Crime Scene Cleanup in Dallas

2/7/2019 (Permalink)

SERVPRO is available 24 hours a day for Dallas crime scene cleanup, including biohazard situations. We've serviced DFW for over 30 years.

Dallas Biohazard Cleanup in the Scene of a Crime

There are a number of potential causes that necessitate biohazard cleanups, and sometimes these are the direct result of a crime committed in a residential or commercial property. These crimes can include homicide, breaking and entering, theft, and potentially any crime that occurred on your property. A lot of the information regarding the cleanup of crime scenes that include biological fluids can be read about in more detail in our article "Bio-hazard Cleanup in Dallas." There are a few key differences and different circumstances that warrant its own topic.

Crime Scene Boards Ups

The first key difference is that crime scene cleanup is not limited to biological cleanups. We are not solely discussing homicides, but rather any crime committed on the property that requires the services of a professional restoration company. An all too common occurrence is breaking and entering. This could leave your home with a broken window or broken lock. After this kind of traumatic experience, it is important for you and your family’s safety that you call SERVPRO immediately and begin the board up process.

Board ups include securing wood over a window or door that otherwise are not there or not secure anymore.  Board ups deter any would-be criminal activity and are a temporary solution until insurance adjusters and contractors can assess your home or business and rebuild the door or window permanently.

Expediency is important. A board up is often times the first step in crime scene cleanup. The immediacy by which you call us can prevent further damages or further crimes on your property. You will be hard pressed to find a window installer that can help when you return home in the middle of the night to find your window was collateral damage after a burglary, and many families won’t feel safe without a window after being the victim of a crime.

We’re here to help 24 hours a day.  In the hectic scramble that is the aftermath of a crime, keep in mind what work needs to be done immediately. A board up definitely falls in this category.

Fingerprint Dust Cleaning

Another distinct difference between a biohazard cleanup and a crime scene cleanup can be the involvement of police and forensic investigators. These people work diligently to find the culprit of the crime, and can oftentimes leave behind cleanup work to be performed.

One example would be a black dust-like substance that police use to try and find fingerprints of potential suspects, which is generally called fingerprint powder. They may use this substance on window sills, walls, furniture and other surfaces around your house in an attempt to further their investigation. Cleaning this up, however, is no simple task.

More often than not, the use of regular residential vacuum cleaners will not completely remove this substance.  Rather, the use of an industrial carpet cleaning machine in tandem with a HEPA vacuum will have to be employed to fully extract the powder. Depending on the surface, the extent to which the powder is spread, and other factors, will influence how much and what type of cleaning work will be involved.

A cleaning professional is necessary not just for your biohazard cleanup after a crime but also for the forensic cleanup. The fingerprint powders are some of the most commonly used examples, but police departments and forensic teams are constantly developing new ways to approach a crime scene, and with that comes new cleaning and restoration needs once the dust settles.

Similar to the board up process, once you know the police are finished with their investigation, call us as soon as possible as the cleaning of fingerprint dust and other investigative residue is more successful and far easier the sooner we are able to tackle it.

Call SERVPRO for 24 Hour Dallas Crime Scene Cleaning

A common theme amongst these crime scene tips is to give us a call as soon as you are aware of the crime and restoration service you are in need of.

However, during crime scene cleaning, we have to wait for investigations to be thoroughly completed, and for police to clear the scene for Dallas biohazard cleaning. This applies less to board ups, but more towards crime scenes that involve biological fluids or forensic residue needing to be remediated. Similar to waiting for the Fire Department clearance during fire jobs, we cannot impede upon the Police Department's work at the scene of the crime and therefore must wait for their clearance in order to perform whatever cleaning and restoration services are necessary.

Our team at SERVPRO of North Irving have over 30 years of experience remediating biohazard cleanups, and oftentimes these are the result of crimes. We have cleaned up after, and assisted, many Police Departments in the Dallas area and Ellis County after a slew of different crimes, and we are always ready to help you.

Our Dallas crews are available dispatch for 24-hour emergencies every day of the year.  We can be reached 24/7 at (972) 986-7677.  Call us any time!

Additional Reading

Property Crime Victimizations: visit the Bureau of Justice

Crime Statistics by City, County, and State: visit the Department of Justice

Written by: Brendan Gillette