Crime scene and trauma
Crime scene cleanup in High Point after a shooting, stabbing or assault
Detectives photograph, measure and collect. Then they leave, and the house, shop or apartment is handed back exactly as the violence left it. From that moment the cleaning is the owner's to arrange, and it should not be done by anyone who lives or works there.
Phone picked up day and night, every day of the week
Wait for the word “released”
Until the investigating officer says the scene is released, nobody may clean, move furniture or throw anything out. Doing so can damage a case. Ask the officer directly, and get a name and a report number before they go. In the city that officer will usually be from the High Point Police Department (336-883-3224); outside the city limits it may be the Guilford County Sheriff's Office (336-373-2222).
You can phone a cleanup company earlier than that. They can't enter yet, but they can be ready the hour the release comes.
Once they are inside
What a trauma cleanup covers
Finding all of it
Blood travels: under baseboards, into floor vents, through carpet into the pad. The workers trace how far it went before deciding what comes out.
Taking out what can't be saved
Soaked carpet, pad, upholstery and sections of drywall are cut away, sealed and taken off the property by the company.
Cleaning what stays
Hard surfaces are scrubbed, disinfected and checked again. Fingerprint powder and other marks left by the investigation are cleaned off too, if you ask.
Telling you what is left
You get a list of what was removed, so a contractor can price new flooring or drywall. Repairs are separate from the cleanup.
Money
Paperwork worth keeping after a crime
- The report number
- Both an insurer and the state compensation program start from the law enforcement report.
- An itemized bill
- North Carolina's Victim Compensation Program says to submit the itemized bill from a certified biohazard cleanup company. Ask the company what certification it holds, and ask for the bill broken down line by line.
- Proof you paid
- If you paid the company yourself and want to be repaid, the program asks for proof of payment.
- What it won't cover
- The program's claims page says it does not pay for damaged or stolen property. A ruined sofa or rug is a question for your insurer instead.
Questions people ask after a violent crime
The victim survived and is in hospital. Can someone else arrange this?
Yes. A relative, a friend or the property owner can make the call and meet the company at the door. The person who signs the agreement is the one the company bills.
It happened in my store. Can my employees mop it up?
Don't ask them to. OSHA's bloodborne pathogens standard expects an employer to have an exposure control plan and proper controls before staff are put in contact with blood. A cleanup company already works under those rules.
Will there be a marked van outside?
Ask on the call. Some companies use plain vehicles; if discretion matters to you, say so before they set out.
High Point and the Triad towns nearby
Nobody in the family should have to clean that room
Give them the address and one sentence about what took place. They will want to know if the officers and the medical examiner are done there, and then they will describe their approach.
When you are ready, call.
Whoever picks up is with a separately owned local firm that does biohazard and trauma cleaning around High Point. Listen to their plan and their price. Whether you hire them is up to you.
Call (743) 256-4780Phone picked up day and night, every day of the week
Your conversation may be recorded. The referral disclosure says who pays for this service, and the privacy policy covers what is kept.