1st Edition
Criminal Investigation for the Professional Investigator
Aimed at the busy professional who aspires to become certified in the field, Criminal Investigation for the Professional Investigator is a single source guide that details essential techniques a trained investigator will be called upon to perform during the course of a career. Comprehensive and accessible, the book is authored by a veteran of the NYPD who gained extensive training and experience and went on to launch and operate two successful private investigation agencies.
The book covers crucial topics such as crime scenes, how to document and secure them upon arrival, how to interact with witnesses and suspects, and how to correctly obtain search warrants; death investigations…how to conduct them when they involve natural causes, suicide, homicide, accidents, and gunshot and stab wounds; the art of interrogation…warrants, techniques, and how to interrogate juveniles; and specific criminal investigations…robbery, burglary, narcotics, and sex crimes. The book also provides important strategies for making arrests and testifying in courtrooms, details the most effective investigative tools to use, and explains the role of criminal defense investigators.
Criminal Investigation for the Professional Investigator is part of the Professional Investigators series that is intended to provide all present and future members of the investigative community with the knowledge and insight to reach the height of their profession.
Author Warren J. Sonne wrote an article entitled "The Ashley Gang: What Really Happened" in the Fort Pierce-based Indian River Magazine. This article sheds new light on the exploits of one of Florida's most notorious crime families and their shooting deaths on the Sebastian Bridge in 1924. The magazine subsequently won the Best In-Depth Reporting Award for this story during the annual Florida Magazine Association meeting in Orlando.
Clearance by Arrest
Exceptional Clearance
Unfounded Complaints
Administrative Closing
CRIME SCENES
Arrival at the Scene
Documenting and Securing the Scene
Securing and Segregating Witnesses and Suspects
Processing the Scene for Evidence
Search Warrants at Crime Scenes
Changeable Crime Scenes
Stable Crime Scenes
Crime Scene Summary
Witnesses
Canvassing
Exit, Release, or Continue Securing the Scene
Crime Scene Checklist
DEATH INVESTIGATIONS
Death by Natural Causes
Accidental Deaths
Suicides
Causes for Suspicion
Gunshot Wounds
Suffocation or Hanging
Knives and Stab Wounds
Poisons/Overdoses
Deaths at Fire Scenes
HOMICIDE INVESTIGATIONS
Identity of the Victim
Arrests at the Scene
No Arrest at the Scene
Evaluation and Pursuit of Evidence
Evaluation of Victim and Witnesses
Who Commits Murder, and Where?
Certain homicide types vary by size of place
The proportion of homicides that are intimate homicides differs
by type of area
Suspect List
Motive, Means, Opportunity
People Without the Means to Commit the Murder Should
Be Moved Down the List
Serial Killers, Sexual Homicides, and Random Murders
National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime
Closing Homicide Investigations
Solvability
Arrests in Homicide Investigations
INTERROGATIONS AND CONFESSIONS
Interrogation Warning: Absolute Right to Counsel
The Need for Arrest Warrants
Ready to Interrogate
Know the Facts
Interrogating Juveniles
Waiver of Miranda Rights by a Juvenile
Closing Cases with No Arrest
ROBBERY INVESTIGATIONS
Robbery Victims
Eyewitness Interviews
Eyewitness Identifications
Arrests Based on Witness Identification
Modus Operandi
Informants and Robbery Investigations
BURGLARY INVESTIGATIONS
Residential Burglary
Commercial Burglary
Crime Analysis/Commercial Burglary
Crime Scene/Commercial Burglary
Canvass/Commercial Burglary
Insurance Frauds and Inside Jobs
Follow-Up Investigation in Commercial Burglary
NARCOTICS INVESTIGATIONS
The Controlled Substances Act (CSA)
Organized Crime
Intelligence
Citizen Complaints
Surveillance to Initiate Investigations
Registered Confidential Informants
Handling Confidential Informants
Buy Operations
SEX CRIME INVESTIGATIONS
Sex Crime Definitions
Forcible Sex Crimes
Are Sex Crimes About Sex?
Investigating Forcible Nonstranger Sex Crimes
Spousal Offenses
Acquaintance Sex Crimes
Sex Crimes, Alcohol, and Drugs
Interviewing the Victim - Nonstranger Assaults
Interviewing the Suspect - Nonstranger Assaults
Preparation for the Interviewing of Suspects
Stranger Sex Crimes
Serial Crimes
Victim Interview - Stranger Sex Crimes
Canvass
Case Analysis
ARREST STRATEGIES
Nature of the Crime
Background
Arrest Location
Surprise and Immobilization
Equipment and Backup Personnel
Ingress/Egress
Number of Potential Arrests
Transportation of Prisoners
TESTIFYING
Preparation
Testimony as Public Speaking
Making a First Impression
Speaking to the Judge and Jury
Pace of Testimony
"Your Honor, May I Review My Reports?"
Demeanor
INVESTIGATIVE TOOLS
Polygraph
Voice Stress Analysis
Psychics
Criminal Profiling
Deductive Profiling
Geographic Profiling
THE ROLE OF CRIMINAL DEFENSE INVESTIGATORS
Innocent Until Proven Guilty
Initial Investigation
Protection of Information
Police Records
Background Investigation of Defendant Client
Interviewing Defendant Clients
Follow-Up Investigation
Crime Scene
Investigative Canvass
Witness Interviews
Report Writing
Trial Preparation
Testimony
Appeals
INDEX
Biography
BCPI, Warren J. CLI Sonne
"Where was this text thirty years ago when I needed it most…Criminal Investigation for the Professional Investigator…needs to be required reading for every law enforcement officer in America and beyond…"
Jim Silvania, Porter, Wright, Morris & Arthur, Columbus, Ohio and the National Association of Legal Investigators