The Investigator
Physical Evidence
Testimonial Evidence
The Crime Scene
Records & Interviews
100
In the 1700s and 1800s, our early forms of investigators had close ties to the underworld. What two forms of these thief catchers did we discuss and what was the motivating factor for each?
Hirelings were motivated by money and social climbers were motivated by the chance to advance their reputations in society
100
True or False: the only way the CSI effect can be demonstrated is through higher conviction rates in cases that do have physical evidence
False, the CSI effect can also be seen through higher rates of acquittal when physical evidence is missing from the trial
100
What does MO stand for?
Modus Operandi - method of operation, or how the criminal actually carried out or committed the crime
100
True or False: the crime scene can only include 1 physical location, but the area can be as large as necessary.
False - the crime scene may include more than one (or multiple) physical locations
100
Records can help link a person to: a) an object b) another person c) a location d) all of the above e) none of the above
D - records can link a person to an object, another person, a location, or help trace their lifestyle
200
In 1923 President Coolidge hired Hoover as the director of the Bureau of Investigations. What were the two conditions on which Hoover accepted the job? (hint: think about the problems that were common leading up to this timeframe)
1) the Bureau should be divorced from politics and focus on merit instead, 2) he was to have full control over the Bureau and only report to the attorney general
200
Which of the following is an individualizing characteristic? a) Color from a hair sample b) ridge patterns in fingerprints c) Blood Type information from a blood sample d) Brand of shoe from a footprint
B - all the rest are class characteristics that can point to a group, but not an individual
200
True or False: psychological profiling is a valid science.
False - profiling is more art than science
200
What methods should be used to document the crime scene and the condition of evidence before it is moved?
Ideally, all 4 methods will be used to combine the documentation: notes, videos, photos, sketches
200
How could an investigator go about getting unaware witnesses to volunteer information?
canvassing the neighborhood systematically, returning to the area of the crime a day or so later, television or radio calls for information, leaflets left in public areas
300
What was the major shift that took place in investigations during the 1930s? We moved from the use of i..... to i....
We moved from the use of INFORMANTS to INTERROGATIONS as the basis for most investigations
300
What are the 3 types of fingerprints that could be found at a crime scene? Also explain the difference between them.
Plastic prints (found on soft material, create a 3D shaped print, do not need further processing), Patent prints (left after contact with colored material like ink, chocolate, blood, do not need further processing), and Latent prints (meaning 'hidden', these are left by sweat or oil and need to be dusted to be seen and processed).
300
What are the 3 ways that a witness (or the victim) could describe the perpetrator?
The witness could provide a verbal description, work with a police sketch artist, or create a computerized image (a composite bringing together computer-created features to create a face)
300
Who is the first person that will likely arrive at the crime scene? a) the investigator b) an evidence technician c) an emergency medical technician d) a police officer
D - a police officer is likely the first person to respond to the scene
300
True or False: an interview would be conducted the crime victim
True - the assumption is the victim would be telling the truth, so an interview would be the appropriate method of questioning
400
One of the investigator's responsibilities is to determine if they have jurisdiction over the crime. Who has that authority if the crime is one where we have concurrent jurisdiction (like illegal immigration for example)?
Either both jurisdictions will cooperate through joint investigative activities, or the area where the suspect is apprehended will take responsibility for the investigation
400
What does the field of terminal ballistics study?
Ballistics is the study of a projectile in motion (likely a bullet in our examples). Terminal ballistics is the study of the resulting impact and interaction between the bullet and its final target matter.
400
Explain the difference between an admission and a confession that can be elicited from the suspect.
A confession is a formal statement admitting one is guilty of the crime - this is a written, sometimes videotaped statement that takes responsibility for the crime and is very influential in court. An admission stops short of a confession - the suspect agrees that some parts of the story are accurate but denying guilt of the crime (ex. they were at the house that the person was murdered at, but they did not kill him). Guilt can sometimes be inferred from the admission, but it has less strength in court than a confession does
400
The Michigan v. Tyler case was an arson case with 3 different time points when evidence was collected. Which of the 3 were admissible, which were not, and why?
The first 2 time points (1.5 hours and 4 hours after the fire) were admissible but the 3rd (3 weeks later) was not. There was a reason (excess smoke) that prohibited all evidence from being collected during the 1st time which justified the 2nd time point, however there was no explanation for why the evidence collected 3 weeks later couldn't have been done earlier
400
True or False: An investigator could get correctional history on a suspect by completing a records search through public organization records.
False - they would get correctional history information by searching law enforcement records, not public organization records
500
The movement to more scientific methods of investigation means that we needed crime labs to process this evidence. Proficiency testing showed that many errors were occurring. What was the problem discussed in class that explained WHY labs might have been making all these errors?
Many of the labs were functioning as a part of the law enforcement organization using them. This means they likely weren't getting enough resources to help them function well (either monetary or personnel resources) or they were experiencing pressure from the organization to find results in line with the expectations of the organization (to find a match when testing their suspects)
500
True or False: Confirmatory tests likely blood typing are done at the crime scene.
False - presumptive tests to determine if the material is blood are done at the crime scene, but confirmatory tests like blood typing are done in the lab after collection has been completed.
500
What are some follow up activities that could be done after collecting testimonial evidence?
They could order surveillance on a suspect or their family/friends, they could conduct a lineup with an eyewitness, they could conduct a polygraph exam with a suspect, among other possibilities
500
What are the exceptions to needing a search warrant before looking through the crime scene? Explain the scope of each
emergency - either threats to life or the opportunity for evidence to be compromised (but this only allows officers to search for/stop the threatening situation, not free reign to look over everything in the scene) or consent (but this needs to be given by the person in control of the property, not just anyone present)
500
How is Frame-by-Frame Analysis helpful in eliciting facts from the witness/victim?
In frame-by-frame analysis, the interviewee is asked to focus on each frame of their view of the crime much like pausing a movie at several short intervals. In this way the interview should provide a better account of the timing and method of the crime, as well as a greater number of details (even those that may seem insignificant to the interviewee)
M
e
n
u