during the course of an investigation – what tools/resources did you use

by Madelyn Haag Sr. 7 min read

What tools should be available to the investigating team?

May 04, 2006 · An archaeologist uses many different tools during the course of an investigation, before, during and after the excavations. The photographs in this essay define and describe many of the everyday tools archaeologists use in the process of conducting archaeology. This photo essay uses as its framework the typical course of an archaeological excavation conducted as …

How do you write an investigation report?

Interviews are generally non-accusatory. During the course of an investigation the investigator will conduct interviews with all available witnesses and potential suspects. The investigator should ask open-ended questions in an attempt to elicit as much information as possible. The interview subject should do most (75%) of the talking during the

What is a well conducted investigation?

interview. Make sure you thank the interviewee for their help in the investigation process. Use the right tools during the investigation process: • Paper and pencil is the basic tool. Taking notes can jog a memory later on when you are writing any investigation or incident reports. Record times,

What happens at this point in the investigative process?

Mar 10, 2022 · The tools that members of the investigating team may need (pencil, paper, camera or recording device, tape measure, etc.) should be immediately available so that no time is wasted. What should be looked at as the cause of an incident?

What tools are used during the investigation?

Officers may want to consider keeping them in police vehicles:Bindle paper.Biohazard bags.Consent/search forms.Crime scene barricade tape.First-aid kit.Flares.Flashlight and extra batteries.Markers (e.g, business cards, chalk, spray paint or some other marker to place by noted evidence items).More items...•May 31, 2009

What is the best tool of investigation?

Information facilitating collection of evidence, interviewing witnesses and interrogating possible suspects are three basic fundamental tools of a criminal investigation.Sep 21, 2020

What kind of tools do crime scene investigators use?

Every investigator's tool kit will vary, but basics include disposable gloves, crime scene tape, a hand-held magnification glass, a flashlight, tweezers, a box of swabs, paper sacks and envelopes, measuring devices, orange evidence flags, adhesive lint roller and a portable source of infrared, laser or ultraviolet ...Feb 19, 2019

What tools do you need to collect physical evidence?

They also bring themselves the following tools:crime scene tape.magnifier.flashlight.tweezers.swab.paper sacks and envelopes.measuring tools.orange evidence flags.More items...•Apr 6, 2019

What is the most important tool in criminal investigation and why?

Blood is one of the most important biological traces that are often found on the crime scene. Due to valuable information it contains, it is considered to be a very important forensic tool.May 24, 2017

What is the stair tool in investigation?

“As you proceed through the STAIR tool, the process of Analysis and Investigation can become somewhat circular — as the investigation reveals new information, and new information is analyzed to confirm, disprove, or modify the theories of suspects and events that are being considered.”

What is the most important tool of a forensic investigation that a CSI can use?

Today, the testing and analysis of DNA is considered the most reliable of all of the forensic tools. Unlike many of the others gathered to meet the needs of law enforcement, it faced rigorous scientific experimentation and validation prior to its use in forensic science.Apr 17, 2012

What tools will you need to collect the physical evidence What tools or scientific processes will you use to analyze the evidence collected?

5 Important Tools Used by Forensic ScientistsMass Spectrometers. There are a lot of trace evidence that can be gathered from a crime scene. ... High-Powered Microscopes. ... Chromatographs. ... Various Cameras and Photography Techniques. ... Various Light Sources.Dec 13, 2017

What equipment do archaeologists use?

One important piece of equipment that each archaeologist carries is his or her trowel. It's important to get a sturdy trowel with a flat blade that can be sharpened. In the US, that means only one kind of trowel: the Marshalltown, known for its reliability and longevity. 06.

What is water screening?

In special circumstances, in feature fill situations or other places where the recovery of small items is needed, water screening is an alternative process. This water screening device is used in the laboratory or in the field to clean and examine soil samples taken from archaeological features and sites.

Who is Kris Hirst?

K. Kris Hirst is an archaeologist with 30 years of field experience. Her work has appeared in scholarly publications such as Archaeology Online and Science. An archaeologist uses many different tools during the course of an investigation, before, during and after the excavations. The photographs in this essay define and describe many ...

How deep can a bucket auger be?

The bucket auger is an essential piece of equipment, and with long sections of pipe added above the bucket may be safely extended to depths of up to seven meters (21 feet) to explore for buried archaeological sites. 09. of 23.

What is investigative interviewing?

Investigative interviewing is an essential aspect of the investigative process for patrol officers, loss prevention agents detectives or other investigators. As most information comes from people; it is necessary to have knowledge and proficiency in interviewing. An interview is a conversation intended to elicit information. Interviews are generally non-accusatory. During the course of an investigation the investigator will conduct interviews with all available witnesses and potential suspects. The investigator should ask open-ended questions in an attempt to elicit as much information as possible. The interview subject should do most (75%) of the talking during the conversation (Reid & Associates, 2001). If, during the interview it is found that the subject has lied, the investigator should generally not confront the subject. In most cases it is best to challenge a lie during a follow-up interview or once the interviewer has transitioned into an interrogation.

How many interviews should be conducted in a sexual harassment investigation?

Complaints that are handled quickly and efficiently by employers are less likely to result in litigation. Men and women can be victims of sexual harassment. A minimum of two interviews should be conducted in a sexual harassment investigation, one with the victim and one with the accused. Additional witnesses should be interviewed if available. Since these investigations often involve one employee’s word against another the victim should be told that his or her complaint is being taken seriously and that it will be investigated fully. The investigator should not make any promises of confidentiality to the victim. When interviewing the alleged perpetrator the investigator should explain the purpose of the interview, the allegations and the identity of the victim. The investigator should also explain to the perpetrator that no decision has been made on the truthfulness of the allegation. At the conclusion of the interviews the investigator should consider the credibility of the victim, perpetrator and witnesses. The facts should be evaluated from the perspective of a reasonable person. The investigator should distinguish between unwelcome and voluntary sexual conduct. The finished report should then be submitted with recommendations to the person or committee with the authority to decide what action, if any, will be taken by the employer.

How to conclude an accusatory interview?

The interviewer must understand and be aware of all aspects of the investigation. The investigative file should be neat and organized. The interviewer cannot afford to look confused or lost when referencing evidence in the file. The investigator’s notes should briefly explain each piece of evidence and its significance so that it can be quickly referenced during the interview.

Where should an interview be held?

Ideally the interview would be held in a private office or designated interview room. This is not always possible. In particular, non-accusatory field interviews are often conducted as time permits. Witnesses may initially be interviewed at the scene of the crime, over the telephone or at their place of employment. The number of distractions in these settings can be limitless. The interviewer should make every attempt to minimize these distractions. Even things as minor as asking a witness to step aside or away from a group and turning off a cell phone can make a difference.

What is the purpose of Garrity v. New Jersey?

New Jersey (1967) enables public employers to compel their employees to make statements during investigative interviews of workplace misconduct. The court ruled that while public employers have the right to do this; it in no way diminished the 6th Amendment protection against self-incrimination. Employers can require statements from employees but only use them for employment purposes. Information obtained as a result of Garrity interviews cannot then be used in criminal prosecutions. Public employers need to separate the investigation of workplace misconduct and criminal conduct. It is recommended that public employers such as police departments provide information to employees regarding their employment rights and responsibilities under Garrity prior to an interview. There should be a form designed for this purpose which specifies that the statement being asked for is work related and not part of any criminal prosecution. Additionally, the interview should be narrowly focused on a specific incident. There is no right to representation during an interview under Garrity; but state laws or union contracts may require one.

How to use cognitive interviewing?

Cognitive interviewing techniques have been used by investigators for years. However, the National Institute of Justice quantified the techniques in a study demonstrating their effectiveness. Cognitive interviews should be held in a quiet, secluded location. Interview subjects should be encouraged to speak slowly. The techniques in cognitive interviewing are used to enhance the recollection of victims and witnesses. The basic idea behind cognitive interviewing is to reconstruct the details of an event in a witness’ mind, in different ways to improve their overall recall of the event. The four techniques are:

What is the purpose of the introductory statement style of interviewing?

The use of the introductory statement style of interviewing, as taught by Wicklander-Zulawski, is designed to elicit signs of guilt from the suspect early in the interview. One of the benefits to this type of interview is that it allows the investigator to evaluate the subject’s behavior before making any accusations and committing oneself to an interrogation. In this interview style the subject has little opportunity to participate in the early part of the conversation.

What is a well conducted investigation?

well conducted investigation identifies the work element(s) that caused the incident and helps to eliminate the root cause(s). After the investigation is completed, the investigator then begins to document the incident and their findings. The incident documentation should contain specific elements.

What is the role of an investigation?

Proper training and a clear understanding of roles and responsibilities is essential to the investigation process. All employees and people that will be involved in an incident investigation should be aware of what their role is in the process and how to perform their assigned responsibilities during an investigation process.

What is an incident in business?

An incident is an unplanned or undesired event that adversely affects a company’s work operations. Incidents include work-related injuries, occupational illnesses, property damage, spills, fires or near miss events that could have resulted in any of these.

What is Joe's job?

His job is to make sure the conveyor is operating and carries enough product so that fork truck drivers have a continual flow to fill trailers.

What are the steps of an incident investigation team?

The incident investigation team would perform the following general steps: Scene management and scene assessment (secure the scene, make sure it is safe for investigators to do their job). Witness management (provide support, limit interaction with other witnesses, interview). Investigate the incident, collect data.

What is the role of management in an incident investigation?

Management holds the legal responsibility for the safety of the workplace and therefore the role of supervisors and higher management and the role or presence of management systems must always be considered in an incident investigation. These factors may also be called organizational factors.

Why do we investigate workplace incidents?

Reasons to investigate a workplace incident include: most importantly, to find out the cause of incidents and to prevent similar incidents in the future. to fulfill any legal requirements. to determine the cost of an incident.

What does incident mean in law?

They use the term incident to refer to an unexpected event that did not cause injury or damage that time but had the potential. "Near miss" or "dangerous occurrence" are also terms for an event that could have caused harm but did not. Please note: The term incident is used in some situations and jurisdictions to cover both an "accident" ...

How to correct an incident?

Develop a plan for corrective action. Implement the plan. Evaluate the effectiveness of the corrective action. Make changes for continual improvement. As little time as possible should be lost between the moment of an incident and the beginning of the investigation.

When is the root cause determined?

When the root cause is determined, it is usually found that many events were predictable and could have been prevented if the right actions were taken - making the event not one of fate or chance (thus, the word incident is used). For simplicity, we will now use the term incident to mean all of the above events.

Why should witnesses be kept apart?

Because witnesses may be under severe emotional stress or afraid to be completely open for fear of recrimination, interviewing witnesses is probably the hardest task facing an investigator. Witnesses should be kept apart and interviewed as soon as possible after the incident.

Why was the store selected in the robbery?

As with Theory #1, this is a well-planned robbery executed by three or four experienced criminals; however, the store was selected because they had an inside person, employee, or former employee working with them, and were provided with information to assist in the plan.

What should we look for in a robbery?

Considering the possibility that an inside person, employee, or former employee is involved and provided the robbers with information, we should look closely into the criminal record and police record of the employees present at the time of the crime, as well as any other employees or former employees who can be identified. We are looking for:#N#Evidence of criminal conduct by any employee or former employee #N#Information of any associations between the employees or former employees to criminals, particularly those with records for robbery#N#Information from the owner/manager about suspicious conduct on the part of an employee, a past employee, or a disgruntled past employee#N#Since customers inside the store at the time of the robbery may have also been in collusion with the robbers, all three customers should be examined for criminal histories or associations to known criminals.

What are secondary results?

Protecting property, gathering and preserving evidence, accurately documenting the event, and establishing reasonable grounds to identify and arrest offenders are all important, but are considered secondary results. These individual Results may also sometimes be sacrificed, one in favour of the other, depending on the way events unfold.

What is the importance of an in-progress officer?

For a police officer attending the scene of an in-progress event, it is important to consider the issues of safety and ongoing threats to safety to know how best to approach the scene and what immediate actions can be taken. As is the case with many in-progress events, there is a concern for the safety of all persons. In this case, the wife, Jane Smith, has reportedly been assaulted and dragged back into the premises. There are possibly two young sons also at the premises. Whenever there is a concern for the safety of persons, exigent circumstances exist and a police officer has extensive powers for the entry onto private property, if necessary, to detain any persons present to secure the scene and stop the continuation of an offence.

Is everyone present in the jewellery store at the time of the robbery a suspect?

Based on the theories considered in our robbery investigation, everyone present in the jewellery store at the time of the robbery is being considered a possible suspect. This is a part of analysis and theory development called validating the report. In criminal investigations, it occurs time and again that people reporting criminal events will lie, fabricate, or embellish, the facts. These failures to provide an accurate account of what happened occur for a variety of reasons, including, but not limited to:

What is circumstantial evidence?

This type of circumstantial evidence can include exhibits and witness statements that demonstrate spatial relationships. Spatial relationships are circumstantial links that demonstrate connections between objects, events, or people. This can be any type of evidence that demonstrates a connection or relationship between the suspect and the criminal event or the suspect and the victim. It could also be evidence that demonstrates where a suspect was during the critical times when the crime was occurring.

What is a timeline evidence?

Timeline evidence is any item that demonstrates a time alignment of the suspect to the criminal event or the victim. Spatial relationship evidence comes from items that demonstrate other types of connections, relationships, or associations. Consider for example, the following scenario.

What are the topics in Che 211?

The following three major topics emerged for CHE 211: (1) questions, (2) videos, sessions, lessons, and (3) asynchronous, strategy, lecture, instructors, more, time. The frequency table and graph for best experience are presented in Supplemental Information SI-6. The word “questions” was mentioned frequently because students can easily raise their questions and instructors can entertain all their questions during synchronous sessions. The second major topic includes words like “videos”, “sessions”, and “lessons”. The production of pre-recorded videos was appreciated by the students as it makes online learning easier. Further clarifications and explanations for complex lessons were done during the synchronous discussions. The third major topic included words such as “asynchronous”, “strategy”, “lecture”, “instructors”, “more”, “time”. The respondents were optimistic as they enjoyed the learning strategy and emphasized the efficiency of content delivery and the ability to control the pace of learning. The students also emphasized the enthusiasm as well as the positive attitude of the instructors that was reflected throughout the recordings.

What is the Elsevier resource centre?

Since January 2020 Elsevier has created a COVID-19 resource centre with free information in English and Mandarin on the novel coronavirus COVID-19. The COVID-19 resource centre is hosted on Elsevier Connect, the company's public news and information website.

What are problem sets in chemistry?

In most chemistry courses, assessments were originally given as exams, in-class group presentations, and individual problem sets. Problem sets are regularly given to students because solving relevant problems is indispensable to the understanding concepts, practice of numerical skills, and deepening knowledge of chemistry. Problem sets are referred here as self-assessment questions (SAQs) and module exams were the primary assessment tools employed in online CHE 211 and CHE 216. The number of items usually given in SAQs and the time-involvement are comparable to those in face-to-face lectures. This is to ensure the effectiveness of assignments would not be different. The SAQs were similar to the guided problems discussed in the lecture videos and were selected to fulfil the intended learning outcomes (LOs) of the module. At the very least, students were expected to watch the pre-recorded lecture video and answer the SAQs.

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