Investigative Analysis : Forensic And Testimonial

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.

The field of law enforcement all retain a common purpose: to protect citizens and enforce the laws passed at the local, state and federal level of government. In order to achieve this common goal, law enforcement agencies, regardless of size, must have the capacity to understand the importance of intelligence collection, analysis, and intelligence sharing. Each agency, from the lowest to the highest level, must establish a systematic mechanism to receive and process intelligence as well as to report and share critical information with other law enforcement agencies. In this paper, we will discuss some of the similarities and differences of federal, state and local law enforcement intelligence activities and why these deviations exist, as well as why it is important that law enforcement agencies develop lines of communication at all levels.

In a criminal investigation, there is the need to break down two things. Firstly, the investigation itself and secondly the investigator involved. It is of utmost importance that the criminal investigation is done accurately, failure to do so will have negative consequences on the society. Investigation involves the collection of facts, scenarios and situations which are directly or indirectly related with the case. Whereas investigator is the person who should observe, question, analyze and scrutinize the available details. Careful evaluation then helps to achieve the much needed evidence. Criminal investigation is one of the most essential functions of the Law Enforcement agencies, as it is their prime responsibility to maintain a secure environment and

As stated earlier, the 9/11 attacks revealed the indomitable spirit of the US and awakened a sleeping giant, which was very reminiscent of the US response following the attacks by the Japanese on US forces in Hawaii. Both 9/11 and Pearl Harbor attacks galvanized the American people into action and caused the government to heavily invest resources to combat enemies of the US; the Axis enemies during World War II and “the terrorists”, wherever they may be located, following 9/11. One of the first NIST deficiencies to be corrected were the operational protocols for intra- and inter-agency communication. This, in part, has been addressed in the Incident Command System (ICS) since the purpose of ICS is to integrate operations between public safety entities at all levels of government.

The terrorist attacks on September 11 changed America forever. The attacks led to President Bush creating the Department of Homeland Security which tried to centralize the federal response to all terrorist threats. However, local police, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians will still be the first to arrive at the scene of an attack. These first responders face a unique and increasingly dangerous task when reacting to a terrorist attack on US soil.

After the 9/11 attack, many agencies didn 't know what to do with the situation of the towers been blown up by airplanes and that terrorism was the cause of it, that 's why President Bush created a new defense called Homeland Security to prevent that from happening again. He had to arrange everything in the Criminal Justice system to place it together, but in order for everything to go out smoothly federal agencies will need the help of local law enforcement because they will be the first responders on the crime scene when something bad happens. Local law enforcement usually have it concerns with preventing or solving crimes such as burglary, theft, robbery, and homicide crimes, these crimes usually have an impact on the local community,

Historically, local police agencies have little or no communication with any agencies outside their own, the creation of Joint Terrorism Task Forces provides very little in the way of relaying or relieving intelligence. Also, "Police, especially local police officers, are used to exercising discretion" meaning, they will do very little to compromise their flexibility and/or professional judgements. This, along with the competition with state law enforcement for market shares, becomes an even more complex problem to handle. (Cordner, Scarborough 2010)

There was a possible security threat regarding a tractor-trailer that occurred in Times Square in New York City. The New York Police Department issued an advisory that a possibly dangerous tractor-trailer had deviated from its original course and was headed towards Times Square after being paid $10,000. After proper communication and information was shared between the New York Police Department, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Rhode Island Fusion Center, Northern California Regional Intelligence Center, and the Connecticut Intelligence Center, the Connecticut State Police was able to intercept the vehicle and determined it was not a threat. It only took three hours from the time the New York Police Department issued an advisory to the time that the Connecticut State Police stopped the vehicle and determined it posed no threat to the public (5). Even though the truck was not a threat, this was a great example of proper communication, fusing of information, teamwork, and dissemination of information to counter a possible terrorist attack.

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.

Since the last major terrorist casualty, the Department of Homeland Security has been investing billions of dollars every year (Office of Management and Budget, 2010) in order to facilitate the access of local law enforcement agencies to elaborate the necessary standard operating plans, training skills, risk assessments, response plans, and periodically update of mutual aid agreements. While the operational priorities are set up, the administration of the aforementioned funds do not necessary respond to equality formulas of disbursement after jurisdictional size have not been a determinant for the perceived status of risk probability. The financial allocation of funds is directed towards the highest risk entities even if their jurisdiction does not surpass more crowded jurisdictions (Randol, 2012, p. 307). Evidence of cooperation from

It is imperative that law enforcement is mentally and emotionally prepared to handle any situation that may occur. An example of some past situations include the Boston Bombings, the Oklahoma City Bombing, the Beltway Sniper Attacks and the events on 9/11. In order to safely and effectively complete a mission in a stressful situation, law enforcement must remain calm and confident in their responsibilities. Although Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick was seen as a face of the overall effort, he was not the key figure in all decision making. The key figures were the state and local police department, especially Boston and Watertown. It was their responsibility to track down the location of the terrorist bombers. The FBI, ATF and DHS certainly played an essential role as well, working with the Russian government to gather intelligence on the

Smaller jurisdictions may be less prepared in terms of counter-terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. Much of this lack of preparedness may lie in the limitation of resources. Additionally, however, it may be a result of a lack of an identified need to be prepared for counter-terrorism and weapons of mass destruction. This author will compare and contrast the preparedness of counter-terrorism and weapons of mass destruction between Sikeston Department of Public Safety and St. Louis County Police Department. Additionally, it will be explored what possible changes could occur with changes to the budget of each of these departments.

When dealing with incident cases having evidence it the most important part. Without evidence the justice system would not convict a suspect who is accused of committing a crime. There is an old saying amount law enforcement officer, “A case is only as strong as it evidence”. If a person views the definition of the word evidence, that person’s would find out that evidence, meaning, “The body of facts or information which can indicate whether a belief or proposition is valid or true.” (Forensic Science Investigation Unit, 2015). Many people can have different option or belief of many different situations, but when you can prove with facts or information that your belief or option is correct by using evidence to back up your statement. You have just changed that person mind or option due to the evidence. When evidence is used in the court room, it can prove whether the person is guilt or innocence of the crime he or she was accused of committing. Evidence to a jury in a courtroom setting can be used as a body of information to tell if this person who is accused of committing this crime had a motive, opportunity and the ability to commit such at toward another person or someone’s property.

Since the Victorian era, crimes have been solved using confessions or eyewitness accounts. Those tactics are still used today, but as technology continues to develop more and more, law enforcement and criminal investigators have started to rely more on forensic evidence to solve today’s crimes. In the article “Forensic Science: Evidence, Clues, and Investigations,” by Andrea Campbell, the author discusses the reliability and importance of forensic evidence. By today’s standards, forensic evidence is the most important evidence to present at a trial.

In this article the author is trying to argue for better standards on forensic sciences (particularly hair identification) being used in court cases. This article starts with the FBI statement claiming that hair identification is indefensible and goes onto explain cases which the evidence presented was misrepresented. The cases referred to in the article show mistakes in court, such as the testimony that claimed the hair was undoubtedly the suspects. The hair then turned up to belong to a dog. These types of incidents led to the Justice Department collaborating with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, where they formed a commission hoping to improve the issue. The author ends by expressing interest in a higher standard for forensic