Criminal Investigation

Criminal Investigation

Introduction

August Vollmer was a pioneer in modern police work. He is commonly known as 'the father of police science.' He was known for his innovations in the field of crime investigation and out of the box thinking. He introduced the method of handwriting and finger print analyses, which today are the most widely, used methods for crime investigation. He also introduced the first lie-detection system. Orlando W. Wilson was another pioneer in the field of medicine. He contributed to the field of crime investigation by publishing crime investigation related books. There came a point when his books were treated like textbooks in the police course and his suggestions carried a lot of weight (Gunter, 2005).

Whether it is the local police or FBI, Criminalistics needed to investigate the crime and criminal. Crime labs come under Criminalistics they are responsible to test the evidences with technological instruments, and facilitate the judge, police, or FBI to track real culprit. The Criminalistics techniques used to retrieve and analyze the technical and natural evidences include the use of statistical and mathematical methods, computer equipment, spectroscopy, gas chromatography and others. These Criminalistics tactics include complex systems, techniques that allow the most efficient use of the investigative action and the critical analysis of the circumstances of the case

Investigative Techniques

Crime investigation is on a roll nowadays. With the increased number of crime rates in the world, the need for crime detection and investigation is also increasing. A number of crime investigative techniques have been introduced; however, the four most essential techniques are as follows:

Interrogation

Interviews and interrogations yield the most information for crime investigation purposes. Interviews are a bit different from interrogation. Interrogation is carried out by senior high level officers, military officers, state investigators etc. These people interrogate all arrested criminals to find out the plans of criminals and what they are planning. Interviews, on the other hand, are carried out by people who are interested in investigation. They are a new addition to the crime investigation team and are passionate about interviewing people.

Informants

No investigation can be initiated without the leads provided by the informants. They play a crucial role in investigations. Without the information provided by them, investigators cannot start their investigation. These people provide accurate information about the criminals or their activities and plans. Investigators should be able to effectively use this information and should also be able to identify whether the information provided by the informant is correct or not. Smart investigators are those who are able to gain maximum information from people at a low cost and use them effectively.

Neighborhood check

After a criminal act has being carried out in a society, its neighborhood should be investigated thoroughly. Neighborhood investigation is the best way to investigate criminal acts. There may be witnesses of the incident who can prove to be beneficial for the investigation (Gunter, 2005).

Undercover Investigation

Undercover investigation is the most expensive investigation. It is done with confidentiality so that no one knows about it. This type of investigation is carried out when high-profile ...