CRJ 320 Criminal Investigation

This is a three part assignment: (Each answer must contain 150-200 words.)

Question 1: Identify and provide a summary of at least two steps in the investigative process. Concentrate on the steps that you feel are most important and crucial to the solvability of a case. In other words, what steps have the most impact on the officer’s ability to figure out what happened? Can you think of an example that helps substantiate your position? Something from a real-world case, or maybe something from a popular television show/movie?

[Side Note for Question 1: Use the Internet to research articles on the criminal investigative process (e.g., initial report, initial investigation/police contact, computer-aided investigation, incident review/case screening, follow-up investigations, case preparation and approval, prosecution and charging of crime, and conclusion) conducted by a criminal investigator.]

Question 2: To write an effective report, you must organize your notes and adhere to some basic standards of written English regarding content and form. Departments use either narrative reports, written in chronological order, or they use box-style law enforcement report forms for specific offenses and incidents. Contrast and compare the narrative style reports in the photos attached {Figure 3.2 (1) Figure 3.2 (2)}. Be sure to classify each piece of information as being either important or generalized. Provide a rationale for your classification of the information. Which style do you believe is the most effective in capturing information that is relevant to the investigation; narrative or box-style?

Question 3: For this question, Use the Word Document Attached titled ‘Question 3’, Identify and discuss the top three goals of an investigatory search. Next, discuss the “elephant-in-a-matchbox” doctrine, which is also in the attachment, and how failure to adhere could result in a violation of Fourth Amendment requirements regarding reasonable searches and seizures. Provide a rationale to support your response.