CDI ~ FUNDAMENTALS IN CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

HENRY FIELDING

- he established the Bow Street Runners, a small group of non-uniformed, volunteer homeowners to
take thieves

JOHN FIELDING

- Henry Fielding’s blind half-brother who succeeded him

SIR ROBERT PEEL

- shepherded the Metropolitan Police Act which created a centralized police force

PHILADELPHIA

- the first state to pass an ordinance creating America’s first paid daylight police force although it was
repealed three (3) years later

NEW YORK CITY

- the first city to create a unified police force

ALLAN PINKERTON

- formed the major private detective agency of the 19th century to address the need of American cities
for reliable detectives due to:

a) graft and corruption of big city police officers

b) limited police jurisdiction

c) little communication of information between departments in different cities

CHARLES BONAPARTE

- the US Attorney-General who created the embryo of what was later to become the Federal Bureau of
Investigation
DNA TYPING

- the process of isolating and reading DNA

1987, EDERBY, ENGLAND

- the year and place where DNA typing was first used in a criminal case

COLIN PITCHFORK

- the first criminal who was convicted with the use of DNA typing

1992, PHOENIX, ARIZONA, USA

- the first use of DNA typing in “planting evidence” in a criminal case

HENRY GODDARD

- made the first successful attempt to identify a murderer from a bullet recovered from the body of the
victim

CALVIN GODDARD

- the person considered responsible for raising firearms identification to a science and for perfecting the
bullet comparison microscope

- the “Father of Ballistics”

EDMOND LOCARD

- maintained a central interest in locating microscopic evidence

- all crime scenes processed today are based on the presumed validity of Locard’s Principle: “There’s
something to be found.”

AUGUST VOLLMER

- helped JOHN LARSON to produce the first workable polygraph in 1921 and established America’s first
full forensic laboratory in Los Angeles in 1923
THREE MAJOR SCIENTIFIC SYSTEM FOR PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION

1) anthropometry

2) dactylography

3) deoxyribonucleic acid typing (DNA)

ALPHONSE BERTILLON

- developed anthropometry and regarded as the “Father of Criminal Identification”

ANTHROPOMETRY

- based on the fact that every human being differs from every other one in the exact measurements of
their body and that the sum of these measurements yields a characteristic formula for each individual

PORTRAIT PARLE/SPEAKING PICTURE

- combines full face and profile photographs of each criminal with his or her exact body measurements
and other descriptive data into a single card

CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION

- the gathering from all available sources of information relating to the crime and the evaluation of facts
about the crime

INVESTIGATOR

- the person who conducts investigation

PURPOSES OF INVESTIGATION

1) to establish that, in fact, a crime was committed

2) to identify and apprehend the subject

3) to recover stolen property

4) to assist the state in prosecuting the party charged with the offense

INDUCTIVE REASONING
- involves examination of evidence and particulars of a case and the use of these information as a basis
for formulating a unifying and internally consistent explanation of the event

DEDUCTIVE REASONING

- begins with the formulation of an explanation of the crime which is then tested against the available
information

PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION

- the action taken at the scene of the crime immediately following its detection and reporting

P - proceed to the crime scene safely and immediately

R - render assistance

E - effect the arrest of any suspect

L - locate and document names of witnesses

I - interview and separate witnesses

M - maintain and protect the crime scene

I - interrogate suspect

N - note basic facts

A - arrange for collection of evidence

R - report the scene fully and accurately

Y - yield responsibility to the follow-up investigation

MAJOR STEPS IN PRELIMINARY INVESTIGATION

1) Immediate request for medical services in those instances where the victim or suspect has sustained a
serious injury;

2) A determination must be made as to whether a crime was committed and if so, what specific type of
offense it was;
3) To the maximum extent possible, and simultaneous with executing the two preceding steps, the
investigator must also preserve the integrity of the crime scene to ensure that evidence is not lost,
destroyed, or altered in such a manner as to eliminate its value in court;

4) The witness should be separated to avoid discussion of their perceptions of the event being
investigated;

5) The case must be documented and evidence gathered;

6) An offense report must be prepared that includes the facts known to the investigator, all actions
taken and the listing of all items seized;

7) All evidence seized must be transmitted to the police station where it will be stored in the central
depository to which access is limited in order to ensure the integrity of materials

HOT SEARCH

- examination of the immediate vicinity of the crime scene when the perpetrator is known or believed to
be there

WARM SEARCH

- a check of the general area beyond the immediate vicinity of the crime scene when it is believed that
the perpetrator may still be there

PRELIMINARY PICK-UP ORDER

- issued to minimize the chance that an unsuspecting officer may stop what appears to be an ordinary
traffic violator and be suddenly assailed because he has unknowingly stopped the perpetrator of a major
offense

PERMANENT ORDER

- the detailed interviews that follow the preliminary pick-up order wherein the investigator will obtain
additional information about the description of the suspect and vehicle
FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION

- the effort expended by the police in gathering information subsequent to the initiation of the original
report until the case is ready for prosecution

CRIME SCENE

- the location at which the offense was committed

THREE (3) MAJOR CRIME SCENE FUNCTIONS

1) Coordination

- vested in the crime scene coordinator who has over-all responsibility for the investigative services

- the crime scene investigator is the person who make or approve all major decisions as they relate to
the case

2) Technical Service

- concerned with processing the scene

- this encompasses the identification, collection, marking and preservation of evidence, along with scene
documentation, including sketching and photography

3) Investigative Service

- includes interviewing witnesses, the complainant and the suspect, if in custody

- covers the field interrogation and the conducting of a neighbourhood canvass to identify additional
witnesses

RULE OF INCLUSIVENESS

- dictates that every available piece of evidence be obtained and where there is a question as to
whether or not a particular item constitutes an evidence, define it as such

- it also requires that standard samples and elimination prints should always be obtained when
appropriate

TRANSFER OF EVIDENCE THEORY BY EDMOND LOCARD

- states that whenever two objects meet, some evidence, however microscopic, may remain to
demonstrate that the encounter did occur

TYPES OF EVIDENCE

1) corpus delicti evidence

o the body of the crime or the fact constituting that crime

2) associative evidence

o evidence that links a suspect with a crime

3) trace evidence

o minute or microscopic fragment of matter, such as hair fiber that are not immediately detectable by
the naked eye

PURPOSE OF CRIME SCENE SEARCH

1) to obtain physical evidence useful in establishing that, in fact, an offense has been committed;

2) to identify the method of operation employed by the perpetrator

3) reduce the number of suspects

4) identify the perpetuator

DETERMINATION OF BOUNDARY IN A CRIME SEARCH

1) indoor scene

- determined by the structure

- the avenues for approach and escape can be established

2) outdoor scene

- as a rule, it is better to define the limits of the search in very broad terms

SEARCH PATTERNS

1) spiral pattern

- usually employed in outdoor scenes and is normally executed by a single person

- involves the searcher walking in slightly ever decreasing, less than concentric circles from the
outermost boundary determination toward a central point

2) strip search pattern

- involves the demarcation of a series of lanes down which one or more persons proceed

- upon reaching the starting point, the searchers proceed down their respective lanes, reverse their
direction and continue in this fashion until the area has been thoroughly examined

3) grid search pattern

- after having completed the strip pattern, the searchers double back perpendicularly across the area
being examined

4) zone search pattern

- requires an area to be divided into four (4) large quadrants, each of which is then examined using any
of the methods previously described

5) pie search pattern

- entails dividing the area into a number of pie-shaped sections, usually six, which are then searched,
usually by a variation of strip method

- also referred to as the wheel

PHOTOGRAPHS THAT MUST BE TAKEN

1) general photograph

- a sweeping view of the crime area

- the over-all scene of the neighborhood including angles from all streets leading up to the crime scene

2) medium range photograph

- photos taken at a distance of 20 feet away from the subject or item being photographed

- the intent is to depict specific items or objects in the crime scene

3) close up view

- taken at a distance of less than 5 feet and should focus on small segments of a larger surface or on
specific object in the scene

GOLDEN RULE FOR SEARCHING OF EVIDENCE AT CRIME SCENES

- “Never alter the position of, pick up or even touch any object before it has been minutely described in
an official note and photograph taken.”

- by Hans Gross, from his book “System der Kriminalistik”

SEVEN (7) MAJOR DIVISIONS OF EVIDENCE LIKELY TO BE FOUND AT THE CRIME SCENE

1) weapon

2) blood

3) imprints or impression

4) marks of tools used to gain access to locked premises or containers

5) dust and dirt traces

6) questioned documents

7) miscellaneous trace of transfer evidence

INTERVIEWING

- face to face conversation for the purpose of getting information from individuals who possess
knowledge of a crime or its circumstances

WITNESS

- one who, being present, personally sees or perceives a thing

THREE (3) REQUIREMENTS OF BEING A WITNESS

1) presence

2) consciousness
3) attentiveness

COMPENTENCY

- describes a witness’s personal qualifications to testify in court

CREDIBILITY

- relates to the quality of a witness that renders his testimony worthy of belief

TYPES OF WITNESSES

1) honest and cooperative witness

o the best type of witness

2) silent, know-nothing or uninterested witness

o the most difficult to interview

o he refuses to talk because:

a) he doesn’t want to get involved

b) he fears any contact with the law

c) he has limited intelligence or are unobservant

d) he has no desire to aid the police

3) reluctant or suspicious witness

o slightly easier to interview than the silent type

o he can be convinced to impart information only if the police officer can establish the importance of the
contribution to be made

4) hostile and deceitful witness

o one who deliberately attempts to impede an investigation by misleading the police or lying about
information

o the most frustrating though not the most difficult

5) timid or bashful witness

o could be because:

a) he lacks education

b) he fears the police

c) he lacks understanding of the investigation process

6) talkative or boastful witness

o can be both valuable and dangerous

o he tends to offer imaginative observations and give improper emphasis to portions of his stories

7) “under the influence” witness

o the degree to which the intoxication has freed the inhibitions of the witness can serve the interviewer
well, but caution must be employed in relying on the information

😎 distraught witness

o may not want to talk with an investigator but if any information is provided, it must be carefully
evaluated in light of all circumstances

9) juvenile witness

o generally, children under 5 or 6 years of age

o abstract concepts can be learned through trial and error evaluations rather than understanding of
cause and effect relationship

o a child this age can focus only on one thought at a time and cannot combine thoughts as an integrated
whole

INTERVIEWING

- the process of obtaining information from people who possess knowledge about a particular offense,
as part of the process of investigation
QUALIFICATIONS OF A GOOD INTERVIEWER

1) persuasiveness and perseverance

2) preparedness

3) knowledgeable about the person to be interviewed and about the case

FACTORS TO BE CONSIDERED IN CONDUCTING AN INTERVIEW

1) immediacy

2) privacy

3) convenience

4) control

RE-INTERVIEWING WITNESSES

- should be avoided if the re-interview is likely to produce nothing beyond the information given in the
initial statement

INTERVIEWING PROCESS

1) beginning

o the warm-up period, the time to establish rapport

2) main segment

o devoted to acquiring information

3) end

o wrapping up the interview, expressing appreciation for the interviewee’s time and cooperation

COGNITIVE INTERVIEW TECHNIQUE

First step: Ask the witness to reconstruct the general circumstances surrounding the incident.
Second step: Ask the witness to report everything remembered about the incident and all the
surrounding circumstances.

Third step: Have the witness recall the events in different order.

Fourth step: Have the witness change perspective.

INTERROGATION

- the process of testing the information and its application to a particular suspect

OBJECTIVES OF INTERROGATION

1) to obtain valuable facts

2) to eliminate the innocent

3) to identify the guilty

4) to obtain a confession

ADMISSION

- an acknowledgement by the accused of certain facts that tend to incriminate him with respect to a
particular crime but that are not sufficiently complete to constitute a confession

CONFESSION

- an acknowledgement by the accused that he committed the crime

- a declaration made at any time by a person, voluntarily and without compulsion or inducement, stating
or acknowledging that he had committed or participated in the commission of a crime

PLANNING FOR THE INTERROGATION

1) The offense – the investigator should be familiar with the elements of each offense

2) The victim – the investigator should learn as much as possible about the victim: his background,
nature of injury and other matter that could be relevant to the investigation
3) The suspect – the investigator should learn everything he could about his background, his criminal
records, if any, his personal circumstances and his capabilities

TRADITIONAL INTERROGATION ROOM

1) It should be sparsely furnished, usually with only two chairs and there should be no physical barrier
such as tables or desks between the investigator and the suspect.

2) If a two-way mirror is to be used, it should be small and unobtrusive.

3) It should be equipped with a microphone connected to a recording device located somewhere

nearby, unless prohibited by law.

INTERROGATION QUESTIONS

1) Questions should be short, direct and confined to only one topic.

2) Use words that the suspect can understand.

3) Questions using legal terms should be avoided.

4) Unless intended, accusatory question should be avoided.

5) Leading questions should be avoided.

INTERROGATION TECHNIQUES

1) Logical approach

o based on common sense and sound reasoning

o works better with males, offenders with past criminal records, educated people and mature adults
2) Emotional approach

o appeals to the suspect’s sense of honor, morals, fair play, justice, pride, religion, decency and
restitution

o works better with females and first time offenders

3) Approach recommended when the suspect’s guilt is certain:

o the interrogator should display confidence by:

a) asking the suspect why, rather than whether or not he committed the offense

b) pointing out the uselessness of telling lies

c) calling attention to psychological and physiological signs of guilt

d) pointing out some circumstantial evidence

e) sympathetic approach

4) Approach recommended when the suspect’s guilt is uncertain:

o the interrogator should use all available physical evidence, photographs and sketches challenging all
lies

5) Playing one person against the other.

6) Jeff-and-Mutt/Good Cop-Bad Cop Approach

SIGNS OF DECEPTION

VERBAL SIGNALS

- shuttering or slurring words

- rapid speech
- abnormally slow speech

- unusual high pitch or cracking of voice

- religious statements, such as “honest to God…”

- beginning statements with “to be perfectly honest…”

NON-VERBAL SIGNALS

- change of color of skin

- dry mouth, shown when suspect frequently swallows

- frequent wetting of lips

- increase in pulse rate

- change in breathing

- increase blinking of eyes, or eyes open wider than normal

- increased sweating

BODY LANGUAGE INDICATING DECEPTION

- slouches rather than sits upright

- sits rigidly instead of relaxedly

- does not face the interrogator but looks to the side

- shifts sitting position often

NEUROLINGUISTIC EYE MOVEMENT

- based on the understanding that each of us processes information and communicates thought on
three (3) levels: visual, auditory or sound, and kinetic or touch

VISUAL MODE

a) eye movement is up and to the left - means he is recalling visually something actually experienced:
the person could be telling the truth

b) eye movement is up and to the right - means he is creating something visually: the person could be
lying
AUDITORY MODE

a) eye movement is up and to the left - means he is recalling sounds actually experienced: the person
could be telling the truth

b) eye movement is up and to the right - means he is creating sounds: the person could be lying

DOCUMENTING THE INTERROGATION

- recording is the best means of documenting an interrogation

THREE MAIN PHASES OF DOCUMENTING THE INTERROGATION

1) note taking

2) recording

3) obtaining written statements

THREE MOST WIDELY ACCEPTED METHOD OF KEEPING NOTES

1) mental note

2) written note

3) notes taken by third party

#KriminolohiyaNotes