Exam 10: Investigations

Summary A Although most activities taking place within police departments involve patrol operations, detective operations and investigations play a major role. In many police departments, patrol officers are responsible for conducting preliminary investigations of incidents. The MCI method involves more active investigation by patrol officers as well as the identification of solvability factors that determine whether or not further efforts should be made to investigate the crime. Immediate implementation of the MCI method will allow your patrol officers and detectives to be more effective and efficient. There may be some unhappy personnel to begin with but this will pass. To learn more about the various responsibilities and duties of law enforcement detectives, see "Alternatives to Retroactive Investigation of Past Crimes by Detectives." Summary B Although most activities taking place within police departments involve patrol operations, detective operations and investigations play a major role. In many police departments, patrol officers are responsible for conducting preliminary investigations of incidents. The MCI method involves more active investigation by patrol officers as well as the identification of solvability factors that determine whether or not further efforts should be made to investigate the crime. While immediate implementation of the MCI method will allow your patrol officers and detectives to be more effective and efficient, it will be more beneficial to take the six months to plan how to implement the program. Your patrol officers and detectives need to know that they will get the training necessary to do a good job. To learn more about the various responsibilities and duties of law enforcement detectives, see "Alternatives to Retroactive Investigation of Past Crimes by Detectives." At the planning meeting, you inform your senior staff of the impending changes. Together, you assign members to the committee that will be in charge of the implementation process, including outlining the overall plan, assigning staff to the appropriate trainings, and selecting the person to fill the supervisory position. They all agree that a public forum should be held to let Palmer Lake citizens know about the changes they can expect from their department. -What method do old detectives use to informally train new detectives or patrol officers in detective work?

In the past, detectives retroactively investigated almost all felonies and some misdemeanors. One alternative to retroactive investigations is having patrol officers complete preliminary investigations on their calls and detectives investigate only very serious or complex crimes. Additionally, departments can utilize the Managing Criminal Investigations, or MCI, Method. The MCI Method focuses investigators' time and efforts into the cases most likely to be solved and has resulted in more efficient departments with more proactive stances toward policing. This scenario focuses on the division of law enforcement and investigative duties. Last week, the Police Commissioner for El Paso County, Colorado, called together the police chiefs from the smaller precincts in the district, including you, the Palmer Lake, Colorado, police chief. The Commissioner informed the law enforcement leaders that some changes were on the horizon for their departments. He discussed how patrol officers were now to be assigned more preliminary investigation work, and detectives were to focus on major crimes only. He stated that each department would need to create a new supervisory position that would be responsible for determining which cases are followed up on and by whom. Using the Managing Criminal Investigations (MCI) Method, the supervisor will rate the cases based on the findings of the patrol officers' initial investigations, then assign them to either the road officer or a detective. He noted that all departments would be expected to institute these changes within a year, with the time frame left up to the individual department leaders. -What is the name of factors considered by detectives when deciding whether a case should receive follow-up investigation?

How does one become a detective?

In a decoy operation, what do officers do?

In which type of operation does an undercover officer make numerous purchases over time and then obtain an arrest warrant for the dealer before a team goes in to make the arrest?

You hold a meeting of all staff and inform them of the police commissioner's decision. You outline the basic principles and guidelines of the new methodologies and ask for their feedback. -What method do old detectives use to informally train new detectives or patrol officers in detective work?

Detective Jackson and his partner are going to begin investigating a possible homicide that took place earlier in the day. The first step they will take in their investigation is to _________.

Defendants can plead entrapment if they can show that the police __________ commit crimes they otherwise would not have committed.

What is entrapment?

One of the downsides to stakeouts is that they are __________.

One way a repeat offender program can be operated is through __________, where a detective assists the arresting officer to prepare the case against a career criminal.

What Would You Do? You are the Palmer Lake police chief. At the meeting, several of your staff members offer feedback on the decision to immediately implement the new procedures. One patrol officer, who graduated from the academy less than a year ago, expresses his concern over being able to properly conduct preliminary investigations. "Being so new, I'm just not sure I could do a thorough enough job. I'm trained well enough, but what if I miss something a detective would easily catch?" Another patrol officer adds, "We barely have enough time for the duties we're handling. How are we supposed to add more investigative duties to our full workload?" A senior detective pipes up, stating, "We are going to get training on these new procedures, right? I don't know that I'd feel comfortable using some new rating technique if I have not been trained on how to do it right." A second detective asks, "So, we're not supposed to investigate crimes that may not be easily solved? So, what happens to those? Do they just get left behind? I don't think our citizens will appreciate that very much." With all these concerns, you are not sure your decision to implement immediately was the best one to make. -Do you continue forward with immediate implementation, understanding that these concerns will be answered as you progress through the process, or do you step back and decide that the six-month wait is the better decision for your department after all?

Advances in which type of technology have led to the increased use of cold-case squads to solve crimes?

A 1981 Police Research Forum Study showed that police have about a 33 percent chance of making an arrest if ____________.

In which investigation model do detectives reinterview complainants and witnesses, respond to the scene of the crime, and search for clues and leads that could solve the crime?

Discuss drug undercover investigations.

The officer assumes a different identity to obtain information or achieve another investigatory purpose in a(n) __________.

To determine whether a case is worth pursuing, Detective Raymond asks herself questions such as, "Is there a witness?" and "Will the complainant cooperate in the investigation?" What helps determine whether a case can be cleared?

Investigative task forces are groups working together to investigate one or more crimes. These investigators are often __________.

How does retroactive investigation of past crimes work?