The manner in which criminal investigators are trained is neither uniform nor consistent, ranging from sophisticated training protocols in some departments to on-the-job experience alongside senior investigators in others. Ideal for students taking a first course in the subject as well as professionals in need of a refresher, Introduction to Criminal Investigation uses an accessible format to convey concepts in practical, concrete terms. Topics discussed include: The history of criminal investigation in Western society Qualifications for becoming an investigator, the selection process, and ideal training requirements Crime scene search techniques, including planning and post-search debriefing Preparing effective field notes and investigative reports Interviewing and interrogating Types of evidence found at the crime scene and how to collect, package, and preserve it The contributions of forensic science to criminal investigations and the equipment used in crime labs Investigative protocol for a range of crimes, including property crimes, auto theft, arson, financial crimes, homicide, assault, sex crimes, and robbery Specialized investigations, including drug trafficking, cybercrime, and gang-related crime Legal issues involved in criminal investigations and preparing a case for trial Bringing together contributions from law enforcement personnel, academics, and attorneys, the book combines practical and theoretical elements to provide a comprehensive examination of today‘s criminal investigative process. The accessible manner in which the information is conveyed makes this an ideal text for a wide-ranging audience.

This book fills an important gap in the textbooks on criminal investigations. Foundations of Criminal Investigation presents the relevant investigations process as part of the scientific method. This places criminal investigation among the disciplines that have a scientific method or procedure in which a problem is discovered and articulated, facts are found to address the problem, these facts are analyzed, and then the findings are presented in some public format. Author Frank Morn incorporates contributions from some of these other academic disciplines such as anthropology, archaeology, history, geography, oceanography, psychology, and the natural sciences. After an introductory section that gives an overview of both the criminal investigation process and the history of criminal investigation, Foundations of Criminal Investigation is divided into two distinct parts. Part One presents an overview of the investigative process from crime scene to the courtroom while Part Two deals with particular investigative problems such as death, sex offenses, arson, and robbery -- framed against the backdrop of the information found in Part One. Numerous illustrations and charts also help explain the investigative process. This book provides a strong grounding and framework for those interested in a more practical hands-on approach to criminal investigations.

This text presents the fundamentals of criminal investigation and provides a sound method for reconstructing a past event (i.e., a crime), based on three major sources of information — people, records, and physical evidence. Its tried-and-true system for conducting an investigation is updated with the latest techniques available, teaching the reader new ways of obtaining information from people, including mining the social media outlets now used by a broad spectrum of the public; how to navigate the labyrinth of records and files currently available online; and fresh ways of gathering, identifying, and analyzing physical evidence.

This book provides the most comprehensive and authoritative book yet published on the subject of criminal investigation, a rapidly developing area within the police and other law enforcement agencies, and an important sub discipline within police studies. The subject is rarely out of the headlines, and there is widespread media interest in criminal investigation. Within the police rapid strides are being made in the direction of professionalizing the criminal investigation process, and it has been a particular focus as a means of improving police performance. A number of important reports have been published in the last few years, highlighting the importance of the criminal investigation process not only to the work of the police but to public confidence in this. Each of these reports has identified shortcomings in the way criminal investigations have been conducted, and has made recommendations for improvement . The Handbook of Criminal Investigation provides a rigorous and critical approach to not only the process of criminal investigation, but also the context in which this takes place, the theory underlying it, and the variety of factors which influence approaches to it. It will be an indispensable source of reference for anybody with an interest in, and needing to know about, criminal investigation. Contributors to the book are drawn from both practitioners in the field and academics.

Criminal justice is unavoidably human. Detectives, witnesses, suspects, and victims shape investigations; prosecutors, defense attorneys, jurors, and judges affect the outcome of adjudication. Simon shows how flawed investigations produce erroneous evidence and why well-meaning juries send innocent people to prison and set the guilty free.

The way a crime is defined is through criminal investigation. Criminal investigation is a multi-faceted effort that involves the study of facts presented by a criminal act or pattern of criminal conduct. These facts are then used to identify, locate and prove the guilt or innocence of a person or persons. Criminal investigation is usually carried out by a law enforcement agency using all of the resources available to discover, locate or establish evidence proving and verifying the relevant facts for presentation to a Court or other judicial authority. But how are these facts discovered? What resources do law enforcement use to uncover them? What is the process for a successful criminal investigation? In fact, how can we even define what is “criminal” in the first place? Daniel A. Reilly answers all these important questions, while providing the step by step process to gather facts, information, data, and evidence. Finding the Truth with Criminal Investigation is intended to answer all of the questions of who, what, where, when, why and how a violent crime occurred and/or was committed. It is intended for students in the field of criminal justice who wish to become criminal investigators – exposing them to the tools and processes needed to conduct a proper criminal investigation, but also real-life of working to support others as a team. Reilly spent a great deal of his professional life working on homicide cases, and he offers students his expertise in criminal investigation by successfully incorporating real-world context throughout this book.