Who cleans up a crime scene?

Q: When police see an assault call that damages property or leaves blood around, who does the clean up?

A: From Bellevue police spokesman Greg Grannis.

The property owner is responsible for any cleanup and repairs, but may be able to seek civil compensation if a suspect can be identified. Most police departments do not provide a cleaning service, but are able to refer victims or property owners to commercial services that specialize in post-crime cleanup. This is going to vary by jurisdiction as a matter of policy rather than law.

Usually a forensic cleaning specialist is only necessary for scenes with chemical biohazard issues such as some death investigations or meth labs.

If the property is public, it still belongs to a particular part of the government for caretaking purposes. Usually the law enforcement agency that has jurisdiction will be able to determine who should be notified.

This can include private property in public places, such as power or cable boxes on street corners, which belong to the company that provides the service (Comcast, Qwest, PSE, etc). Art in public places that belongs to the artist is another example.