Principles and Concepts of Report Writing - Coursework Example

 About Evidence A researcher of criminal evidence has a weighty responsibility to the public and, yes, even to the individuals who have been, or will be, arrested for and stand accused of a crime. Since the process of determining if a crime exists often begins with the crime scene itself, it is important that the crime scene investigator, a police officer, coroner, a biologist who examines forensic evidence like blood sample, hair samples, or other evidence from a crime scene; has a sense of moral and civil ethics that prevents the researcher from compromising the evidence and, subsequently, the case. Normally, each professional component of society has its professional code of ethics; those ethical rules by which an individual will conduct his or herself on a professional level and do what is morally and legally right. However, a person must have personal value of the ethics by which their behavior supports their professional performance. Ethics is but one of the many important personal and professional facets of a criminal investigator’s personality. Evidence research is important, so that the investigator fully understands the nature of what he/she is seeing, what he/she might be looking for. An understanding of the evidence allows the researcher to talk about it more freely, more naturally, and in a way that informs the people who might later will rely on the researcher’s knowledge to understand something that they perhaps have no understanding of, but an interest in knowing what the researcher’s knowledge, or understanding is so that they can be guided by the researcher’s understanding. Therefore, a well informed researcher or investigator is someone who whose body of knowledge about the subject at hand can be of value and relied upon by others – but it should be based on facts, never invented or speculation presented as fact. Such a practice, even in a single case, might jeopardize the outcome of the efforts of the team. The investigator should always follow the code of ethics that govern him or her professionally, and follow the rules that have been provided as the structure within which they are to work professionally as regards the evidence. Technology is becoming increasingly important to the field of criminal investigation; although it’s not infallible and it’s important to understand the technology employed in the use of investigating a crime as it is any aspect of the investigation. The investigator should become familiar with the technology used to collect, preserve and analyze evidence. The more the investigator knows about the technology used in their work, the better that technology can serve the investigator in performing his or her work with the best returns on the efforts expended in the work. Remember, the technology should serve the investigator, the investigator should never serve the technology. Securing the crime scene means making sure that the evidence that at the crime scene is not “tainted” by those people who move within the crime scene. That means making sure that the elements of the crime scene are not moved, lifted, or touched. It means you move about the crime scene in a way that shows you’re an observer of everything from the ground to the structural confines within which the crime rests. If it’s outdoors, it becomes more difficult, but can be accomplished if you follow the training and rules provided you. Protecting the crime scene is just a process in securing the crime scene, protecting it from intrusion once you are going to leave it so that it cannot be accessed and altered. That includes a means by which to keep track of the people who access the crime scene once the initial investigation has been conducted there. Interview skills come into play in the work of the criminal researcher on several different levels; with witnesses, with experts who serve to enhance the investigator’s understanding of the evidence or crime scene; interviewing police officers or paramedics who might have been responders to a crime scene, and ultimately potential suspects. The skills that an investigator employs initially stem from the skills that we all possess; listening, observing, curiosity and patience. Listening allows the person offering the information the opportunity to speak freely, without interruption, and thus information is never “tainted” by researcher’s “leading” the speaker, or asserting his or her own ideas into what the person being interviewed is trying to say or convey. The more adept one is at listening and allowing others to talk, the more information that the researcher will find is forthcoming to him or her. Information, especially facts, is what the researcher’s goal should be. When interviewing suspects it is especially important to be patient, a good listener, and employ the art of observation. The investigator will want to keep the suspect focused on the question, without intimidating him or her while they’re talking about the information. Therefore, the interviewer should not try to intimidate the suspect, as that will cause the suspect to withdraw; so long as the suspect believes senses a comfort level, rapport exists between them and the interviewer, the more forthcoming the information will be. Analyzing the information later can always result in a second interview, so especially in the first interview it is important to be a good listener and to let the suspect speak freely. An investigator’s work often takes him or her into subcultures in which they might not normally exist; and it becomes extremely important not to judge people for their circumstances when you’re a investigator researching a crime. Going into another subculture or cultural environment with a bias could be not only disastrous, but dangerous for the researcher, especially if you’re coming in contact with thugs and mugs. The best way to proceed is to follow the training that has been provided you, and to adhere to the rules of the work which provide the structure that you as a public official must operate within. Stay safe, be honest, never compromise your own integrity; and remember that in today’s world there are cameras everywhere, and the smallest gesture or exchange, even innocent ones, can be misleading in the image it presents pictorially of the exchange between yourself and the mug or thug. Keep a safe and viewable distance that cannot be construed as intimate or otherwise facilitating an exchange of any kind of interaction other than questions and answers. Relying on your common sense, in combination with the professional training and standards of operating that have been provided to serve as a professional guide, should prevent the investigator from any professionally harmful or dangerous mishaps. Common sense begins with follow the rules that have been put in place to keep you as the investigator physically and professionally safe. Developing theories is encouraged, but remember, until proven fact, they’re just theories. Always be honest with yourself about your theories, and do not let them solidify into fact within your own thinking without the support of facts that rule them as theory, firmly establishing them thusly as facts. Recognize that there is a huge gap between gap and theory. Theories are to be explored, facts are proven, indisputable by the body of evidence that supports them as facts. Theories often lead to facts – even if they’re not the ones you suspected would be the outcome. Keeping these things in mind will facilitate the investigator’s ability to compile the best report possible, a complete and total reflection of their efforts and processes, which will be used in legal and subsequent criminal investigative efforts and processes. Read More