The San Diego violent crime rate is somewhat lower than the national average as well as the average overall in the state of California. Nonetheless, violent crime impacts the lives of innocent people every day in California, necessitating the needs for crime scene cleanup San Diego. In the most recent year, a full set of San Diego crime statistics are calculated, violent crimes in the city including:
- 35 murders
- 559 rapes
- 1,410 strong-arm robberies and home invasions
- 3,217 assaults and batteries
A considerable percentage of these types of San Diego violent crimes occur in private residences. Because of the level of violence associated with these crimes, the scene left in the aftermath can be gruesome. The challenge of crime scene cleanup San Diego can seem overwhelming to a homeowner or other resident of a house following one of these incidents.
Law Enforcement and the Crime Scene
The first task at hand following the commission of a violent crime in a private residence is a thorough investigation of the scene by the San Diego Police Department. If the criminal offense is some type of homicide, the San Diego County Medical Examiner is part of the on-scene investigation.
Before the arrival of law enforcement to the scene of the crime, a homeowner or other resident needs to keep the area sealed off from other people. Indeed, a homeowner or other person needs to stay out of the crime scene itself. A key reason is the crime scene must remain undisturbed to preserve vital evidence.
Another reason why access to the scene of a violent crime scene must be restricted is that it can contain what are known as harmful biological pathogens. At the scene of a violent crime, particularly a homicide, there can be a great deal of blood as well as other types of bodily fluids and biological materials. These substances can contain hazardous pathogens that are capable of spreading harmful and even fatal diseases to other individuals.
Homeowner or Tenant and the Crime Scene
Despite misconceptions to the contrary, the homeowner or tenant bears primary responsibility for the San Diego crime scene cleanup. This reality does not mean that an individual layperson should undertake the crime scene cleanup personally. Indeed, there are a couple of important reasons why a homeowner, tenant, or property manager (depending on the circumstances) should engage the services of a professional crime scene cleanup up San Diego specialist.
First, and as has been noted, a San Diego violent crime scene is likely to be contaminated by blood, bodily fluids, and other biological materials. A potential risk exists that a violent crime scene, like a San Diego homicide, can result in the presence of blood and other fluids contaminated with harmful pathogens like:
- HIV
- MRSA
- Hepatitis B
- Hepatitis C
- And other Bacteria and Viruses
Second, a family that has experienced some sort of violent crime in the residence is one of the most truly traumatic experiences in a lifetime. Getting over the trauma can prove to be highly challenging, if not overwhelming. The emotional toll a violent crime takes on survivors of such an incident would only be exponentially magnified if a homeowner or someone else connected to the victim of the incident undertake crime scene cleanup San Diego personally.
Crime Scene Cleanup San Diego Professional
A San Diego crime scene cleanup professional has the experience, skills, equipment, and compassion necessary to undertake the task of biohazard remediation. Once the police (and coroner, if involved in the process) have completed the investigation on location, the crime scene cleanup can and should commence.
An experienced San Diego crime scene cleanup professional can be at a residence directly after being requested. The process of cleaning up a San Diego crime scene must commence immediately. Cleanup must start immediately in the interest safety and to ensure that the crime scene itself is thoroughly cleaned, sanitized, and returned to a fully livable condition. Even a slight delay can raise safety concerns, result in further damage to the scene, and make a thorough cleanup and sanitization of the area a more manageable task.
An experienced San Diego crime scene cleanup and remediation specialist can also assist a homeowner in pursuing an insurance claim. A homeowner’s insurance policy may provide at least some coverage for a crime scene remediation. In addition, the California Victim Compensation Board may be able to assist in the costs of crime scene cleanup San Diego as well. The Board offers different types of financial compensation to victims of crime. This includes up to $1,000 which can be used for crime scene cleanup in San Diego.
Photo Courtesy of Mike Liu.