SPECIALIZED CRIME INVESTIGATION WITH

LEGAL MEDICINE
MODULE 1- PRELIMINARIES
UNIT 1- CRIMINAL INVESTIGATIONS
LESSON 1

What is Criminal Investigation?

 Is an art which deals with the identity and location of the offender and prove his guilt in a criminal
proceeding.
 Is an art or a process which deals with the identity, location and arrest who commits a crime and
simultaneously identify, collect and preserve and evaluate evidence for the purpose of bringing the
criminal offender to justice.
 Is the systematic method of inquiry that is more a science than an art. The logic of the scientific
method must however be supplemented by the investigator’s initiative and resourcefulness.
Three-fold aim of Investigator
1. identify the guilty party
2. to locate the guilty party
3. to provide evidence of his guilt
* The investigator should establish the 5W and 1H.

INVESTIGATOR
 It refers to the person who is charged with the duty of carrying out the objectives of criminal
investigation

SPECIAL CRIME INVESTIGATION

 Deals with the study of major crimes based on the application of special investigative techniques.
 The study concentrates more on physical evidence- its collection, handling, identification and
preservation in coordination with the various criminalist in the crime laboratory.
 It has a close relationship between the investigator in the field and the investigator in the laboratory
–criminalists.
BASIC ELEMENTS OF INVESTIGATIVE PROCESS
A. RECOGNITION- Information relating to a crime must be recognized as such by the
investigating officer.
Ex. drops of blood at a homicide scene, Witness who saw the robbery
B. COLLECTION- relevant information must also be collected by the investigator.
Ex. Scrapping of the dried blood at the homicide scene.
C. PRESERVATION-the information must be preserved to ensure its physical legal integrity
Ex. Sealing blood scrapings in plastic container
D. EVALUATION- Finally the information must be evaluated by the investigator to determine its worth
in prosecuting the suspect.
TOOLS OF INVESTIGATION (3Is)
1. INFORMATION- Data gathered by an investigator from other persons including the victim himself
and from public records, private records and modus operandi file.

TYPES OF INFORMATION
A. SENSORY FORM - outward manifestation of a criminal event can be perceived by our five
physical senses.
B. WRITTEN FORM- criminal act may also produce information in a written form
C. PHYSICAL FORM- physical objects which proves upon evaluation to be a clue in the
investigation
ABILITY TO SECURE INFORMATION IS ATTAINED AND DEVELOPED IN THE FF:
a. by becoming acquainted with different kind of people
b. by being friendly with other peace officers in the area.
 c. by making the habit of jotting down and keeping permanent record of potential and actual
offenders and informers.
SOURCE OF INFORMATION
Person-place-thing
2. INTERVIEW/INTERROGATION- are the most basic and elementary tools in securing
information
INTERVIEW
 This is a casual but systematic conversation with an entity (victim, witness, and informant) who
may have information related to an investigated crime, but no personal motive for withholding
information
INTERROGATION
 Is the formal systematic questioning of a criminal suspect to secure an admission of guilt about his
association with or involvement in an investigated crime.

3. INSTRUMENTATION
- Examination of real evidence
- Application of physical science techniques and methods for detecting crime.
PHASES OF INVESTIGATION
1. To identify the criminal or perpetrator
- Through confession, eye-witness testimony, circumstantial evidence and associative evidence.
ADMISSION- Any assertion of fact made by a party against his interest/ unfavorable to the
conclusion for which he contends/ it’s consistent with the facts alleged by him.
CONFESSION- Categorical acknowledgment t of guilt made by an accused in a criminal case,
without any exculpatory statement or explanation
2. Trace and locate the criminal
3. Prove by evidence the guilt of the suspect.