Final answer:
The purpose of creating a crime scene sketch is to highlight and clarify important details rather than to record every aspect with accuracy.
Step-by-step explanation:
The statement that the basic purpose behind creating a crime scene sketch is to create a drawing that is accurate in every detail is false. A crime scene sketch serves to complement photographs by providing a clear layout of the crime scene, highlighting important evidence, and offering a permanent record that can be easily annotated and reviewed. The sketch is not expected to capture every detail, rather it aims to accurately depict the spatial relationships and the placement of objects relevant to the investigation. Sketches also allow for the removal of extraneous details, thus focusing the viewer on the pertinent elements of the scene. This can be especially useful in court, where sketches may help jurors understand the physical context of the crime.
As with geologists creating sketches in the field or architects like Frank Gehry using them to visualize complex structures, crime scene sketches are tools for clarification and focus. They serve as a frame of reference for viewing the scene and can be scaled to provide precise measurements. Additionally, these sketches become very important when photographs fail to capture certain aspects, are taken at angles that distort the presentation, or when lighting conditions obscure important details.