Arizona Laws 13-2413. Interfering with a crime scene investigation; classification; definition
A. A person commits interfering with a crime scene investigation if the person knowingly disobeys a peace officer‘s reasonable verbal order to remain off the premises of a possible crime scene or otherwise interferes with a peace officer’s crime scene investigation.
Terms Used In Arizona Laws 13-2413
- Crime: means a misdemeanor or a felony. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Evidence: Information presented in testimony or in documents that is used to persuade the fact finder (judge or jury) to decide the case for one side or the other.
- Knowingly: means , with respect to conduct or to a circumstance described by a statute defining an offense, that a person is aware or believes that the person's conduct is of that nature or that the circumstance exists. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Misdemeanor: means an offense for which a sentence to a term of imprisonment other than to the custody of the state department of corrections is authorized by any law of this state. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Peace officer: means any person vested by law with a duty to maintain public order and make arrests and includes a constable. See Arizona Laws 13-105
- Person: means a human being and, as the context requires, an enterprise, a public or private corporation, an unincorporated association, a partnership, a firm, a society, a government, a governmental authority or an individual or entity capable of holding a legal or beneficial interest in property. See Arizona Laws 13-105
B. This section does not prevent a person from peaceably observing a police proceeding if the person does not interfere with or obstruct the peace officer’s crime scene investigation.
C. Interfering with a crime scene investigation is a class 2 misdemeanor.
D. For the purposes of this section, "crime scene" means an area where a crime has possibly occurred and a peace officer who is on-site has determined that it is necessary to restrict the public’s access to the area until any potential evidence of the crime at the scene is identified and preserved, victims and suspects are identified and, if necessary, any emergency medical care and ambulance transportation is requested.