Criminal Investigations Quiz chapters 1-4

terms and definitions for chapters 1-4

Caveat

A warning

Thief Catchers

-Recruited from the riffraff of the street to aid law enforcement officials in locating criminals AKA snitches/informants

2 types of Thief Catchers

-Hirelings: those who motivations were mercenary

-Social Climbers: those who would implicate their accomplices in order to move up the social ladder

Corpus Delicti

Evidence that establishes that a crime has been committed

-ex. pry marks on a doorjamb

Solvability Factors

Pieces of information that increase the likelihood of a criminal case being solved by providing a foundation for investigation

*need to have 3 or more checked to get a further investigation

Measuring Device

Markers - included in the finished photograph and call attention to specific objects or enable the viewer of the photo to get a sense of the size of the object or the distance between objects

EX. Rulers, Tapes, Coins, etc.

Chain of Custody

-The total accounting of evidence

-Made up of all persons who have taken custody of the evidence since its collection and who are therefore responsible for its protections and storage

*before evidence is removed, the custodian(s) of evidence shall be identified and designated and should maintain a chain of custody for all evidence collected.

Testimonial Evidence

A statement from a person, given under oath and based on their personal knowledge or observation, that is used in legal proceedings to establish facts in a case.

First Responding Officer Duties

Securing the scene, ensuring the safety of victims and bystanders, providing basic medical aid, documenting initial observations, and preserving potential evidence to facilitate further investigation

Chief August Vollmer

-Marshal in Berkley California’s P.D in 1905-1909

-1909 became Chief of Police until 1931

Vollmer’s Contributions

-Banned graft and gratuities

-1906, created a centralized police records system

-required officers to get college degrees

-first to use radio communications

-pioneered teaching CJ classes

Sir Robert Peel

-Founder the Metropolitan police force in 1892

*officers were dubbed “bobbies” after him

-Coined “father of modern policing”

-Peels Principles of Ethical policing

IAFIS

Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System

-National fingerprint and criminal history database maintained by the FBI’s CJIS Division

-Provides latent searching capability, electronic image storage, and electronic exchange of fingerprints and responses 24 hours 365 days.

-Contains data of 47 million subjects

The Crime Scene Investigator

-Crime Scene investigators require very specific training with regard to crime-scene protection and the identification and preservation of evidence

-Depending on the department/location, CSU may be sworn or non-sworn

The Field Interview Card

Used when patrol officers happen on people or circumstances that appear suspicious, but there is no sufficient cause for arrest

-used to document names addresses and other pertinent information.

-NOT a police report; used to gather info about potential suspects

-FI card # and case numbers may cross reference

Securing the Crime Scene

-Scene should be secured after the preliminary examination of the scene

1. The area to be a crime scene must be defined

2. Backup should be requested to help restrict access to the defined crime scene and to control onlookers

3. The interior of the crime scene area should be cleared

4. Record actions previously taken at the scene

5. Restrict access to the scene

Associate Evidence

Any physical evidence from a crime scene that can link a person or object to the scene, a victim, or another person

-help investigators build a case and understand the circumstances of a crime. 

EX. Fingerprints, DNA, Hair, Personal Belongings

Trace Evidence

Minute or microscopic bits of matter that are not immediately apparent to the naked eye

-Extremely difficult to locate at the crime scene

-Result of contact between two surfaces

Eyewitness Reliability

-First officer at the scene must detain witnesses

*The witnesses should be separated so that they cannot discuss the case with each other

-Officers must be quick to recognize discrepancies or unusual behavior on the part of witnesses

-He must also examine the interrelationships between the accounts of witnesses and other evidence in the case

Exemplars

Natural writing samples collected from an individual for comparison with a questioned document to establish authorship.

Requested Exemplars

Obtained from a suspect at the formal request of a law enforcement officer and is performed solely as a means to acquire a comparison document.

Collected Exemplars

A sample of the suspect’s handwriting that was not written for the purpose of examination and is not evidence in the crime under investigation

*could be collected during a search warrant

Photography- General View

A sweeping view of the crime-scene

-Demonstrates what the scene looks like in its own environment

-Should be taken at a distance to reveal the natural surroundings of the location

EX. Bank that was robbed, House that was burglarized, Abandoned “getaway” car in a wooded area

Photography- Medium Range Views

Should be taken at a distance no greater than 20 feet away from the subject or item being photographed

-depict specific items or objects in the crime scene

EX. Blood splatters on the walls, an open window that served as the entry point for an intruder

Purpose: allows jurors to link each print with the general crime scene photos

Photography- Close Up Views

Taken at a distance of less than 5 feet using the zoom feature on the digital camera

-Focus on small segments of a larger surface or on specific objects in the scene

*Should include some identifiable item from the Medium-Range photos to link the objects

*should be taken with and without a small ruler or marker to provide perspective

Forensic Pathology/ Roles of the Pathologist

Branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse

-Pathologists at the request of the coroner or medical examiner perform the autopsy

Other tasks include

-Examine and document wounds and injuries

-Collected and examine tissue specimen

-Collect and interpret toxicological analyses

-Serve as expert witnesses

-Frequently asked to confirm the identity of a corpse

*They are Medical Doctors!!

Right to Council at Line Ups

In 1967, SCOTUS held that a suspect has the right to council at a post indictment lineup

-Expanded to provide a right to council at any lineup conducted after formal adversary proceedings have been initiated against the suspect, whether by way of formal charge, preliminary hearing, indictment, information, or arraignment

Locard’s Exchange Principle

Edmond Locard

-Asserts that when perpetrators come into contact with the scene, they will leave something of themselves and take away something from the scene

EX. Hair and Fibers

Latent Fingerprints

AKA patent fingerprint

-Occurs when the entire pattern of whorls on the finger is transferred to an object when it is touched

*include not only those visible to the naked eye, but also those that can be examined properly only after development

Plastic Fingerprints

Results when a finger presses against plastic material and leaves a negative impression of friction ridges

-Typically found on recently painted surfaces, wax, grease, tar, putty, tape

Visible Fingerprints

AKA Dust prints

-A print that has been adulterated with foreign matter

-May develop as a result of touching other substances such as blood, flour, ink, or oil

J. Edgar Hoover

Director of the FBI

-Raised qualifications or agent personnel, reduced number of agents nationwide, closed some field offices

-Under Hoover, the FBI became known for investigative efficiency 

-Some claim that Hoover and the FBI strengthened police practices in the U.S

Bow Street Runners

First well-known investigative body in England

-NOT PAID as police officers, but rather in terms of  thief-taker rewards (a percentage of all fines resulting from successful prosecution of thieves)

Serology

Procedure that was established to study human bloodstains and distinguish them from the blood of most other animals

Hearsay

An out-of-court statement offered in court to prove the truth of the matter asserted within that statement.

-Generally inadmissible in court because the original speaker was not under oath, cannot be cross-examined, and therefore, the reliability of the statement is questionable.

Pinkerton National Detective Agency

Founded in 1850 by Scottish immigrant Allan Pinkerton

-Called on by communities to handle cases that local law enforcement officers were unable to investigate due to incompetency or limited resources

*Investigated but did not have arrest powers

-Pinkerton was the first to develop a Rouges Gallery, which was a complication of descriptions, methods or operation, hiding places, and names of associates of known criminals

Photo Authentication

*A photo is admitted into evidence at the discretion of the Trial Judge (they rarely say no)

-Most of the time, the testimony that the photograph is accurate and correct is from the photographer themselves, who is considered a Qualified Witness

-Sometimes a photo is ruled as “self-authenticating”

Crime Scene Measuring

*All measures of distance must be conducted by using the same method

Coordinate method- measuring an object from two fixed points of reference

Triangulation method- a birds eye view of the scene that uses fixed objects from which to measure

-useful when sketching outdoor crime scenes where there are no easily identifiable points of reference

Cross-Projection method- used in indoor crime scenes. A top down view of the crime scene with the walls of the room “folded” down to reveal locations of bullet holes, blood spatter evidence, etc.

Covert Surveillance

Now used commonly in banks and convenience stores as a deterrent for would-be-robbers and as an aid in prosecution

*most common crimes investigated using this are vice and organized crime operations

Field Notes

Note taking begins as soon as the first responding officer gets called to the scene

-Note taking is a continual process that occurs throughout the duration of an officers involvement in an investigation

-Most information can be learned with a simple

Who What When Where Why How

*GET A CASE NUMBER FIRST!!

*try to get as much info about the victim as possible!!

*when talking with at witness or victim, let them state his or her own words what occurred, then ask more specific questions

Protective Sweep/Search

Mincey v. Arizona

-limited by law to “sweep” the premises to discover victims or perpetrators

-Used for Officer safety

*Any search beyond the scope of a protective sweep requires a search warrant!!

*If evidence is seen in plain view during the sweep, it may be seized without a warrant

Exigency

A situation requiring immediate action without a warrant, serving as an exception to the Fourth Amendment's warrant requirement

*police must have probable cause to believe a crime has occurred and that immediate action is necessary to address the emergency

EX. Hot pursuit, Destruction of Evidence, Emergency Aid/Safety

Zone Search Method

Involves dividing the room on half and having each investigator search half the room, and after completing their halves, the investigators switch halves

*Each half is searched TWICE!!

-Using in indoor crime scenes

Grid Search Method

The scene is roped off into a grid, where each square is about 6 square feet and is searched by an individual investigator

Spiral Search Method

Involves investigators walking in a circular, or spiral, motion, either from the center of the scene outwards or from the periphery inwards.

Walk Through

Provides investigators with an overview of the entire scene

-first opportunity to locate and view the body, identify valuable and/or fragile evidence, and determine initial investigative procedures

*essential to minimize scene disturbance and prevent the loss and/or contamination of physical and fragile evidence

Ballistics

Receives and examines evidence related to firearms, firearm components, ammunition, ammunition components, tools, and toolmarks

-rifles, shotguns, pistols, silencers, muzzle attachments, magazines, holsters

-Toolmark cases: screwdrivers scissors, knives, pliers, wrenches, crowbars, hammers, saws, wire, sheet metal, chains, locks, doorknobs, bolts/screws

Latent Fingerprints

Impressions produced by the ridged skin on human fingers, palms, and the soles of the feet

-Examiners compare latent prints with known prints of individuals in an effort to make identification or exclusions

-Use of chemicals, powders, lasers, alternate light sources, etc. are used in the detection and development of latent prints

Odontology

AKA Forensic Dentistry

-study and examination of teeth and the surrounding area

Supplemental Report

-Generated as new information, such as new witnesses, physical evidence and documents are obtained

- Goes into much greater detail on pertinent aspects of the case

-incorporates the who what where when why how

-warrants, vehicle seizure forms, and informant statements must be attached as well

Inductive Reasoning

reasoning that takes us beyond what we know (our current evidence or information) to conclusions about what we don’t know

-Used in drawing general conclusions from “specific” propositions

EX. John Wayne Gacy’s victims found to date were all males, therefore he did not kill females

Deductive Reasoning

Reasoning based on specific pieces of evidence to establish proof that a suspect is guilty of an offense

EX. identifying muddy footprints outside a window where a burglary has occurred

*often contrasted with inductive reasoning

Direct Evidence

Proves a fact without requiring any inferences or assumptions, such as an eyewitness seeing a crime or a recording of the event.

EX. defendant's confession, an eyewitness account of a crime, or video footage of the actual event

Indirect Evidence (Circumstantial) 

Indirect proof of a fact, requiring the fact-finder (jury) to make a reasonable inference to connect the evidence to the fact in question

EX. fingerprints at a crime scene or a witness seeing the accused wearing the stolen jacket

Testimonial Evidence

A person's sworn oral or written statement of facts to establish the truth in a legal proceeding, often relying on their personal observations and experiences

*more subjective and potentially less reliable than physical evidence because it depends on a witness's memory, perception, and honesty

Flash Description

A brief, urgent communication from an officer to other units providing critical information about a suspect or situation, such as their physical characteristics, clothing, and direction of travel, to facilitate a rapid response and apprehension

Simultaneous lineup

Eye witnesses view all the people or photos at the same time

Sequential lineup

People or photographs are presented to the witness one at a time

“Show ups” 

The witness is confronted with one suspect only (as opposed to an array)

-Evidence from show ups is frequently suppressed because the show up is so inherently suggestive that it is virtually impossible to eliminate suggestion from the procedure

The Bertillon System

AKA anthropometry developed by Alphonse Bertillon

-Based on the idea that certain aspects of the human body, such as skeletal size, ear shape, and eye color remained the same after a person had reached full physical maturity

Totality of Circumstances

Considers all relevant facts and surrounding factors of a situation to make a decision, rather than relying on a strict rule

-provides flexibility to consider context and is used in various legal areas, such as determining probable cause for a search warrant or assessing the reasonableness of a police use of force.

Criminal investigation Objectives

1. Detect crime

2. Locate and identify suspects in crimes

3. Locate, document and preserve evidence in crimes

4. Arrest suspects in crimes

5. Recover stolen property

6. Prepare sound criminal cases for prosecution