Chapter 7 Flashcards
(24 cards)
This is one of the most recently used databases of the International Criminal Police Organization Interpol. It is used to determine whether passports, identity cards, and visas have been reported lost or stolen:
MIND/FIND
This database alerts participating agencies of investigative targets they have in common.
DEA’s National Drug Pointer Index (NDPIX)
This resource is part of NCAVC and provides advice and support for a range of cases, including child abductions, serial rapes and murders, and cyber crime:
The Violent Criminal Apprehension Program (VICAP)
To avoid investigators giving subtle, unintended cues to witnesses, this method of conducting photo and live line-ups is now being widely used. Lineups are conducted by a trained lineup administrator who does not know who the suspect is or who the “fillers” are:
a “double blind” method
What is the minimum number of fillers that should be used for a photo lineup?
At least 5 (6 photos total, including the suspect)
NOTE: a live line-up use a minimum of 4 fillers
Eyewitnesses may be requested to see if they recognize anyone connected with the crime in one of three procedures:
1) a photo lineup
2) a “live” line-up
3) a “show-up”
What is the best tool for identifying a staged crime?
A thorough original and follow-up investigation
Staged crime investigations profit from a logical process. What is the process?
1) Conduct a comprehensive and thorough review of the documented scene, which may be very time consuming in violent crimes because of the abundance of evidence.
2) Carefully consider the victim’s character, lifestyle, personal and professional associates, drug and alcohol use, normal hangouts, daily schedule and routines, physical condition, occupation, previous complaints to the police, and recent conversations with neighbors and friends.
3) Look at the incident from several perspectives
4) Identify and document in detail all possible indicators of staging.
5) Identify and document possible motives for the original act and for the staging.
6) Determine who benefits from the original act and the staging. Even in death cases, the deceased may benefit; suicide and insurance policy.
This type of investigation, the most extreme form of a follow-up, is the reopening of an inactivated, unsolved case.
A cold case investigation
Types of informants who requires special approval: (4)
1) person under 18
2) those previously used and found unreliable
3) former drug addicts
4) those on federal or state probation or parole (require judicial approval)
In terms of categories of intelligence, there are at least four different types: (4)
1) Indicative Intelligence (focuses on emerging and new criminal developments)
2) Tactical Intelligence (immediately actionable and often results in arrest)
3) Stragetic Intelligence (gathered and analyzed over time and usually confirms new or newly discovered patterns of criminal activity)
4) Evidence Intelligence (consists of factual, precise information that can be presented in court)
The Intelligence/Analytical Cycle is driven by the needs of the client or end-user—-the backbone of this cycle is a continuous six-step process: (6)
1) Planning and direction
2) Collection
3) Processing
4) Analysis and production
5) Dissemination
6) Re-evaluation
There are different approaches to Crime Scene Reconstruction (CSR), but they share common perspectives. What are those common perspectives?
1) Data defines the conclusion
2) the context in which evidence is found, as well as its analysis, provides objective data
3) consider human testimony cautiously
4) effective forensic examination produces more refined data
5) what happened is not the only question-it’s sequence is also important
6) use “ reverse engineering” to work backward from the evidence to develop an understanding of what happened
The different Crime Scene Reconstruction (CSR) approaches and asks four basic questions as each item of evidence is being considered:
1) What is it?
2) What function does it serve?
3) What does it tell about timing and sequence of events?
4) What interrelationships does it have with other items of evidence?
This method is at the heart of all approaches to CSR?
The scientific method
Profiling methods focus on four factors: (4)
1) ANTECEDENT: in this stage the profiler tries to understand the offender’s mind
2) METHOD: although offenders may vary in how the commit a crime, often there is a pattern to it
3) DISPOSAL: what the defendant does to the victim after the offense may form part of a modus operandi or suggesting that both of them
4) POST-OFFENSE BEHAVIOR: there maybe known observable post offense behavior, or the offender may contact the news media to publish obscure clues or rage against how the police are characterizing him, and sending taunting letters to the police
Crime Analysis
Some of the specific elements analysts focus on to link crimes: (6)
1) Trends
2) Patterns
3) Series
4) Sprees
5) Hot Spots
6) Crimogens
Crime Analysis
These are general tendencies in the occurrence of crime across large geographic areas over extended periods of time.
Trends
The same crime is committed repeatedly over a short period of time, sometimes, but not always, by the same offender.
Patterns
The same type of crime is committed over a short period of time, possibly by the same offender.
Series
The same type of offense is committed at almost the same time by the same offenders.
Spree
This is either an individually known offender who is responsible for a large number of crimes or one victim who reports a large number of crimes.
Crimogen
This is the process of collecting and analyzing information about areas, objects or events without being in contact with the focus of analysis.
Remote Sensing
For investigative purposes, the police use the Internet in many ways, such as:
1) Appealing to the public for information about specific crimes (crime stopper program)
2) Requesting information about missing persons
3) Most wanted lists
4) Soliciting information about individuals who are wanted as fugitives
5) Alerting public about prison escapees
6) Requesting information about identities of unknown subjects (unsubs)
7) Showing photos of the property so the owners can identify them
8) Providing crime-mapping capabilities
