 |  Criminal Investigation, 8/e Charles R. Swanson,
University of Georgia
Neil C. Chamelin,
Assistant State Attorney, Second Judicial Circuit
Leonard Territo,
University of South Florida- Tampa
The Follow-Up Investigation
Chapter OutlineI. THE DECISION TO INITIATE A FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION Follow-up investigation is the police effort to gather information subsequent
to the initiation of the original report and until the case is ready for prosecution. A. Investigative Solvability Factors (See Slide 6-2) There are specific questions that investigative supervisors should answer in
determining whether or not to move forward with a follow-up investigation: The
responses to these questions helps to determine the likelihood the crime will
be solved with a follow-up investigation. The response to these questions helps
to determine the likelihood the crime will be solved with a follow-up investigation. B. Decision Models (See Slide 6-3) Some police departments have attempted to develop decision models that are
more objective and take away some of the discretion from personnel who decide
whether or not to go forward with a follow-up investigation. II. THE FOLLOW-UP INVESTIGATION PROCESS A. Common Internal Sources of Case Information (See Slide 6-4). 1. Incident and supplemental Reports The preliminary investigation report, typically referred to as an incident
offense, or crime, will have the answers to many of the basic questions which
follow-up investigators want to know. 2. Physical Evidence Seized The physical evidence seized at the scene, as well as any evidence seized by
the officer, will be placed in the evidence room. 3. Jail Booking Reports Depending on the local situation, the jail booking report may, or may not be,
an internal document of the agency conducting the investigation. 4. Field Interview/Information Reports (FIR) (see Slide 6-5) Such reports are filled out when patrolling officers identify a person(s) or
vehicles which are suspicious to them, but which do not constitute any particular
offense. 5. Inventories of Impounded Vehicles If a suspect is arrested while driving a vehicle, the vehicle will be inventoried
and towed to an impoundment lot. 6. Traffic Citations As with FIR cards, citations can link suspects to the vehicles they register
and drive, as well as those to which they may have access. 7. Crime Laboratory Reports The larger the size of the agency, the more likely that it is that any laboratory
reports are an internal source of information. 8. The Neighborhood and Vehicle Canvasses (see Slides 6-6, 6-7 and 6-8) One fundamental aspect of most investigations is the neighborhood canvass of
residents, merchants, and others who may have been in the immediate vicinity
of a crime and have useful information. Like the neighborhood canvass, the vehicle
canvass should be conducted as quickly as there is sufficient information to
do so. 9. Intelligence Files Intelligence consists of pieces of raw information that when collected, evaluated,
collated, and analysed form meaningful and useful judgments that are both timely
and accurate B. Common External Sources of Case Information There are numerous local, regional, state, and federal information systems,
including the National Crime Information Center (NCIC) 2000. C. Re-Contacting Victims In many cases, the investigators will re-contact victims to verify the content
of the incident report, to find new information or merely to satisfy victims. D. Named Suspects Sometimes a suspect is named in an incident report assigned for investigation. E. Leads The amount of effort required to follow up a good or bad lead is seldom mentioned
in research on investigative work. Even when good leads are available, the investigation
is not a simple matter of arresting suspects. F. Informants (See Slides 6-9 and 6-10) Information provided by informants often plays a vital role in making an investigation
successful. There are several categories of informants. 1. Mercenary informants provide information to the police for financial
reward. 2. rival informant 3. plea-bargaining informant seeks reduced charges or a lenient sentence. 4. anonymous informant 5. legitimate informers 6. self-aggrandizing informant has many contacts in criminal circles and
feels important by giving information to the police. 7. false informant, who intentionally provides misleading information. G. Surveillance (See Slides 6-11 and 6-12) Surveillance is defined as the secretive and continuous observation of persons,
places, and things to obtain information concerning the activities and identity
of individuals. 1. Uses of Surveillance Surveillance is used for a number of reasons and in varying situations. 2. Objectives of Surveillance A surveillance is initiated when an investigator wants to accomplish a particular
investigative objective. a. Establishing the Existence of a Violation Frequently information is received or a allegation is made that an individual
is violating the law. b. Obtaining Probable Cause for a Search Warrant If a violation has been established but insufficient probable cause exists
for either a search warrant or an arrest warrant, surveillance may be used to
find probably cause c. Apprehending Violators in the Commission of Illegal Acts Surveillance is especially effective in identifying violators at the scene
of a criminal activity and often establishes how each violator is involved. d. Identifying Violator Associates As an investigation develops, the investigator is sometimes surprised at how
extensive the violation is and soon realizes that the initial principal has
one or more associates in the criminal venture. e. Establishing Informant Reliability Often information received from an informant needs to be expanded or corroborated. f. Providing Protection for an Undercover Investigator or Informant At particularly sensitive points in an investigation, both undercover officers
and informants may require back-up in the form of investigators in the immediate
vicinity to furnish help if needed. g. Locating Persons, Places, or Things Wanted persons can be located by surveillance when other approaches will not
work. h. Preventing Crime In some situations, law enforcement agencies purposely alert a subject that
they are aware of his or her presence in their city, or they make it known to
him or her that they are in the subject’s area. i. Gathering Intelligence or Individuals and Premises Prior to the Execution
of a Search Warrant. The more current information an agency has about a subject and his or her residence
prior to the execution of a search warrant, the more intelligently it can be
planned and safely executed. J. Gathering Intelligence on Illegal Groups’ Activities k. Facial Recognition Software Facial recognition software compares the images captured by video cameras with
the mug shots of known offenders for the purpose of identifying and apprehending
wanted persons. III. THE POLYGRAPH AND THE PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS EVALUATOR (See Slides
6-13, 6-14, and 6-15). A. The Polygraph can be an important adjunct to the criminal investigation
process, but its findings cannot stand in place of other evidence. The polygraph
may be used in the investigative process to: 1. verify, corroborate, or refute statements made by victims, witnesses,
and suspects; 2. obtain additional investigative leads; 3. narrow or focus investigation; and 4. eliminate suspects B. Fundamentally, polygraphs measure and record three categories of information
about changes which occur in subjects’ bodies while they are being questioned.
The three categories of information and how they are measured are: 1. the blood pressure and heart rate; 2. the respiratory rate, which is measured by two rubber tubes filled with
air. These pneumongraphs are stretched across the subject’s abdomen and chest
to measure air displacement; and 3. the amount of sweat on the fingertips, which is called Galvanic Skin C. The psychological stress evaluator (PSE) and computerized voice stress
analyzer (CVSA) operate on the basis that fluctuations in a person’s voice under
stress can reveal deception. (See Slide 6-16) 1. The 5th Amendment to our Constitution stipulates that people
cannot be compelled to be witnesses against themselves. 2. The Supreme Court has not directly ruled on the admissibility of polygraph
and PSE-type evidence. IV. GUIDELINES FOR CONDUCTING PHOTO AND LIVE LINEUPS A. Conducting the Identification Procedures The purpose of the identification procedure is to conduct the lineup in a consistent
manner so as to insure the accuracy, reliability, fairness, and objectivity
of the witness’ identification. B. General Guidelines for Photo and Live Lineups (See Slides 6-17 and 6-18) 1. Care must be taken so that the suspect does not unduly standout. 2. To the extent that it is possible, the primary investigator should not
be the person conducting the lineup to prevent giving inadvertent verbal or
body language cues. 3. Witnesses should be instructed prior to the lineup that the suspect may
not be in the lineup and they should not feel compelled to make an identification.
C. Recording Identification Results (See Slide 6-19) Proper documentation includes: 1. check to make sure that all signatures need for the various forms are
completed; 2. collect the information needed to complete standard forms prior to conducting
the lineup procedure; 3. if another witness will have contact with any photographs or forms, make
sure that the previous witness has not made any marks or comments on them; and 4. include in the supplemental report a record of both identification and
non-identification results, including any statements as to how sure, or unsure,
the witness is. V. AUTOMATED PHOTO LINEUPS (See Slide 6-20) Photo lineups which are automated by computer must comply with the guidelines
identified previously. A. Once the witnesses’ description has been entered, the computer searches
the database of suspects and persons to locate those with similar features,
scars, birthmarks, tattoos, age, weight, and other characteristics. B. Once the selection of the lineup is complete, it can be displayed in
color or black and white on the screen for witnesses to view or outputted to
high quality printers for manual use with the witness. |
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2002 McGraw-Hill Higher Education