Criminal investigation process Essay

The criminal investigation process starts as soon as the first respondent on the scene contacts authorities and records the occurrence of a crime at a specific location. The first steps in conducting the investigation are determined by the police officer’s ability to report the circumstance. (Evans, & French, 2009). The stated case scenario indicates that both sexual assault and burglary are types of crimes. The suspect was apprehended while trying to flee, and the victim has already been taken to the hospital. In this suspect’s vehicle, there are drugs and a running computer on a seat. This paper, therefore, highlights four basic actions that must be taken in response to the aforementioned crime facts.

The first action that is taken into account in response to the above report is to arrive at the scene of the crime and make sure that the scene is secured. Then conduct a primary walk-through in the company of the police officer who made the call and reported the crime occurrence and situation. This primary walkthrough provides an opportunity to have a glimpse of what has transpired and capture details in summary to get updates on the events at the scene. Furthermore, a detective or rather an investigator is able to detect whether or not any physical movement and transfer of objects have occurred in the scene. Based on such acquired preliminary data, develop practical theories through creating a mental visualization that offers insights into any potential pieces of evidence that must be taken.

The investigator through the preliminary procedures will quickly realize that this type of crime investigation is already in the suspect management phase. Facts are that the crime perpetrator was caught while attempting to run from the scene. The responsibility, thus, is to confirm with the police officers or officer whether or not at the time of arrest the suspect was informed of his or her Miranda Rights (Beeman, & Penguin Books USA, 2010).. If so, the investigator will proceed with the investigation by collecting enough evidence that will confirm that really the suspect was guilty or not in a court of law.

The second action involves conducting a survey and documenting the scene. In this second step, the investigator surveys the environment in which the crime occurred (Pepper, 2010). Thus, the investigator needs to pay attention to the exterior and interior of the structure. The exterior survey will be a walk through to identify any obvious evidence. At this step, they will document the pieces of evidence found in the car including the car model, registration number and the contents inside the car including a picture of the computer and the drug’s package.

Nonetheless, the investigator will find it reasonable to take not of any open windows, broken windows, damaged doors, and the presence of ladders that the suspect could have possibly used (Pepper, 2010). While inside the building, the investigator will have the opportunity to survey the room in which the incident took place. At this time, detailed documentations including the use of photographs, video recording, mapping and taking sketches are intensively taken into account. Per se, everything perceived as a potential piece of evidence is documented in this second must do action.

The third action that is essential for the investigation process is a careful and detailed collection of all secured pieces of evidence in both exterior and interior parts of the crime scene (Pepper, 2010). During this important procedure, the investigator together with his team must ensure that all put on gloves and that all packaging materials that are used to cover and wrap the pieces of evidence are free of contaminants. While conducting the actual collection of evidence, the team lead by the investigator will ensure that the computer and the drugs inside the car properly package. Inside the room, there is need to collect all pieces of identified evidence that connect the suspect with the rape. Since the Juvenile had been rushed to the hospital, there is need to collect traces of body fluids including virginal discharge, semen, pieces of hair blood tincture taking the entire bedding for further analysis is, in any case, the girl could have been raped in her bedroom. Most importantly, all the pieces of evidence are treated with equal importance hence must be properly packaged through ensuring that the contents of the packages are logged, tagged, and protected from and against sources of interference. Maximum security that safeguards the pieces of evidence collected is also put in place for safety and protection of the evidence (Pepper, 2010).Additionally, the investigator has to make contacts with the hospital where the juvenile girl was taken for treatment. There, the investigator should collect evidence of the doctor’s report and document photographs of any signs of strangling on the neck.

The fourth action that an investigator must take into account is to sign off the transportation of the collected evidence for further analysis by the forensic investigators in the labs. Based on the particular types of evidence collected and specifications of sample sized, the analysis can be done on the spot while some that require detailed expertise are subject to tests through agencies to conduct the analysis. The most significant point to note here are key tests that are able to confirm that the DNA sample tests are the same as that of the suspect. The results of the analysis are thus used together with the evidence to prosecute the suspect in a court of law where the law plays it role through the courts to declare the crime perpetrator either gilty or not guilty.

Reference

Beeman, R. R., & Penguin Books USA, Inc. (2010). The Penguin guide to the United States Constitution: A fully annotated Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution and amendments, and selections from the Federalist Papers. New York: Penguin Group.

Evans, C., & French, J. L. (2009). Crime scene investigation. New York, NY: Chelsea House.

Pepper, I. K. (2010). Crime scene investigation: Methods and procedures. Maidenhead: Open University Press.