Unit 1 Test (Chapters 1,2,3,4) 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?
a. Searching for victims and witnesses
b. Interviewing victims and witnesses
c. 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?
- Structure of most crimes
- Nature of police response (Reactive)
- Police powers are 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
Why do cases drop out as they progress through the criminal justice system?
Some crimes are not a police manner
What are solvability factors?
Key pieces of evidence which increase the probability of a crime 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?
If a perpetrator is not arrested during the initial investigation
Why can criminal investigations be seen like a puzzle?
They can be seen as a puzzle: a variety of pieces which have to be set together
- Some pieces are missing
- The pieces must be found
- Some pieces don’t belong in the puzzle
According to your text, why do people NOT report crimes?
- Sometimes rape victims do not report crimes because they claim it was a private or personal matter.
- Sometimes robbery victims do not report crimes because they claim it was not important enough
Name three problems with evidence in criminal investigations.
a. Evidence may not relate to case at hand
b. Evidence given may not be accurate
c. There may be little no information/ evidence to go on at all
One of the problems with the thief-taker system was that
thief-takers often worked in cooperation with thieves.
The necessity of detectives receiving salaries is highlighted because of problems associated with
the idea that they could work on behalf of the rich and the poor alike.
Making detectives reactive and assigning them to cases reduce the likelihood that detectives
Could trick people into committing crimes for the thief-makers benefit
The mid-1800s to the early 1900s in American policing has been characterized as the
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
What are three kinds of behavior associated with the third degree?
a. Beating with a rubber hose
b. Placing a suspect in a sweatbox for hours or days under constant questioning
c. Drilling teeth
What are three strategies mentioned in the textbook that provide opportunities for residents to share information with the police in solving crimes?
a. Tip lines
b. School liaison officers
c. Community watch groups
What are three developments in criminal investigation that has occurred during the community problem-solving era of policing?
a. DNA Analysis
b. COMPSTAT
c. Empirical research on the criminal investigation process
A ________ was a collection of photographs used for the purpose of criminal identification.
Rogues 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
What is the definition of probable cause as defined by the authors of your textbook?
Convinces a reasonable person that particular circumstances exist
What does reasonable suspicion apply to?
Stop and Frisk- Any person whom the police have found involved or associated with a criminal act
The legal question what would a reasonable person have thought or done under these circumstances relates to
probable cause
Amy previously threatened to kill Jake. This threat represents _____ evidence that Amy killed Jake
Indirect
An eyewitness saw the defendant put poison in the victim’s food. The eyewitness statement about this observation is _____ evidence that the defendant put poison in the victim’s food.
Direct
Dental evidence in fingerprints are often used as what type of evidence
Identification Evidence
__________ is evidence that is admissible in court, and it meets the rules of evidence.
Judicial Evidence
The standard of proof needed in court in order to conclude that a defendant is guilty of a crime is
beyond a reasonable doubt
Hearsay is most often excluded from court proceedings because it is considered
unreliable
Diagrams of a crime scene are considered
Demonstrative evidence
A statement of a 5th witness that provides the same details as for other witnesses is an example of
Cumulative Evidence
What type of evidence is used to construct a psychological profile?
Behavioral evidence
A knife used in a homicide is best considered what type of evidence?
Real evidence (physical evidence)
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 recorded security of physical evidence from the time of collection to its introduction in court.
What amendment to the U.S. Constitution protects against unreasonable searches and seizures?
4th amendment
What is the good-faith exception associated with?
The exclusionary rule
What is the primary function of the exclusionary rule?
Deter unlawful police actions during searches and seizures
What does the Fifth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution relate to as?
Self-incrimination
When do the police not have to advise suspects of their Miranda warnings?
Prior to 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 circumstances
When does an arrest occur by the police?
When someone has been taken into custody for the purposes of interrogation and criminal prosecution.
List three situations that warrant either reasonable suspicion or probable cause.
a. Stop a vehicle- probable cause
b. Stop and frisk- reasonable suspicion
c. Order occupants out of a vehicle- probable cause
The decision in Miranda required the police to read suspects their Miranda warnings when a suspect is _______ and prior to _______.
in custody; interrogation
