Court Investigation Process

I feel that this case was somewhat representative of what was discussed in the textbook. The forensics aspects of this case were generally different from the impression of forensics I received from reading the textbook. Despite this fact, I feel that the investigative techniques of this case were similar to what was discussed in the textbook, as well as what has been discussed during lecture.

It does not matter the reputation you have earned for your high integrity and honesty, you will always be open to allegations of civil or criminal liability. The first type of evidence and usually the most obvious is physical evidence. Evidence can be anything from tangible objects such as cartridge cases and firearms to latent fingerprints and DNA. Evidence collection or recovery step in crime scene processing is the methods, techniques, and procedures used in retrieving evidence. Patience and care are very important at the crime scene. The criminalist should take the proper time and care in processing the scene. The work is tedious and time consuming.

By now the crime scene has been labeled a homicide and detectives have been dispatched to the scene. When the detectives arrive the lead officer will then provide a detailed crime scene briefing to the detective in charge of the scene. This briefing will be the only opportunity for the detective to receive the initial aspects of the crime scene prior to subsequent investigation. Since the crime scene and any/all evidence collected are the key factors in making a case, the crime scene must be documented as soon as possible including, appearance and condition of the scene upon arrival, lights on/off, shades up/down, doors, windows open/closed, any unusual smells, ice, liquids, weather conditions, temperature, and any personal items that may have been left behind. Once the lead detective has been briefed and evaluates the scene him/herself, he/she will then need to determine if consent to search and/or obtaining a search warrant is needed. The scene assessment allows the lead detective

The influx of huge amounts of information, evolving technology had challenged criminal investigation systems and for that matter, the investigators. Any violations in Law lead to involvement of criminal investigation. The court bears all the expenses of the procedures in investigating the case, except the defence lawyer hired by the accused. In situations where the accused cannot afford, the state is liable to pay for his lawyer. It is a must that all the witnesses of the prosecution and the defence appear to the trial.

The first step in the process is the investigation. Once an offender initially commits a crime and officers are contacted and make an arrest, they have to investigate further into the crime at hand. Evidence is then gathered and follow up investigations attempt to put the pieces on chronological order to show what happened before and during the time of the crime. There are also many efforts to identify some possible suspects to further the next step of the criminal justice process.

On 1/9/2016 at approximately 2345 hours I, Officer Nelson #3912, responded to 1350 Hickory St. (Holmes Regional Medical Center) in reference to a fight that had just occurred.

The procedures and techniques used in any criminal investigation help the investigators to do their investigation properly. By correctly following the investigative stage, the investigators can improve the quality of their case and investigation and the police will get a better chance to solve any criminal case. In any criminal investigation, five stages are involved. The police and investigators have the duty to follow all this stages, in order to get the best results.

When it is time for evidence to be submitted, everything is subject to procedural law and precedent. Though this protects the rights of individuals, it can make the entire process difficult. Additional difficulties encountered during adjudication include, but are not limited to: numerous expenses, a large time commitment, fighting between defense and prosecution, enormous responsibilities placed on the jury to only look at the facts presented and utilize whatever laws the judge has explained, a deadlocked or “hung” jury when the decision is not unanimous, and a mistrial.

Followed by documenting all investigation performed, obtained evidence along with the witnesses and suspects interviews. Always the report should be accurate and with no mistakes, also make sure that everything went thru the proper channels complying with the law, before submitting it to the prosecuting attorney. Finally prepare & testify in court.

Further, the ultimate challenge in both settings is that the investigative process sufficiently confirms all likely sources of information are identified, while providing reasonable assurance that any source/suspect who is eventually interrogated is responsible for the alleged act or has access to the critical information sought. This process should make use of all available information (e.g., physical evidence, witness reports, apparent motive, access, opportunity, etc.), including in some cases a lack of

They include: (1) the commission of the crime, where the victim is involved (2) the discovery of the crime, where the victim is discovered (3) and the beginning of the investigation, where the investigators become aware of the case and background investigation (4) The phases of the investigation then begin. The investigator discovers answers that reveal the identity of the perpetrator and s/he is taken in for questioning. (5) The identification of the perpetrator is then deemed true or false and if false the true perpetrator is found. (6) The perpetrator is then removed from society and (7) the investigators resolve the crime and assess the case. (Harriss, 2011) This viewpoint allows for viewers to uncover the truth within the time slot

So for an example, the investigator can say, this is a murder, the person was stabbed, and the motive was this person was caught having an affair. After the investigator comes up with his hypotheses he/she will then test it, if the evidence does not support his/her theory then he would start over on figuring out what, why and how it all occurred.

Crime scenes are searched in order to find and collect evidence and clues. First, the investigator must insure that the scene is secure and protected. Next, the investigator must plan their search and determine the number of personnel and equipment that will be needed. It is important to remember not to begin searching until the scene has been documented through notes, photography, and sketching. The normal procedure in planning a crime scene search is for the lead investigator or search leader to survey the crime scene by doing a walk through and assign subordinate workers to tasks. There are several factors to consider in the planning process. The factors are the location of the crime, the type of crime and evidence sought, where evidence is most likely to

The idea of law and order in this country isn’t a new one and, in fact, has taken a very long time to get to the point it is today. But it isn’t done changing or improving because with every new advancement and technology law must adapt to encompass these new gray areas and make them clear in the court of law. An example of a few large milestones in United States’ law that reflect such adaptability are the Federal Rules of Evidence; Federal Rules for Civil Procedure; and the Sedona Conference. Each of these milestones have made clear many issues and gray areas in the law. Issues in evidence collection and presenting as well as digital evidence collection are a few of the many subjects covered in these federal rules.

In the documentation stage of an organized approach for processing the crime scene all functions have to correspond and be consistent in depicting the crime scene. The final results of a properly documented crime scene are the ability of others to take the finished work and reconstruction the events that occurred at the scene and make a court room presentation. In the Scene Documentation stage there are three simple steps to properly document the crime scene written notes and reports, photographs, sketching.