Introduction to Criminal Investigations

1. Chapter 1
Criminal Investigation: An Overview
• Hess/Orthmann/Cho, Criminal Investigation, Eleventh Edition. © 2017 Cengage. All Rights Reserved. May not be scanned,
copied or duplicated, or posted to a publicly accessible website, in whole or in part.

2.  Criminal Investigation- process of
discovering collecting, preparing,
identifying and presenting evidence to
determine what happened and who is
responsible.

3.  First determination in a criminal
investigation: Has a crime taken place?
 Does the evidence support a specific
offense?

4.  CRIME
 For an act to be a crime the behavior must
violate a criminal law
 Criminal law- deals with offenses
committed against the safety and order of
the state
 Government brings the action against the
accused

5. CRIMES
 Felonies: Serious crimes punishable by
prison sentences of one year and up
 Misdemeanors-minor crime punishable by
up to one year and prison and or a fine
 Violations-petty offense in which a
sentence of up to 15 days in jail can be
issued

6.  Criminal Statute-legislative act relating to
a crime and its punishment
 Ordinance-legislative act by municipality
or county relating to rules governing the
particular area. Deals with violations and
misdemeanors.

7.  Elements of the crime-statute for robbery
 13-1902. Robbery; classification
 A. A person commits robbery if in the course of taking
any property of another from his person or immediate
presence and against his will, such person threatens or
uses force against any person with intent either to
coerce surrender of property or to prevent resistance to
such person taking or retaining property.
 B. Robbery is a class 4 felony.

8.  Does the evidence support a specific
offense?
 Elements of the crime-statute for robbery
 Criminal intent
 Modus operandi-important to find out who
committed the crime

9. GOALS OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
 Goals of Criminal Investigation-determine whether a
crime has been committed
 Legally obtain information and evidence to identify the
responsible person

10.  Arrest the suspect
 Recover evidence

11.  Case presentation to the prosecutor

12. SUCCESSFUL
INVESTIGATION
 a logical sequence is followed
 all physical evidence is legally obtained

13.  all witnesses are effectively interviewed
 all suspects are legally and effectively interrogated

14.  all leads are thoroughly developed

15.  all details of the case are accurately and completely
recorded and reported

17. Characteristics of Effective Investigator
 obtain and retain information
 apply technical knowledge
 remain open minded, objective and logical
 Culturally adroit-skilled in interacting across gender ,
ethnic, generational, social and political group lines

18.  Psychological characteristics-emotionally
well balanced, detached, inquisitive,
suspecting, perceptive, self disciplined,
and persevering

19.  Deductive reasoning-a logical process in which a
conclusion follows from specific facts
 Leads-clues or sources of information
 Fact-event, circumstance or an actual thing done
 inference-process of reasoning by which a fact may be
deduced (deductive reasoning)
 Inductive reasoning-establish cause by gathering facts

20. OVERVIEW
 take notes and write reports

21. Basic function of criminal
investigation-provide
emergency assistance

22.  Arrest Suspects

23.  secure the crime scene

24. Process the scene

25.  search , obtain and process physical
evidence
 obtain information from witnesses and
suspects
 conduct raids, surveillances, stakeouts and
undercover assignments
 Testify in court

26.  Intuition-sudden knowing without
conscious reasoning or apparent logic
 Gut feeling developed through experience,
street sense

27.  Criminalists-aka crime scene technician
 Computer aided investigation
 Crime Mapping- location of crimes
 Hot spots- locations of extensive criminal
activity
 data mining-finding pertinent information

28.  The ultimate responsibility for solving crimes lies
with all police personnel. It must be a
cooperative, coordinated departmental effort

29.  Interrelationships with others- using a
community oriented policing approach,
investigators interrelate with uniformed
police officers, prosecutors, Medical
Examiners Office, laboratories, witnesses
and victims