glossary terms R-Z Flashcards
Reasonable Deadly force
the use of deadly force by a LEO that is consistent with the constitutional standard of “ objectively reasonable” as identified under Graham v. Conner (1989)
reasonable grounds
grounds for an arrest that usually depend on the facts and circumstances surrounding the specific case
recovery time
a period of time designated for an officer involved in a shooting to regain his or her composure and calmness following the shooting incident
regressed child molester
a child molester who views the victim as a substitute for an adult partner
relational database
a method of storing data in files based on relationships between pieces of data
relative judgement
when eyewitnesses compare lineup photographs or member with each other rather than with their memory of the offender
relevancy test
permits, in a court of law, the admission of relevant evidence that is helpful to the trier of fact
relevant evidence
evidence that is considered logical or rational
residential burglary
the burglary of ones residence
residential robbery
robbery when an armed intruder breaks into a home and holds the residents at gunpoint or knife point
resistance
physical or psychological unwillingness to comply
restraining order
a form of legal injunction that requires a party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain acts
retail burglary
theft of a place of business generally occurring when the business is unoccupied
reverse drug sting operation
an undercover police operation whereby the police pose as criminals such as drug dealers or prostitutes, for the purpose of arresting persons who offer to pay for services offered by the undercover officer
RICO Act
1970 racketeering influenced and corrupt organizations act
rigor mortis
the process of stiffening or contraction of the muscles of a deceased person after vital functions cease
riss projects
programs of the federal regional information sharing system
robbery
face to face taking of property from the victim by the offender
Rogues Gallery
a compilation of descriptions, methods of operation, hiding places, and the names of associates of known criminals in the 1850s
rough sketch
the initial crime scene sketch drawn by officers of the crime scene
Runaway or lost child
a category of missing children that is most commonly encountered by law enforcement
salami technique
an automated form of the trojan horse method where small amounts of assets are taken from specified accounts or sources and where the whole appears to be unaffected
salvage switch
when a car thief purchases a wrecked vehicle that is unrepairable, strictly for its certificate of title and for the vehicle identification number
scammers
criminals who defraud, for example, attempt to obtain prescriptions for controlled drugs
scanning
a procedure used in computer crime whereby the criminal presents sequentially changing information to an automated system to identify those items receiving a positive response
scene-conscious
when the crime scene investigators becomes aware of the crime scene situation and is prepared to take certain immediate actions
school robbery
instances of petty extortion or “shake downs” of students and teachers in public schools
scope of the search
an officers authority to search incident to an arrest
Scotland Yard
one of the first criminal investigative bodies originally formed in england in the mid-nineteenth century
search and seizure
a legal procedure used in many civil law and common law legal systems whereby police or other authorities and their agents who suspect that a crime has been committed , do a search of a persons property and confiscate any relevant evidence to the crime
search warrant
a legal document enabling an police officer to search
search warrant return
an itemized inventory of all property and material seized by officers at the location of the search
second degree murder
a form of homicide where the suspect intended to kill his or her victim but was unsuccessful
seed money
money required to initiate an undercover drug transaction
self defense
to protect oneself from harm
sensational murder
a series or group of murders that arouse the interest of the general public
sequential lineup
a police lineup method whereby people or photos are presented to a witness on at a time
serial murder
a sequence of murders in which there is a time break of TWO DAYS TO SEVERAL MONTHS IN BETWEEN MURDERS
Serology
the scientific analysis of blood
sexting
when a teen sends nude or seminude pics of himself or herself to other people with their cell phone
sexual assault
an assault of a sexual nature on another person or any sexual act committed without consent
sexual battery
a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact, distinct form assault, which is the apprehension not fear, of such contact
shaken baby syndrom
medical term for murder of infants who are violently shaken
shoplifting
common form of theft involving the taking of goods from retail stores
show up
a type of lineup, where only one suspect is shown to the victim or witness
simple arson
the burning of property that DOES NOT result in such a risk to human life
simple assault
threats to a person to cause bodily harm or death to another or purposely inflicting body harm on another
simultaneous lineup
a lineup procedure where the eyewitness views all the people or photos at the same time
Sir Robert Peel
Englands home secretary, credited with creating the first modern police force in london in 1829
situational molester
child molester who commits such crimes because of one of several external factors. these include intoxication, drug abuse, mood or mental conditions, or other social conditions
smash and grab robbery
robbery where the robbers approach a car, break the window, and hold up the driver at gunpoint
smurfing
when money launderers go to different banks and purchase cashiers checks in denominations of less than 10k, for the purpose of bypassing the reporting requirement
snitches
amateur pilferers who are usually respectable persons who do not perceive themselves as thieves, yet are systematic shoplifters who steal merchandise for their own use rather than resale
software
the medium on which info is stored, such as computer tapes and floppy disks
solvability factors
those factors or evidence known to the criminal investigator that provide guidance to the investigation regarding what occurred or who was responsible
span of fire
physical characteristics of an arson fire such as smoke, direction, flames, and distance travel
spree murderer
numerous acts occurring in a SHORT SPAN of time
stakeout
another term for stationary or fixed surveillance
stalking
a term used to refer to unwanted or obsessive attention by an individual or group toward another person
stationary surveillanced
another term for fixed surveillance or stakeout
statutory rape
a term that refers to sexual activities in which one person is below the age required to legally consent to the behavior
stickup
an alternative term for robbery
stop and frisk
when an officer stops and searches a person for weapons
stranger stalking
when the stalker and victim do not know eachother
strategic intelligence
information that provides the investigator with information as to the capabilities and intentions of target subjects
street gang
criminal organizations formed on the street operating throughout the US
street robbery
robbery committed on public streets or alleyways
stripping operation
a criminal endeavor in which stolen vehicles are disposed of
strong-arm robbery
a face-to-face robbery of a voctim whereby no weapons are used
sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
diagnosis made when there is no other medical explanation for the abrupt death of an apparently health infant
suicide
a deliberate taking of one’s own life
superzapping
a macro or utility program used in most IBM mainframe computer centers as a systems tool that enables thieves to tinker with the program so that checks can be issued to their private accounts
support officer
a surveillance officer, sometimes called an intelligence, cover, or tactical officer, who works in plain clothes and who works with the undercover unit but not in an undercover capacity
surveillance
surreptitious surveillance
tactical intelligence
info that furnishes the police agency with specifics about individuals, organizations, and different types of criminal activity
tagging
a process of altering title documents for stolen cars
tattooing
a term referring to the deposit of gunpowder on the skin of a shooting victim who was shot at close range
terrorism
actions or policy intended to intimidate or cause terror
terry stop
a brief detention of a person by police
testimonial evidence
evidence based on statements provided by suspects, witnesses or victims of a crime
testimony
a statement made in response to a question or a series of questions
texas rangers
one of the earliest law enforcement and criminal investigative units forms in texas before texas became a state
thermal imaging
technology that is used to identify heat sources that might reveal criminal activity
thief catchers
people recruited from the riffraff of the streets to aid law enforcement officials in locating criminals during the European industrial revolution
think-aloud interviewing
an interviewing technique used to describe a specific type of activity in which subjects are explicitly instructed to “think aloud” as they answer the survey questions
tin truck
a truck used to transport parts of a stolen car
tolerance
a physical condition that devlopes when a person needs increasing doses of a drug to experience its initial effects
totality of circumenstances
term of art that refers to an officers understanding of all available facts and information relating to a particular incident or crime
toxicology
a branch of biology, chemistry, and medicine concerned with the study of the adverse effects of chemicals on living organisms
trace evidence
a minute or even microscopic fragment of matter such as hair or fiber that is not immediately detectable by the naked eye
trailers
materials used in spreading an arson fire
trained observer
a term generally associated with a law enforcement officers ability to observe his or her environment with greater detail than an untrained civilian
transfer of evidence theory
the theory that whenever two objects meet, some evidence, however microscopic, may remain to demonstrate that the encounter did occur
transfer stains
stains that result from objects coming into contact with existing bloodstains and leaving wipes, swipes, or pattern transfers behind such as bloody shoe print or a smear from a body being dragged
triangulation
the process of finding one’s position on a given plan when two visual landmarks are known
triangulation method
a bird’s-eye view of the crime scene, using fixed objects from which to measure
triggering condition
an anticipated future event giving rise to a probable cause to search
trojan horse
a criminal computer program that automatically transfers money to an illegal account whenever a legal transaction is made
undercover
a form of criminal investigation utilizing operatives who do not appear to be law enforcement
undercover officer
a police officer who poses as a criminal to gain evidence for criminal prosecution
undercover operations
disguising ones own identity or using an assumed identity for the purpose of gaining the trust of individuals or organizations to learn secret info, or to gain the trust of targeted individuals in order to gain information or evidence
Uniform child custody jurisdiction act (UCCJA)
Legislation that made the practice of moving to another state for the purpose of gaining custody illegal
vehicle robbery
a robbery of a persons driving vehicles that include delivery vehicles, taxis, buses, while the people involved make easy targets for the robber because they frequently work alone and in sparsely populated areas of towns
VICAP
Violent Criminal Apprehension Program. Operated by FBI. Unit of the US FBI responsible for the analysis of serial violent and sexual crimes. organizationally situated within the critical incident response groups (CIRG) and National Center for the Analysis of Violent Crime (NCAVC)
Vice
generally associated with organized crime, vice crimes supply illegal goods and services
victimless crime
most typically, a vice crime in which all parties of the criminal act are willing participants
virtualization
the concept of using a single computer to run multiple operating systems
Visible fingerprints
a type of fingerprint left at a crime scene that results from being adulterated with some foreign matter, such as blood, flour, or oil
Voice Stress Analyzer ( VSA)
technology that records psychophysiological stress responses that are present in human voice when a person suffers from psychological stress in response to a stimulus (a question) and where the consequences may be dire for the subject being “ tested”
voluntary manslaughter
the killing of a human being in which the offender had no prior intent to kill and acted during “heat of passion” under circumstances that would cause a reasonable person to become emotionally or mentally disturbed
white-collar crime
a nonviolent crime committed for financial gain, and accomplished by means of deception
WITSEC Program
the federal witness security program operated by the US Marshals Service and designed to provide protection for government witnesses
Zone-search Method
A searching technique, also known as QUADRANT method
