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investigating arson cases
investigating arson cases
investigating arson cases
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What are the main things to remember in the preliminary investigation of a suspected arson? What is Arson? Arson is defined as the persistent burning of a building or someone’s property in a mischievous way. The fire department is usually the ones who receive the fire call to begin with. Then the fire personnel make out the reports and then send them over to the state fire marshal. Followed by the insurance companies being present in the investigation, and with their work they are parallel to the fire and police workers. A scene of a fire is usually messy and also; complicated and making it hard to find evidence if investigators happen to find it being arson related. Even though fire fighters are the ones who most of the time, find out if it was arson or not, investigators have to understand what makes the scene an arson, or an accidental fire; by knowing which evidence and collaborated information by proving the materials of a criminal act (Hess, Orthman, 2013).
According to McGraw Hill, “One practical way to investigate the cause of the fire is to find the point of creation. After the area of origin has been established, the investigator should check for the level of origin by examining the bottoms of shelves, ledges, moldings, and furniture and all sides of the legs, arms, and framework of reconstructed furniture. The floor and lower areas of the room produce the most clues to the cause for the fire, because they are living areas” (McGraw Hill, 2002).
Where and how did the fire start? There are two components that cause a fire, a heat source, and the material ignited. According to Hess, Orthman, “The point of origin is established in finding the area with the deepest char, alligatoring and usually the greatest destr...
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...nd remarks or unusual changes. Also look for evidence of disabled or turned-off alarms or sprinkler systems and doors left open. Finally, look for evidence of motive. Hard evidence in arson would be computer data, even if the computer has been burned; the hard drive may be intact. Also identifying accelerants at a scene is good evidence, using a gas chromatography with a flame ionization detector can identify 95 percent of the cases. Sifting of ashes, use hypodermic or cooking syringes to collect accelerants in cracks or floor boards” (Hess, Orthman, 2013).
Works Cited
Hess/Orthmann, C., & Matison/Hess, K. (2013). Criminal investigation. (Tenth ed., p.g 485-
500). New York: Delmar Cengage Learning
McGraww Hill (2002) McGraw-Hill Higher Education. Retrieved from http://highered.mcgraw-
hill.com/sites/0072564938/student_view0/chapter18/chapter_outline.html
71 percent of the people that were at The Station Nightclub Fire, which occurred in West Warwick Rhode Island on February 20, 2003, that either died or was injured. This paper will look at the contributing factors in this shocking number as it pertains to fire prevention. When breaking down a case study, this case being The Station Nightclub Fire, there are three main factors you must look at. Those factors are fire behavior, human behavior, and building behavior.
The Our Lady of Angels school house was a type 3 construction. The school was divided into two wings the north and south wings. The fire started in the basement of the north wing near the boiler room and burned undiscovered in a stairwell until the heat of the fire became too great and broke a window adjacent to the staircase under demolition by fire and caused an influx of new oxygen to fuel the flames. Some important things to note about the construction of the school are: One, that all major exits and the stairwells were made of combustible materials. Two, that there was only one fire exit located at the end of the hall on the second floor in an unprotected corridor Near the stairwell close to the source of the fire. Lastly, there was no fire protection, there were no sprinklers or fire pull stations located in the north wing and all of the 5 extinguishers that were present were located seven feet off of the ground which made access to them incredibly difficult even for adults.
After looking at the five steps in comprehensive incendiary investigation it looks like a form of scientific method used in many other areas of fire investigation. The five steps are fire scene investigation, assessment of investigative needs, formulation and evaluation of a strategy, implementation of strategic plan and presentation of formal investigation. The five steps, like the scientific method, they have a beginning, middle and end. After I go over the five steps then I will identify the methodology in securing the interview, identify the interviews I will need and I will list some question.
The book gives a general overview of the field of forensic science. The sections of the book include “The Scene of the Crime; Working the Scene--The Evidence; Working the Scene of the Body Human; Working the Scene--Different Stages; and Working the Scene--Different Skills (Genge vii-viii). Included are instructions on what professionals should do upon arriving at a crime scene, what items to bring with them, how to protect the crime scene, and how to protect the evidence from contamination. In addition to writing about the subject of forensic science, the author also included several appendixes and suggested readings to help the reader learn even more information about the subject. In addition, the author included a list of colleges that offer programs in the field of forensic science.
Collins, Suzanne. Catching Fire. United States: Shmoop University, 2014. Shmoop. Web. 20 Jan. 2013. .
To begin with, during the year of 1870 and 1871 Chicago was facing extreme drought. During that time period the city of Chicago was built mostly from wood, making everything extremely flammable. Richard Bales author of “The Great Chicago Fire” states in an online article, “October 8, 1871, just after nine o'clock, a fire broke out in the barn behind the home of Patrick and Catherine O'Leary at 13 DeKoven Street. How the fire started is still unknown today, but an O'Leary cow often gets the credit.” Although we are not certain what and how the fire started, we know that it quickly spread. Legends say that the O’Leary’s cow knocked over one of the fire lamps therefore starting this massive fire. You might be asking yourself, how is it possible for a small fire to spread so quickly? “Hot air rose from the flames and mixed with the cool air above it, creating convection whirls. Witnesses called them "fire devils." A fire devil could pick up a burning piece of wood and send it flying. New fires started where the flaming objects landed. (McHugh)” Firefighters were exhausted from fighting a large fire the night before; and were sent to the wrong neighborhood at first. After finally arrivin...
The difference between a fire that is warm and friendly and one that is ferociously hot and destructive is size. A small fire in a campsite can take the edge off the cool night air, and a raging forest fire can destroy a thousand acres in a few hours. Fire has been one of our most important tools on our journey from the beginning of time to the present day. It also poses a severe threat to mankind if it is not controlled. Children often experiment with fire. Any time a child starts a fire he endangers himself and the people around him. Juvenile arson happens on a routine basis, and has very outreaching consequences. Fires statistics reported by fire departments in 2003, show that children started approximately forty-two thousand fires, causing an estimated one-hundred sixty-five civilian deaths, nineteen hundred civilian injuries and two-hundred seventy-two million dollars in direct property damage (United States Fire Administration, 2004). The price that society pays for juvenile-set fires is extremely high. Tragically, the lives of the very children setting the fires account for most of the lives that are lost.
The Great Fire of London, as documented by Samuel Pepys and other writers, began on the early morning of Sunday, September 2nd 1666 when a fire erupted at Pudding Lane in Thomas Farriner’s bakery (Dailey and Tomedi 43). Farriner, who was the king’s baker, went to fetch a candle some time close to midnight. While going to get the candle, Farriner observed that his oven was not lit and that there were no embers. However, two hours later Farriner and his family awoke feeling “almost choked with smoked” (Shields 80). Farriner quickly dashed over to the top of the stairs and found flames making their way up from the shop below. According to Farriner, the fire was not in the proximity of his over nor the pile of wood close to his house (Shields 81). However this and the actual cause of the fire in the house are debatable due to Farriner possibly attempting to remove any blame placed on him from the fire by lying in his testimony of the in...
The need for an investigation was starting to be recognized. The hazards to life because of fire are: covering fire prevention, arrangement of machinery, fire drills, inadequate fire-escapes and exits, number of persons employed in factories and lofts, etc. Some of the dangers to life and health because of unsanitary conditions are: ventilation, lighting and heating arrangement, hours of labor, etc. There was no insulation in the winter, only a pot-bellied stove in the middle of the factory. In the summer you suffocated with practicall...
In today’s time, modern Crime Scene Investigation has increased rapidly. From throughout the late 1900’s and in the early 2000’s (Taylor 1). For all of the evidence that they find, a solid foundation has formed over the thousands of years of Crime Scene
A fire investigator will first ensure that the fire did not have an accidental cause, by searching for clues like faulty wiring, cigarette smoking and overheated electric motors. Then the investigator will begin an extensive on-site investigation by first looking for containers that are capable of holding an accelerant, as well as an ignition device such as a candle. The investigator will also looking for irregularly shaped patterns on the floor, which would be caused by the accelerant. Finally, the accelerant will search for signs of breaking and entering and theft.
This is where the crime scene unit (CSU) comes in to play as well as the detectives. Once the detectives arrive on the scene they will be looking for a suspicious individual or individuals and speak to witnesses and take their testimonials or story, they basically tell the investigator what they observed. On a crime scene investigation packet it states "when seeking for witnesses and taking their testimonials it is best to separate them so no individuals have identical stories." Once this has been done and the investigator takes the testimonials they must determine if a crime took place. For example if a person was stabbed in the abdomen and first responders arrived and trying to help the victim and he dies then the crime that took place was a aggravated battery but turned into a homicide. If a person was sexually molested and beaten while being molested then the crime that occurred is a sexual battery and rape. Once this is completed then the investigator will determine the nature of the crime. What this means is that if it is a violent crime, a website
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,
Technical Working Group on Crime Scene Investigation (2000, January). Crime Scene Invesitgation: A Guide for Law Enforcement. Retrieved May 26, 2011, from http://www.ncjrs.gov/pdffiles1/nij/178280.pdf
Since the old times primary investigations do not typically yield enough information to prosecute a criminal case. The information yielded in criminal investigations may be used to prosecute a criminal case or can even assist in a federal case. Even though primary investigations can identify a lot of evidence and information, a secondary investigation will usually identify further details and allows for a second look at everything pertaining to the investigation. This paper is to explain criminal investigations and the necessary tools and skills needed to conduct and thorough investigation.