Chapters 1-4 Flashcards
What was a communication provided by the perpetrators to the police in the Beltway Snipers case?
I am God.
What are three most common activities performed in investigations?
- Searching for victims and witnesses
- Interviewing for victims and witnesses
- Reading and writing reports
Stings, decoys, undercover fencing operations, and stay counts are what types of investigations?
Undercover Investigations
What are three reasons why the police solve so “few” crimes?
- Nature and structure of crime
- Police are reactive
- Police power limited by law
What is the process of collecting crime-related information in order to reach certain goals?
Criminal Investigation
When investigating crimes like homicide, robbery, and rape, what type of investigation is typically being conducted?
Reactive Investigation
Why do cases drop out as they progress through the criminal justice system?
- Crimes are not reported to the police
- Crimes are not solved by the police
- Some crimes are not a police matter
What are solvability factors?
The particulars of a case that increase the likelihood of that case being solved
What is the ultimate goal of the criminal investigation process?
To reduce crime
In what situation can a follow-up investigation be conducted?
A case not solved during initial investigation that was screened for solvability factors
Why can criminal investigations be seen like a puzzle?
- Some pieces are missing
- The pieces must be found
- Some pieces do not belong to this puzzle
According to your text, why do people NOT report crimes?
- Claim the crime was a “personal matter”
- Claim the crime was “not important”
Name three problems with evidence in criminal investigations.
- Relevance
- Too much evidence
- Accuracy
One of the problems with the thief-taker system was what?
worked for the rich and not the poor; worked in cooperation with thieves.
The necessity of detectives receiving salaries is highlighted because of problems associated with the what?
Thief-maker system
Making detectives reactive and assigning them to cases reduce the likelihood that detectives what?
could trick people into committing crimes
The mid-1800s to the early 1900s in American policing has been characterized as what?
political era of policing
The premise of _______ was that the bone structures of an adult did not change over the course of a lifetime.
Bertillonage
What era of policing used investigative tactics like the dragnet roundup of suspects and the third degree?
Political era of policing
What are three kinds of behavior associated with the third degree?
- Beatings with a rubber hose
- Placing a suspect in a sweat box for hours
- Drilling
What are three strategies mentioned in the textbook that provide opportunities for residents to share information with the police in solving crimes?
- Tip lines
- School liaison officers
- Police involvement in community watch groups
What are three developments in criminal investigation that has occurred during the community problem-solving era of policing?
- DNA analysis as a method of identification
- COMPSTAT
- Large computer networks & data banks
A _________ was a collection of photographs used for the purpose of criminal identification.
Rouges Gallery
Rounding up the usual suspects often took the form of, or was also known as, a(n)?
Dragnet
During the time of parliamentary reward, the work of detectives was most likely linked to which crime?
Murder
A knife used in a homicide is best considered what type of evidence?
Real evidence
What type of evidence is used to construct a psychological profile?
Behavioral evidence
A statement of a 5th witness that provides the same details as for other witnesses is an example of ______.
Cumulative evidence
Diagrams of a crime scene are considered what type of evidence?
Demonstrative evidence
Hearsay is most often excluded from court proceedings because it is considered what?
unreliable
The standard of proof needed in court in order to conclude that a defendant is guilty of a crime is ________.
Beyond a reasonable doubt
_________ is evidence that is admissible in court, and it meets the rules of evidence.
Judicial evidence
Dental evidence in fingerprints are often used as what type of evidence?
Identification evidence
An eyewitness saw the defendant put poison in the victim’s food. The eyewitness statement about this observation is __________ that the defendant put poison in the victim’s food.
Direct evidence
Amy previously threatened to kill Jake. This threat represents _______ evidence that Amy killed Jake.
Indirect
The legal question what would a reasonable person have thought or done under these circumstances relates to _________.
Probable cause
What does reasonable suspicion apply to?
stop and frisk searches
What is the definition of probable cause as defined by the authors of your textbook?
- A standard of proof necessary to justify most searches and to make an arrest.
- Convinces a reasonable person that particular circumstances exist
Evidence that is excluded from trial because it was wrongfully obtained is known as _______.
Incompetent evidence
What does the chain of custody refer to as?
the record of individuals who maintained control over the physical evidence from the time it was obtained by the police to when it was introduced in court.
What amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects against unreasonable searches and seizures?
The Fourth Amendment
What is the good-faith exception associated with?
The Exclusionary rule
What is the primary function of the exclusionary rule?
to deter unlawful police, conduct in search and seizure cases
What does the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution relate to as?
Protects citizens against self-incrimination
When do the police not have to advise suspects of their Miranda warnings?
Prior to a roadside questioning of a motorist
Evidence that has some bearing on the case on some fact trying to be established is __________.
relevant
The rationale for the ________ _________ exception to the search warrant requirement is that, without immediate action, the suspect may escape, may destroy evidence, or pose a threat to the police.
exigent circumstance’s
When does an arrest occur by the police?
when a person is taken into custody for the purpose of prosecution or interrogation
List three situations that warrant either reasonable suspicion or probable cause.
- stop a vehicle
- stop and frisk
- order occupants out of a vehicle
The decision in Miranda required the police to read suspects their Miranda warnings when a suspect is _________ and prior to _______.
in custody; interrogation
