Criminal Investigation on the Street

G.W. Hildebrand

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2021
• Print ISBN:
  9781138220874
• eBook ISBN:
  9781315411712
• Topic: Social Sciences
• Subtopic: Forensic Science
• Index: Social Sciences

Criminal Investigation on the Street presents investigative principles and techniques—and applies them to solving real-world crimes—in an engaging, student-friendly style centered on the Investigative Triangle: legal aspects, evidence, and behavioral analysis.

Students and instructors alike will benefit from this book's comprehensive coverage and accessible writing style. Along with the Investigative Triangle model, which provides a solid framework for approaching investigations, students will also learn about Criminal Investigative Analysis, a range of behavior-based services and strategies to help solve crimes. Chapters 1–7 (Section I) present the principles and techniques of criminal investigation—history and theory, legal background, forensics, crime scene, witnesses and informants, interviews and interrogations—including a chapter on crime analysis and Criminal Investigative Analysis. Chapters 8–13 (Section II) apply these principles and techniques to specific types of crime, beginning with assault and death investigations and a separate chapter on culpable homicide. Section II also covers sex crimes; theft, burglary, robbery, and arson; enterprise and white-collar crime, and terrorism. The book is illustrated throughout with a variety of Exhibits: photographs and drawings, flowcharts, facsimiles of police documents, and other instructive visuals. Each chapter begins with an engaging vignette, some based on high-profile news articles and others drawn from the author's extensive experience. Interactive features—Case Focus, You Call It, and You Write It—occur at strategic points in every chapter, challenging students to answer questions and apply concepts to actual cases and fictional scenarios. Each chapter ends with a return to the Investigative Triangle, assessing how it applies to the chapter's main topics. Chapters 1–7 (Section I) each include a list of Important Cases (court decisions relevant to the chapter's key concepts). At the end of every chapter (Sections I and II), the Investigate Further feature provides an annotated list of readings, films, and other resources appropriate for class projects, term papers, and special assignments. Each chapter concludes with review questions and a chapter summary.

This book is geared to students in the Criminal Investigation course at both two- and four-year institutions, and will appeal to those aspiring to a career in any field related to criminal investigation.

SECTION I

INVESTIGATIVE PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES

DOI: 10.4324/9781315411736-1

Section I of this book presents tools, techniques, and methods of criminal investigation along with the principles and legal framework governing what investigators are able to do. In Section II we will turn to specific types of crimes.

CHAPTER 1

ORIGINS AND PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

DOI: 10.4324/9781315411736-2

CHAPTER OUTLINE

Learning Objectives

Principles of Criminal Investigation

Criminal Investigation Defined

Art and Science of Criminal Investigation

Has a Crime Been Committed?

Discover Facts, Handle Evidence, Follow Leads

Identify, Locate, and Apprehend Offenders

Case Focus 1.1: If the Shoe Fits

Aid in Prosecutions

Origins of Criminal Investigation

Historical Development of Criminal Investigation

Criminal Investigation in the Ancient World

You Call It 1.1: How Was Caesar Killed?

The British Roots of Modern-Day Criminal Investigation

You Call It 1.2: Peelian Principles

Origins of Criminal Investigation in the United States

Historical Development of Identification Systems

Bertillon Measurement and Portrait Methods

You Write It 1.1: Facial Recognition and Description

Fingerprint Identification

Police Cars and Radios

Cross-Jurisdictional Communications

Trends in Criminal Investigation Today

Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS)

DNA Profiling

Biometric Recognition

You Write It 1.2: Which Was the Greatest Game Changer?

FBI/Canadian Investigative Model

Criminal Investigative Analysis

You Write It 1.3: Alphabet Soup

You Call It 1.3: Clues from a Violent Crime

Careers in Criminal Investigation

Where Are We Headed?

The Investigative Triangle

Chapter Summary

Review Questions

Investigate Further

Important Cases

Key Terms

References

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

After studying this chapter, you should be able to:

• Define and explain criminal investigation and its basic principles.
• Recount significant developments in the history of criminal investigation.
• Describe trends in criminal investigation today.

The posh beach house showed no signs of forced entry or break-in. The dead man was found in bed, lying naked on his back, with a double-edged razor blade on his chest and slash marks on his wrist. Lying next to him was a photograph, face down, of his bride of three months—against whom he had recently filed for divorce. Broken-hearted over the failure of his marriage, 68-year-old millionaire Absalom T. Webber Jr. appeared to have taken his own life.

However, investigators questioned whether there was more to the story, especially when Webber’s soon-to-be-ex-wife, a 37-year-old aspiring politician named Donna, filed a petition claiming $4 million from the estate. Webber had written her out of his will shortly after he filed for divorce, but she contended that the document in her possession—which had a signature witnessed by just one person, her father—superseded the will. Rumor had it that Donna was having an extramarital affair, and her lover had been heard to brag about getting his hands on Webber’s millions.

What were investigators to make of this? Where should they start? Was Mr. Webber’s death a suicide, a staged murder, or something else? Could he have died from natural causes? These are the kinds of questions that are central to criminal investigation.

Sources:

Graczyk, 1998; Author’s files, personal communications; Forensic Files (2010).

Criminal investigation is a topic that provides fertile ground for the imagination. The crime-solving hero is a prominent figure in popular culture; books about fictional detectives, from Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot to Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys, have filled best-seller lists for generations. The sustained popularity of television shows like Forensic Files, Body of Evidence, and CSI—including its many spinoffs—demonstrate the allure of criminal investigation.

As long as human societies have existed, there has certainly been wrong-doing, and just as certainly there have been endeavors to investigate wrongs and apprehend those responsible. But pop culture depictions of criminal investigation only skim the surface of this complex topic. This book aims to delve beneath the surface and provide a true “on the street” introduction to the work that goes into investigating crimes.

PRINCIPLES OF CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

The reality of investigative work is a good deal less exciting than what is portrayed in the media. It involves many routine day-to-day tasks and often requires painstaking attention to minutiae that can be, frankly, extremely boring. It is also stressful. Investigators are under a lot of pressure to apprehend a suspect, especially in situations involving serial offenders. It is the detective’s job to delve into gruesome details; most people could not stomach the day-to-day diet of such horrible events. Latent stress from constant exposure to “gory” crime scenes and dealing with the misfortunes of victims, their families, and the community can be a heavy burden to carry, especially given the widespread public expectation that crimes should be solved quickly. Moreover, investigators must have proficient interpersonal skills, not only to deal with suspects who must be interviewed and interrogated, but also to collaborate with other police personnel, legal experts, victims, witnesses, and members of the community they serve.

Criminal Investigation Defined

What is criminal investigation? Common definitions usually refer to the process of finding facts used to identify, locate, arrest, and prove the guilt of an offender (Criminal Investigation, n.d.). In many people’s minds, a successful investigation is one that leads to the capture of the offender who is then tried in a court of law, found guilty as charged, and sentenced for the offense. But under this definition, can a criminal investigation exist if a crime was committed but no offender can be identified? Or if an offender can be identified, but law enforcement authorities lack sufficient evidence to prove guilt in court?

Here is a more formal definition: “the process of collecting information (or evidence) about an alleged crime in order to: (1) determine if a crime has been committed; (2) identify the perpetrator; (3) apprehend the perpetrator; and (4) provide evidence to support a conviction in court” (Criminal Investigation, n.d.). This definition goes on to say that “if the first three objectives [determination of crime, identification, and apprehension of the perpetrator] are successfully attained, then the crime can be said to be solved.” Notice that the word “successfully” is used as a measuring stick. Are we to conclude that if certain results are not obtained, then the investigation is unsuccessful, or that it doesn’t meet the definition of an investigation?

What is success? A significant percentage of investigations do not result in an arrest and conviction of the person responsible. For countless reasons, not all crimes will be solved. Many of these reasons are beyond the investigator’s control. For instance, what if a key eyewitness suddenly dies and therefore cannot give critical direct testimony? What if the offender commits suicide before being arrested, or before the case goes to court?

A real definition of a successful criminal investigation is not dependent upon the ultimate arrest and conviction. Truly, all that can be expected of criminal investigators is for them to diligently find, include, and exhaust all possible information available in a proper and legal manner. Investigators must allow the information to guide the conclusions. This will often fall short of the results stated in the above definitions. Yet a criminal investigation can still be successful if law enforcement authorities follow all leads to their logical conclusions. This is one reason why crime statistics may refer to cases being cleared rather than solved.

With the foregoing in mind, for purposes of this book we define criminal investigation as the process of collecting information and evidence about a crime with the goals of (1) determining which crime, if any, was committed; (2) identifying the perpetrator; (3) apprehending the perpetrator; and (4) providing evidence to support a conviction in court; or (5) diligently finding, including, and exhausting all possible information, leads, or clues available in a proper and legal manner. Within these parameters, a criminal investigation can be considered successful.

Art and Science of Criminal Investigation

The process of investigating crimes involves a wide variety of skills, including forensics, “street smarts,” legal applications, and technical acumen. It takes common sense in an uncommon volume. Investigation is often referred to as detective work, and can be described as both an art and a science. It can also be called an eclectic discipline—one that combines elements of different fields and areas of expertise. Throughout this book we aim to prepare students with a solid understanding in several relevant investigative areas:

• Scientific and forensic processes, laboratory capabilities, and evidence colle...

Table of contents

• Cover Page
• Half Title Page
• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Dedication Page
• Contents Page
• List of Interactive Features Page
• Preface Page
• Acknowledgments Page
• Section I Investigative Principles and Techniques
• Section II Investigation of Criminal Offenses
• Index