Transcript Crime Analysis and Information Management

CHAPTER 10
INVESTIGATIONS
Introduction
• Police departments throughout the nation have
learned that they must be more specific and focused
in addressing crime and disorder problems
• New tactics and operations have been developed
over the past two decades in an attempt to provide
more effective crime investigation
• This chapter discusses both of these innovations and
the more tried-and-true methods, including decoy
operations, stakeout operations, sting operations, and
code enforcement teams
Retroactive Investigation of Past Crimes by
Detectives
• Rand Study: The Criminal Investigation Process
• 1975: Rand Corp. found 93 percent of detectives’
time spent in nonproductive work
• 1981: PERF study also questioned effectiveness of
detectives
• Most researchers believe detective role is important
• Generally held that complementary and symbiotic
relationship between patrol and detectives makes
for successful outcomes
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Detective Operations
• THE INVESTIGATIVE PROCESS
• Crucial function
• Field notes
• Incident report
• Accurate
• Clear manner
• Follow-up investigation resource
Detective Operations
• What detectives do
• Conduct investigations of past crimes
• Investigate after receiving incident reports
• Organized on centralized or decentralized basis
• Centralized
• Operate out of one central office
• Considered specialists
• Decentralized
• Each precinct has its own local detective squad
• Considered generalists
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Detective Operations
• WHAT DETECTIVES DO
• Solving, or clearing, reported crimes
• Processes crime scenes
• Conducts canvasses
• Decentralized or centralized basis
• Ultimate goal of conviction by a solid case
The Detective Mystique
• Idea that detective work is glamorous, exciting, and
dangerous
• In reality, most time spent filling out reports and reinterviewing victims by telephone
• Perform no patrol duties
• Work out of uniform
• Some miss day-to-day contact with citizens and
excitement of responding to crime
• Sometimes paid at a higher rate
• Historically been seen as the heroes
• Most important determinant of whether crime is solved:
not detective skill, rather information obtained from
witnesses
Alternatives to Retroactive Investigation of Past
Crimes by Detectives
• Improved investigation of past crimes:
• Involves thorough preliminary investigations
• Is based on agency-established written priorities to ensure goals are
achieved
• Has resulted in less waste and more efficiency
• Managing Criminal Investigations (MCI)―a series of
guidelines that recommend:
‒ Expanding role of patrol officers to include investigative
responsibilities
‒ Designing new method to manage criminal
investigations, including solvability factors
‒ Investigative specialists
Mentoring and Training
• Mentoring: filling the role of teacher, model, motivator,
coach, or advisor in someone’s professional growth
• Specialized investigations require special training
• May be informal or formal
• Functions of mentoring/training:
• Strengthens noninvestigators’ preliminary investigation
skills
• Eases transition should they become detectives
• Allows them to “try out” role of investigator
• Improves quality of investigations and personnel skills
Crime Analysis and Information Management
Courtesy of AP Photo/Alex Brandon
• Crime Analysis
• Intelligence-led policing
• Information Management
• Working smarter
• Civilian crime analysts
• Multiagency Investigative
• Task Forces
• Repeat Offender Programs
• Identify targets
• Case enhancement
Cont.
Crime Analysis and Information Management
• Internet Registries
• Sex offenders
• Meth offenders
• Global Positioning System (GPS) Technology
and Smart Phones
• Social media
• Amber alerts
• Closed-Circuit TV and the Internet
• Track the travels of particular vehicles
• Cold-Case Squads
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Crime Analysis and Information
Management
• INTERNET REGISTRIES
• Tracking offenders
• Public notifications
• Notifies local law enforcement
• Concern of false sense of security
• Vigilance required
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Crime Analysis and Information
Management
• GLOBAL POSITIONING SYSTEM (GPS) TECHNOLOGY,
SMARTPHONES, AND SOCIAL MEDIA
• Can be used 24 hours a day
• Monitors offenders
• Saves money
• OnStar technology
• Text messages
• Pictures and videos from smart phones
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Crime Analysis and Information
Management
• SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS
• Not a violation of rights
• No expectation of privacy
• Help solve cases
• YouTube videos
Proactive Tactics
• Decoy operations
• Blending: officers dressed in civilian clothes try to blend
into an area and patrol it
• Decoy: officers dress as and play the role of potential
victims
• Stakeout operations
• Consists of a group of heavily armed officers who hide
and wait for a holdup
• Sting operations
• Involve using various undercover methods to
apprehend thieves
• Civil liability and code enforcement teams
• Used in jurisdictions to enforce civil laws and building
and occupation codes
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Positive Tactics
• CYBERCRIME INVESTIGATIONS
• Cybercrime
• Fraud, viruses, identity theft
• Anonymity
• Vast resource of potential victims
• Computer networks
• Trends change quickly
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Crime Analysis and Information
Management
• COLD-CASE SQUADS
• Cold-case squads
• DNA technology
• Re-examine old cases
• Fresh set of eyes
• Change of heart over the years
• Innovative ideas
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Crime Analysis and Information
Management
• MULTIAGENCY INVESTIGATIVE TASK FORCES
• Investigative task forces
• Criminals cross jurisdictions
• The Blue Campaign
• WashACT
• PERF
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Undercover Operations
• POLICE UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATIONS
• Undercover investigation
• Dangerous
• Rewarding
• Difficult challenges
• CALEA policies and procedures
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Undercover Operations
• FEDERAL UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATIONS
• DEA
• ATF
• Joint task forces
• Pool resources and expertise
Drug Undercover Investigations
• Nine of 10 local law enforcement agencies perform drug
enforcement functions
• Three methods:
• Infiltrating criminal organizations
• Fixed surveillance
• Buy-bust: undercover agent purchases drugs from subject and then
identifies subject for arrest
• Buy-bust requires sufficient number of officers: undercover
officer, ghost officer, backup team, and supervisor
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Undercover Operations
• DRUG UNDERCOVER INVESTIGATIONS
• Buy-bust operations
• Undercover officer
• Ghost officer
• Backup team
• Supervisor
Entrapment
• Entrapment: inducing someone to violate a criminal statute
that he/she did not contemplate violating
• Inducement is key word
• Jacobson v. United States – Supreme Court ruled that
officers may not:
‒ originate a criminal design,
‒ implant in an innocent person’s mind the
disposition to commit a criminal act, and
‒ then induce commission of the crime so that
the government may prosecute
Summary
• Traditionally, investigations have been conducted by
detectives
• The Rand study revealed that a lot of detectives’ time
was spent unproductively
• Repeat offender programs may identify certain
individuals to be targets of an intensified investigation
• Proactive tactics in police investigations include decoy
operations, stakeout operations, sting operations, and
code enforcement teams
• Other traditional proactive techniques include undercover
operations