A preliminary investigation “refers to the early stages of crime scene processing, usually conducted by the first officer on the crime scene” (Lyman, p. 24) The actions of the first officer to respond to the scene can greatly influence the success or failure of an investigation. When an officer receives information of a crime scene he or she must follow preliminary investigation objectives.
The officer must determine what happened. The officer must locate witnesses and other sources of evidence in order to aid in the understanding of what occurred. The officer must locate and preserve any physical evidence, and then determine if further investigative steps should be followed. A first responder should obtain and evaluate the fidelity of a witness
1. Initial Contact—this step involves a police interaction such as, responding to complaints and calls or observing a suspect committing a crime.
By now the crime scene has been labeled a homicide and detectives have been dispatched to the scene. When the detectives arrive the lead officer will then provide a detailed crime scene briefing to the detective in charge of the scene. This briefing will be the only opportunity for the detective to receive the initial aspects of the crime scene prior to subsequent investigation. Since the crime scene and any/all evidence collected are the key factors in making a case, the crime scene must be documented as soon as possible including, appearance and condition of the scene upon arrival, lights on/off, shades up/down, doors, windows open/closed, any unusual smells, ice, liquids, weather conditions, temperature, and any personal items that may have been left behind. Once the lead detective has been briefed and evaluates the scene him/herself, he/she will then need to determine if consent to search and/or obtaining a search warrant is needed. The scene assessment allows the lead detective
Identify and discuss the various types of written or oral communication presented in the case and the guidelines for each type of communication. Consider the prosecution, defense, witnesses, and the judge. Write an arrest-and-incident police report using the specified guidelines and parameters for report writing as outlined in the assigned readings. Assume the role of the investigating officer. The report must be factual, accurate, objective, and complete. Ensure the police report is as long as necessary, concise, clear, and mechanically correct.
Make a decision on whether a crime has been committed and, if so, to begin the criminal investigation
The first step in the process is the investigation. Once an offender initially commits a crime and officers are contacted and make an arrest, they have to investigate further into the crime at hand. Evidence is then gathered and follow up investigations attempt to put the pieces on chronological order to show what happened before and during the time of the crime. There are also many efforts to identify some possible suspects to further the next step of the criminal justice process.
The initial responding deputy will generally conduct the preliminary investigation. The preliminary investigation should be as complete as resources permit, including the identification and arrest of the offender if probable cause exists. The investigation should continue until all relevant investigative duties have been completed or provided for.
The first paper is due by Monday, April 9, 11:59 p.m. You MAY use sources outside of the Liberty Search Engine (and are encouraged to do so). Also you may use scholarly books and not just journal articles. You should avoid using generic websites that do not appear scholarly in nature. A good rule of thumb is that if a website does not have an author, it is not a good source. Good online material has also usually been published in print at some point. Google Scholar and JSTOR are great places to search, as well as the online encyclopedias I've shown you. Always feel free to send me an email if you have questions about sources or formatting.
This is important because clearing the scene of possible suspects and protecting the scene is safer and more effective with multiple law enforcement personnel present. The first responding officer needs to be looking for suspect vehicles as well as potential suspects as he or she approaches the general vicinity of the crime. The responding officer must also take notice of individuals acting suspicious or lingering at the crime scene. They could be witnesses or even suspects. Suspects in a homicide sometimes stay in the area to gain information on the initial investigation or intimidate witnesses. Another important fact to remember as the first responding officer is that most homicides are committed by acquaintances. It is tough to accept, but a friend or family member at the scene could be the perpetrator of the crime. (Lyman
In the preliminary investigation report there is a sequence of event that happen in the report. It starts with Henderson Fire Department responding to a residential fire. Upon arriving they make entry trough the main door which is secure at the time. As they start to combat the fire the firefighter notice several thing out of place. While making their way to the master bedroom they notice newspaper leading towards the room, along with the smell of fuel. Once they reach the master bedroom they notice an individual laying on the bed dead and burned without recognition. Later once Detective Rita Hayes starts her preliminary investigation they realize that a Honda Pilot is missing from the premises. She also stablishes that the neighbor’s rear license plate is missing to their Honda CRV.
This stage one of criminal investigation is considered to be one of the most important stages of criminal investigation. An unprofessional mistake made by a first responding officer can extensively destroy the whole investigation. By following the correct procedures and rule the first responding officer can eliminate the chance of making mistakes during the initial investigation. The lack of knowledge can also disrupt a criminal investigation. The first responding officer is likely to conduct a successful investigation if he knows how to deal with the problems at the crime scene therefore, the first responding officer need to have good knowledge about the investigative procedures.
Followed by documenting all investigation performed, obtained evidence along with the witnesses and suspects interviews. Always the report should be accurate and with no mistakes, also make sure that everything went thru the proper channels complying with the law, before submitting it to the prosecuting attorney. Finally prepare & testify in court.
When a crime has been reported, the responding officer and/or detective have to note the dispatch information such as address/location, time, date, type of call, parties involved. The officer(s)/detective(s) have to be observant when approaching, entering and exiting a crime scene such as look, listen and smell.
The second step would be analysis. This is where the police officer would try to decide what could be causing
Nothing is more crucial to any investigation than the actions of the first officers on the scene and the actions they take regarding the preservation of the crime scene, detention of witnesses and an arrest if possible. The immediate objective of the first officers on the scene must be the safety of all parties involved and all else follows
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