Toward a Reading of the Crime Scene as a High-Reliability Temporary System: Organizational Dynamics and Learning in Collective Action

This chapter conceptualizes the crime scene as a temporary organization (TO) pursuing high reliability (HRO). Drawing on an empirical design that combines covert participant observation, nonparticipant observation of an adjudicated homicide case, 18 interviews, and secondary sources, we analyze the crime scene as an arena of formal and informal coalitions. The coexistence of formal command and informal relational/expert leadership shapes coordination, information flows, and evidentiary quality. The unstable balance between hierarchy (command) and leadership (expert/relational) affects evidence governance—perimeter security, prioritization of evidence items, information-flow management, and interview scheduling. We identify short-lived coalitions that both enable access to critical information and generate risks of contamination or legal exposure. Shortcomings arise less from protocols than from the interfaces between occupational groups and formal statuses. We propose a hybrid governance architecture: (1) time-bounded pivotal roles (crime scene manager, temporary coordination lead); (2) an exception traceability and audit loop that converts improvisation into organizational learning; and (3) HRO criteria to arbitrate between formal and informal practices. This design reduces frictions, accelerates decision-making, and enhances evidentiary robustness in complex, high-risk environments.