Crime Scene Follow-Up Investigations

Permission Required:

No

Distribution:

Criminal Justice Basic Training (Technical Credit)

Credits:

1.13 Credits

Course Description:

The purpose of an investigation is to determine what happened during an incident, identify and locate the suspect, and develop enough evidence to establish probable cause to make an arrest. The preliminary investigation focuses on establishing whether a criminal act has been committed and, if so, what type and when and where it was committed. The initial or preliminary incident report should clearly document the initial investigative steps taken at the scene. Your first priority is to secure, protect, and preserve a crime scene to avoid contaminating any evidence. The second priority must be to search for, identify, document, collect, and maintain the physical evidence, which will aid the prosecution of the suspect. Often, officers think that the arrest is the end of their participation in a criminal case; however, they remain an integral part of the prosecution process until the case is resolved.