Constructing a set of guidelines on managing the preliminary investigation for a criminal case is very important as it gives a baseline for officers to follow to help prevent errors in the investigation. According to Hess and Orthmann (2010), “The initial response is crucial to the success of an investigation. Although it is popularly believed that cases are won or lost in court, more cases actually are lost during the first hour of an investigation … than in court” (p. 14). After containing the incident, officers upon arrive will begin examining the scene by taking photographs, sketches or videos. After the scene has been recorded visually, officers will search for evidence, and then collect it for examination and processing while documenting what has been found during the search for clues. The victims, suspects, and any witnesses will be questioned. Officers will canvas …show more content…
This will help to prevent any steps from being missed during the investigation, and will also provide plenty of information for a follow-up investigation if needed for the crime that was committed. Communication is vital among the officers that will be working a case to prevent any information from being missed or time wasted following up on something that was already checked. Different crimes will be reported and handled in a different fashion, even among the different major crimes that are committed. No matter what type of crime an investigator is working on solving, they should all be knowledgeable, patient and persistent in doing their duties. Once an alleged perpetrator has been identified by the investigator, it is important to balance their rights against the rights of the community that is being served by the law enforcement agency. Following policy will help prevent problems and mistakes from
The RAND Criminal Investigation Study: Its Findings and Impacts to Date. (1979). Rand.org. Retrieved 2 September 2017, from
The relationship between law enforcement and prosecutors, which goes hand-in-hand, can’t be overlooked. Evidence of a crime that detectives and law enforcement discover is as equally important as a good trial on part of the prosecution. If detectives aren’t able to find good solid evidence – that case usually isn’t bothered in being pursued. Several years ago, in the late 80’s, there was a murder case in Southeastern Oklahoma which now serves as a tragic example to the need for honest, constitutional work in the criminal justice system. Disreputable investigative procedures, fraudulent sources, and bad evidence were the foundation of this case that shattered innocent lives.
Dutelle, Aric W. An Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation. Sudbury, MA: Jones and Bartlett, 2011. Print.
Lyman, D. Michael; Criminal Investigation, The Art and Science; 3rd edition, 2002 Prentice Hall. Pgs. 188-200.
In criminal justice, detectives need many skills that help capture the suspect. One of the important skills is finding and presenting evidence. This is significantly important because according to the Criminal Justice
Denise Moore 's criminal report starts the investigation. A police investigation of a crime is the entryway into the criminal justice system, once Denise Moore reported the crime, Detective Riley and Detective Clay conducted a photo lineup, an investigative tool used when the suspect is unknown and not in custody, to identify the suspect (Burns, 194).
Schmalleger, F. (2009), Prentice Hall, Publication. Criminal Justice Today: An introductory Text for the 21st century
The criminal justice system is composed of agencies and processes established by governments to control crime and impose penalties on those who violate laws. The way criminal justice systems work depends on the jurisdiction that is in charge. Different jurisdictions have different ways of managing criminal justice processes. The components of the criminal justice system are law enforcement, prosecution, defense attorneys, courts, and corrections.
Well written procedures, rules, and regulation provide the cornerstone for effectively implementing policies within the criminal justice system. During the investigational process, evidence collected is subjected to policies such as Search and Seizure, yet, scrutinized by the Exclusionary Rule prior to the judicial proceeding. Concurrent with criminal justice theories, evidence collected must be constitutionally protected, obtained in a legal and authorized nature, and without violations of Due Process. Although crime and criminal activities occur, applicability of policies is to ensure accountability for deviant behaviors and to correct potentially escalation within social communities It is essential the government address such deviant behavior, however, equally important is the protection of the accused which also must become a priority when investigating criminal cases.
Collection of evidence is usually a term designated to refer to the collection of physical evidence, government agencies such as police or environmental protection departments will have their own methods for the collection, storage and conservation of physical evidence and it is the responsibility of forensic personnel to adhere to these set guidelines. General principles which are shared amongst various agencies include, the creation of contemporaneous notes, recording the collection of evidence via photographing, videotaping and/or audiotapes, preserving the crime scene by sealing off the location and only allowing designated personnel to enter, avoiding contamination of the crime scene by investigators through the use of full body covering and also preventing cross-contamination with the scene and any suspects.
Pre-liminary Investigations do not necessarily yield enough information to prosecute a criminal case. Despite a through preliminary investigation, many cases require a follow up investigation. The investigator must set main points on how to do a preliminary investigation, suggest a plan of action to produce a well follow up investigation, they must know the difference and similarities between two crimes and how to conduct the investigation. In addition, the investigators must consider the most important parts of the criminal investigation, and finally agree or disagree with the balance of freedom of information through media and suspect of the crime.
When there is a criminal case, are a set of guidelines a criminal investigator should follow when conducting a preliminary inquiry. These guidelines consist of arriving to a crime scene in a timely manner just in case the suspect may still be at or near the scene (Hess, K.M & Orthmann, C.H., 2013). They will need to take care of any injured person or people that may need emergency care. Check to see if there are any witness seen what had happen. Make sure the crime scene is safe and secured. Once the crime scene became secured that will be the time to start questioning the victims, witness and or the suspects. This would also be the time for some officers to conduct a neighborhood canvass (Hess, K.M & Orthmann, C.H., 2013). Measuring, taking photograph, videotape and sketching the scene just in case the weather is bad that day. Search for evidence,
National Institute of Justice (2004, June). Crime Scene Investigation: A Reference for Law Enforcement Training. Retrieved June 3, 2011, from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/200160.pdf
Now that the crime has been detected and perpetrators have been cleared from the area, officers can move on to the next objective of locating, recording, and processing evidence while observing all constitutional consideratio...
Collecting evidence from a crime scene is a crucial aspect of solving crimes. Before evidence can be seized, there must first be a court order approving the search of the crime scene and the seizure of the evidence found at the scene. Standard protocol for officers is for them to always use latex gloves, avoid plastic bags, double wrap small objects, package each object separately, and to collect as much evidence as possible. It is better to have too much evidence than to not have enough. There are countless amounts of evidence that can be found at a crime scene.