The Importance Of Criminal Investigation

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

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

One of the biggest legal challenges of crime scene investigations is whether federal or state procedural laws were followed correctly, failure to properly conduct procedural steps in the collection of evidence could result in the evidence being contaminated, altered, or if stored improperly it would result in the lost of evidence (Buckles, 2006, p. 29). Evidence that is not properly documented will not be admissible in court or if the evidence was obtained illegally meaning that the evidence was collected without a warrant when a warrant was needed the evidence will not be admissible in court therefore it is crucial for law enforcement and investigators to be familiar with the laws that govern crime scene investigations (Buckles, 2006, p.

This stage one of criminal investigation is considered to be one of the most important stages of criminal investigation. An unprofessional mistake made by a first responding officer can extensively destroy the whole investigation. By following the correct procedures and rule the first responding officer can eliminate the chance of making mistakes during the initial investigation. The lack of knowledge can also disrupt a criminal investigation. The first responding officer is likely to conduct a successful investigation if he knows how to deal with the problems at the crime scene therefore, the first responding officer need to have good knowledge about the investigative procedures.

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.

After investigating the crime scene, the investigator should run the victims information through the police database to see if he/she had any previous convictions. Learning that the victim has been to prison before can open up a whole new list of suspects and motives. After concluding with the background search, the investigator should search for any close living relatives or acquaintances that can provides the victims family background, employment history, close friends, and if any, enemies. The victim's residence would also be processed after receiving a search warrant. Any and all calendars with appointments, phone messages, voicemail, and answering machines would be processed. Information from bank statements and other financial information located at the victim's residence would also be processed. This would be used to trace an individual's movement through the use of their credit cards. Where they were prior to the crime might be traced through the use of their credit cards. Interviews with the staff of

Criminal investigations are important in a case, whether it be criminal or civil matters. This learner believes that criminal investigations are important, because they allow for individuals to either be proven guilty or not guilty in a case. It also allows for the prosecution and the police to find out who is guilty in a case. According to Osterburg and Ward (2014), Criminal investigations determine if a crime has been committed and determine the jurisdiction of the crime (p. 5). Criminal investigations are important, because they also give victims closure and allow for

The first priority for a first responding officer(s) is safety that there is no threat to the officer or citizens at the scene. Once the scene is secured, investigators and forensics personal can process the scene. Once forensics personal is notified this is called “called out”. They should record the date and time of the call out they receive. Once at the crime scene they get a briefing about the incident. Forensic technician should record arrival time, and time briefing is over. Should also document the names and identification numbers of all personal present. Ask if any fragile evidence or area of the scene has been disturbed is important. Tracked blood, shoe or tire impressions from first responder’s activity. Start processing scene. Initial search for evidence is a search conducted by the forensic technician to survey the scene to determine and prioritize task. Records date and time the initial search for evidence. Records notes on areas of interest, and location of evidence. Notes environmental and premises conditions. Always proceed slowly (sight, smell, hearing, and touch) using senses. Night time crime scenes are difficult to see blood, firearm casings etc. hard to locate.

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.

They have to make sure that before they entered the crime scene, nothing in the scene should have been moved. While they are going through a walk-through, they may have to construct theories about what happened in the crime scene based on visual examination. Investigators have to take photographs of the scene and will later on be collected. Taking photographs of the scene will help them solve the crime because there are some points of the investigation that investigators may have overlooked evidence, and that evidence could be found in the photographs. After taking photographs of the scene, they will start to collect clue and evidence that may lead them to their possible suspect(s). What they may find in the crime scene are fingerprints which can be done using colored powder and a brush, other thizngs such as blood, firearms, hair, glass and many more things that can be found in the crime scenes.

d. retrieve evidence subject to decay or deterioration and take it to the laboratory immediately.

evidences can tell what sex, age, and race of the suspect. If the scene was not

The investigators must identify the significance of every aspect of evidence found in the scene, i.e. they have

Criminal investigators are professionals in the law enforcement team who try to solve crimes, prevent the occurrence of future crimes, and searching and detaining suspects. The two categories of criminal investigators are private and public criminal investigators. The level of training that these professionals go through is different which leads us to the differences between public and private criminal investigations.

Nothing is more crucial to any investigation than the actions of the first officers on the scene and the actions they take regarding the preservation of the crime scene, detention of witnesses and an arrest if possible. The immediate objective of the first officers on the scene must be the safety of all parties involved and all else follows