the location is restored to full use. Eco Bear has a unique process of cleaning and sanitizing designed with your safety in mind.
Most people have never considered the possibility of being victimized in a violent event and it is easy to be overwhelmed by the circumstances even if you were not personally involved in the crime and it simply took place on property that you are responsible for. Thankfully, despite short term trends in either direction, it is widely accepted that this is one of the safest periods of time in human history. While no assurances can be made that you will never be the victim of a violent crime, or that your home or business will never become a crime scene, you can rest assured that competent professionals stand ready to assist you through every step of the process if the worst should occur.