Responsibility of the first officer at a crime scene

How much thought do you give to the initial responding officer at a crime scene?  If the answer is “not much” then you may be compromising the integrity of your work. If you are the initial officer at a crime scene, do you make sure to pay attention to detail?  You should. 

            The first officer to arrive at a crime scene plays an integral part in a successful investigation. The first responding officer should be debriefed by the investigators before they enter the scene.  The initial responding officer has a responsibility to make the scene safe and prepare for the investigators.  Here are a few tips for the initial responding officer.

1. The investigation begins with how the crime was reported.  Did the officer get flagged down while driving by, or was it a 911 hang-up call?  If the officer discovered the crime, it is important to note what made the officer suspicious.  What they heard before arriving might provide insight to any precipitating factors.  The initial officer would have knowledge of who was in the area at the discovery of the crime scene and the scope of the crime scene.  The investigator may be under the impression that a crime scene is confined to a specific building, but the initial responding officer would be able to give details if an addition area needs to be investigated.  Knowing the size and scope of the scene is an important factor for investigators.  Especially when creating a perimeter.  If the crime occurred in an apartment, but the initial officer saw suspects running from the area, the scope of the scene just expanded exponentially. 

2. That initial responding officer is the only officer to experience the scene before it is disturbed by other police, fire or medical personnel.  As other members approach the scene, the first officer on the scene should establish where the entry and exit into the scene should be.  The reason for this is because they will see what route is less likely to destroy evidence.  If possible, do not use the same pathway that the suspect may have used.  If life saving efforts requires you to access the possible suspect route, then life saving efforts will be given the priority.

3.  An entry log of who entered the crime scene must be done.   The initial officer needs to relay to the investigator who went into the crime scene.  Tracking down the creator of the boot impression left at a scene only to learn it was a curious administrator that deposited it can be very frustrating.

3. The initial officer will be able to provide details that the investigators would not otherwise know.  The officer should note if lights were turned on or off, doors opened or closed, exit and entry of personnel and if the body was moved during life saving efforts.  Some evidence could be in a transitional stage and be lost by the time the investigator arrives.  Ice cubes in a glass could melt, a lit cigarette will burn out and odors will dissipate.  These “minor” details could develop into “major” details as the investigation continues. The old adage “you never know” fits well with this scenario.  

4. Keep track of where the key players go.  If someone gives you info, the first officer on scene should, at a minimum, get there name number and address.  If they have information, they should be told not to leave the area until a detective or investigator can speak with them.   I have arrived at many crime scenes and asked the question, “Where are they now?”  People involved at a crime scene have a way disappearing once the police arrive.  Perhaps some were transported to the hospital, maybe waiting in a patrol car or just left!  Witnesses and/or victims may be carrying physical evidence that has been transferred to their clothing or bodies.  An investigator can not retrieve the evidence if they can not find the victim or they find them days later. It is crucial to account for any persons who may have information about the crime scene.

5.  As soon as possible after the scene is made safe, the initial responding officer/s will need to set a perimeter for scene security.  At first, it may just be a car blocking a road or police tape strung around the scene, but as more units arrive, the scene perimeter should be given great attention.  Police tape is a nice visual aid, but it is not very secure.  Keep in mind, police tape only keeps out those who respect it. The perimeter should be larger than you think necessary.  It is easier to tighten the perimeter than it is to expand it after it is established.  With a wide perimeter, a second, inner-perimeter, can also be established.  The space between the inner and outer perimeter creates an area where equipment can be stored and set up.  Officers who are working on the case, but not entering the scene can use this area to speak privately with investigators.  When determining the perimeter, you need to decide what route investigators will enter and exit the crime scene.  If media are present, you may not want the entry and exit point easily photographed.  Remember that you are being watched.  Laughing, eating, and goofing around while in view of the cameras will most certainly be exploited. 

With the quick thinking of the initial responding officer, your investigation can get off to a great start.  If you have the opportunity, you should relay what you expect from officers on the scene before you arrive.  These 5 steps can make a world of difference in catching the bad guy.  

Sorry I've been busy

Hello readers,

It has been a busy year for me and I am sorry I have not kept up with the blog.  I will begin writing once again.  I will focus on crime scene and police topics. 

Mike

Talk nice, think mean.

I ask my students “Describe the characteristics of a cop?”  They usually answer the standard “brave” “honest” “caring” until someone accurately says “Arrogant.”  Everyone knows a cop who has the bad attitude and walks around like he is carrying imaginary watermelons under their arms.   The policeman who is so afraid of showing a weakness he talks himself INTO situations rather than out of them.  I thought this would be a great time to talk about the “talk nice, think mean” way to conduct business.  Not every situation requires you to behave in an aggressive and confrontational manner. I don’t suggest that you relax your awareness or trust your suspects, but you can conduct yourself with a certain amount of decorum that displays you are in control of a situation (even if you’re not).  I preface this post knowing that some situations require fast and hard approaches, this isn’t for those life threatening situations. 

If you arrive on a scene with an elevated attitude, it is difficult to go to the next level.  If you come in yelling, you leave yourself no room to escalate your police presence.  If you come in screaming and there is still one punk who isn’t listening, what do you do? Scream louder?  The Talk Nice, Think Mean has you approach calmly, but with authority.  Think of Clint Eastwood in Heartbreak Ridge or Dirty Harry. You can tell someone “I understand sir and I will help you with that” while you are THINKING “If you make one wrong move, I will take you down.”  If you say “Sir, I need to you step over there please” and they don’t do it, then you can increase your voice and say it again.  The Talk Nice, Think Mean approach can sometime diffuse a situation rather than irritate it.  Use the power of persuasion!

We have all worked with those tough talking police officers who make your job harder when they arrive on scene.  If you watched the movie Super Troopers then you know that Farva is this type of guy.  They are always clicking their handcuffs, bragging about arrests, or telling you how to do your job better.  Talk Nice Think Mean is designed for them.  Why do they behave this way?  Sometimes it is out of insecurity.  Suspects can recognize this.  Don’t make yourself a YouTube training video titled “jerk cop.”  In today’s world, everyone has a camera.  Talk Nice Think Mean can be what protects you from yourself!  That snarky remark caught on tape might be difficult to defend in the newspaper, no matter how deserving the suspect was to receive it.  Talk Nice, think Mean keeps you calm.  It allows you to keep your cool. 

If you pull a car over and the driver is upset, use Talk Nice Think Mean.  There is no reason to get into a debate on the side of a highway or city street.  Saying “Have a nice day” while thinking of what you may need to do if the person exits the car or approaches you is essential.   

You should also use the in your formal interviews as well.  The T.V. tough talk doesn’t get confessions.  Talking nice allows the suspect to trust you and feel like you are there to help them.  And you are there to help them………help them to confess!

Be safe and Talk Nice, Think Mean.

How to get what you want without saying a word

One of my favorite aspects of law enforcement is interviewing and interrogating (I&I). The adrenaline rush of getting a great confession is as good as any. Convincing a suspect to admit to you, the police, that they committed a crime is a skill. I&I isn’t just for major cases. As soon as you graduate from the academy you begin using I&I techniques. A car stop, a suspicious person, or a domestic all require you to ask questions and receive answers to determine what is happening. The I&I classes I teach can last from 8 hours up to 40 hours. I teach all kinds of exercises, analogies, techniques and known practices, but if I only had 10 minutes to teach interviewing and interrogating I would focus on one technique; Silence!

Nobody likes awkward silence. Nobody except for a trained interviewer! When you ask a suspect a question, they will provide you with only enough information to satisfy you, or so they think. The awkward pause lets them know that the answer that they provided was not enough to let you move onto the next question. Here’s a simple example:

Interviewer: What did you do this morning?

Suspect: Just woke up and went to work. That’s about it.

Interviewer: (Pauses and doesn’t say anything. Just nods slightly. Don’t give in!)

Suspect: And I also stopped at the store

The pause forced the suspect to let you know that they stopped somewhere before arriving at work. That may be useful to an investigation. Not to mention if someone says “really” in their response, they are withholding information from you.

People want to fill that awkward silence with something, so they will fill it with more information. Next time you are checking on a suspicious vehicle and you ask the driver “What are you doing here?”, after they answer, just wait a minute before asking a second question. At a minimum, the pause creates stress and the person being questioned will react to the stress. It also gives the illusion that you know more than you may actually know. Raising the eyebrows and pausing is equivalent to saying “And what else” after they finish giving you the answer.

This awkward silence also works on your fellow officers. I was interviewing a suspect and I laid out my theory and then waited for the suspect to answer. My partner, who was uncomfortable with the silence, asked another question before the suspect could answer. After the interview I had to tell my partner to just take notes next time!

For a full interviewing and interrogation class you can book me through www.LynnPeavey.com under training. Tell me what you think of “the pause” and if you use it.

Sgt.

oblique lighting

With the naked eye, evidence may not be visible. The simple technique of hold you flashlight to the side of an area you would like to examine could show you great evidence. This is a great technique for footprints and foot impressions.

Here’s a typical scenario: A patrolman responds to a burglary of a business or residence. The door has been kicked in. The patrolman looks around but doesn’t see any evidence to collect inside. Outside, there are some foot impressions in the snow or mud, but they lack enough detail to cast or photograph. The patrolman clears the scene with no evidence recovered.

Here’s the deal; oblique lighting can illuminate evidence that is not visible with the naked eye AND it requires little training. Can you turn a flashlight on? Great, you are half way there.

The technique is easy. I demonstrate the technique in the picture above. Turn the lights off and lay the flashlight along the floor or door.  this can pose a problem if you are outside, but it must be done.  I am crouched down looking for foot impressions or prints.  Even if you don;t find any evidence, it gives the victim the illusion that you know what you're doing!

The second picture I am standing and pointing the light right at the ground.  You are not going to discover any evidence this way.

Why is using oblique lighting important? Compare the following two photos. The same locations were photographed. Would you think that there was any usable evidence in picture 1? The second photo is using oblique lighting.

                                                                Ambient/Natural Lighting

                                                                         Oblique

NaturalLight                                                                                                 Oblique Light

What a difference huh? There may be great evidence that was missed or disturbed because you didn’t know how to locate it. Lifting and collecting that evidence is a whole different training. For this particular post, I wanted to post how to find it. If you work for an agency that has detectives or evidence techs that can be called, I would suggest that. If you ARE the detective or evidence tech, then read my later post. If the foot impressions are in snow, then you would still use the oblique lighting, but spray a light coat of spray paint into the impression to give it some contrast.


The oblique lighting technique works great for kicked in doors. Hold the light against the door and see what appears. Most guys will see the broken lock and never think to look for a foot print.
That's it for now.  Now go get those bad guys!
The footprint pictures were not taken by me, but by Rodney Schenck .Rodney A. Schenck

iPads at a crime scene?

The iPad is 3 years old. As of June 2013, the iPhone app store offers over 900,000 apps for the iPhone with 375,000 apps native to the iPad. There has to be an app that can assist investigators at crime scenes.
The iPad can be used to document a scene just like any camera or video camera. The ease is being able to incorporate the video and pictures into a report. The tablet can also store many forms that an investigator may need to fill out. Forms can be saved and printed when an investigator returns to the station. These functions are basic and do not require an application purchase or download. They are the same functions a laptop computer could perform. Here’s the difference. There are applications that can be downloaded to the iPad or iPhone that can complete tasks that an ordinary computer cannot.
The cost of the apps range from free to a few hundred dollars. I haven’t tried all of these apps out (yet) but I wanted to write about the importance of accepting new technology into a crime scene. I found the app MagicPlan CSI that can map out a room in a few minutes. It is perfect for a scene sketch. It is a quick and easy way to create a crime scene sketch. You can put evidence in the sketch and add pictures to the sketch. It is difficult to use in rooms that have a lot of curves and awkward layouts, but for a standard room is great. The best part is that it is a free download. PolicePartner only cost $1.99 and it allows a police officer to takes notes, put in witnesses and suspects. It organizes the information so it is easy to input and retrieve. I found many apps created by law enforcement agencies that assist their officers with Miranda warnings, administration license suspension forms and other agency specific items. They usually don’t provide a large number of other functions provided by private software companies.
There are more expensive and complete crime scene apps as well. Evidence Technology Magazine listed a few; MobileCSI Pro, CrimePad, and Pocket CSI were three of them. The pricing of these apps vary depending on how many users and some charge a flat rate. To find one that cost less than a hundred dollars would be a challenge. That may seem expensive, but great care has been taken to provide a complete software platform. The cost is minimal compared to hardware purchases such as a total station. Smaller departments with smaller budgets may find these apps to be a cost effective way to use new technology. These apps provide the user a portable and easy way to map an entire crime scene using an iPad. They allow the user to document the scene audibly and visually with videos, pictures and scene sketch software. Accurate measurements can be made at crime scenes without the use of a tape measure. Organization of paper work and a resource guide to evidence processing techniques are included in most of the high-end software. Newly promoted or assigned detectives are coming from a generation where technology is the norm and familiar. In a few short years, new crime scene investigators will not remember a time when technology wasn’t a part of daily life. Now is the time to incorporate the new technology into the investigators skill set.
The ability of the apps is endless, the problem is the storage needed to be able to use all of the tools provided. Using the apps for evidence tracking, videos, pictures and documents can take up a lot of space. The 3D picture the software creates uses a lot of data storage space. If you have a large or multiple crime scenes, you may not have enough storage space on your device. If the iPad or other tablet is the only source of your pictures, you may miss out on some picture detail. A detective or investigators’ camera should have at least 10 megapixels. That gives the investigator the ability to get extreme detail in the pictures they take. The iPad and iPhone aren’t quite at the quality of a professional camera. So you may be duplicating the photos you take. My suggestion would be to use the iPad to take pictures that support your crime scene sketch created by the app, but use a camera to document the scene in pictures. As I stated above, newer investigators will be more comfortable with new and changing technology. Great investigators who have been doing their job “the old fashioned” way, may be hesitant to accept new technology. It may be more difficult to train them to change the way they have documented scenes for years. The “old” way of doing things isn’t wrong. Drawing a sketch on paper is just as valid as a sketch created on an iPad. The benefit lies in the time it takes to create the sketch. Now the sketch can be created with one person, instead of two measuring out the scene together.
The best advice I could give is to get an app and practice using it. Don’t give up if you don’t like the first one. There are so many apps out there that there has to be one that can help you with your work. Before incorporating the app fulltime, you may want to duplicate your work for the first few scenes, just in case……

http://www.evidencemagazine.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1116

http://www.policemag.com/channel/technology/articles/2011/08/10-top-law-enforcement-apps.aspx

http://www.designwareinc.com/3d_prod.htm?gclid=CJjU-4e157cCFQqf4AodMw0AfA

http://www.policeone.com/police-products/communications/articles/2002211-Law-enforcement-inspired-iPhone-and-iPad-apps/

Virtual Education

If you would like a visual mindmap to assist you while you read this article, go to https://bubbl.us/?h=17f212/2ebd17/15MGPoySUzO4Y

The culture of higher education is shifting towards an online format. In 2009, nearly 12 million students received some or all of their college education online. Online education has gained great momentum for a number of reasons, but it has also received criticism from some students and professors. This essay will take a short look at both the benefits and the drawbacks of online education. The view will be from the perspective of the students and the university.
The reasons universities have shifted towards to online education is because of student demand Online education allows non-traditional students the opportunity to attend college and receive a degree. Universities can now reach out to potential students that are not able to attend a traditional 14 week, in classroom, course. Students may not be able to attend traditional class for a number of reasons. Online classes can reach students who work, students who are overseas, and students that are not able to get transportation to school or have the funds to reside on campus. Online learning also allows for a lifetime of learning. Students can enroll in colleges throughout the country to access the desired education they wish to receive (Dykman & Davis, 2008). The development of new technology has created an environment that is easy to navigate and provides professors platforms that can share large amounts of information equal to the in-class distribution of materials.
The student demand does not negate the fact that universities need to assure that the students are receiving a quality education that is equal to the traditional classroom instruction. Leading universities have shown a shift towards the perception that online education is the same quality as traditional programs (Dykman & Davis, 2008). One of the potential obstacles in creating an online course is the lack of face-to-face between the student and the professor. This lack of interaction between students and between student and professor makes the development of community more difficult. The online professors must be involved in creating a welcoming online environment. Students who have difficulty with the software or do not feel they are part of the class have the potential to drop out. Those students that drop the class are less likely to return because of the problems they experienced. The preparation before the class begins is the most important aspect of creating an online course. The lack of face-to-face does not allow any room for misinterpretation of the assignments and expectations. In a traditional class, students can read the professors body language and tone when receiving instructions (Dykman & Davis, 2008). They can easily ask questions and the professor can see in the students reactions if they do not understand the instruction. Without the real life interaction, the online students must rely on the written instruction and the written announcements from the professor to make sense of the assignments and lectures.
The students who are struggling in a traditional classroom can be pulled aside by the professor after class or meet with students when necessary. Online, the professor does not have the ease of meeting with struggling students with the same perceived concern of a traditional professor. Professors who want to teach online need to be trained or re-trained in the nuances of online education. A professor who is not familiar with the technology will not be able to facilitate the course to its potential. Online courses are usually created with strict guidelines so that they can be taught by a number of professors. The course creativity is taken away from the professor instructing the course. This could sour some professors from teaching online.




Cook-Wallace, M. (2012). Testing the significance of core components of online education. The Business Review, Cambridge,19(2), 64-70. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.lib.rivier.edu/docview/1021060398?accountid=3782

Davis, N. E., & Roblyer, M. D. (2005). Preparing teachers for the "schools that technology built": Evaluation of a program to train teachers for virtual schooling. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 37(4), 399-409. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.lib.rivier.edu/docview/274709081?accountid=3782

Dykman, C. A., PhD., & Davis, C. K., PhD. (2008). Part one - the shift toward online education. Journal of Information Systems Education, 19(1), 11-16. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.lib.rivier.edu/docview/200154588?accountid=3782

Dykman, C. A., PhD., & Davis, C. K., PhD. (2008). Online education forum: Part two - teaching online versus teaching conventionally. Journal of Information Systems Education, 19(2), 157-164. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.lib.rivier.edu/docview/200158633?accountid=3782

Dykman, C. A., & Davis, C. K. (2008). Online education forum - part three A quality online educational experience. Journal of Information Systems Education, 19(3), 281-289. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.lib.rivier.edu/docview/200158301?accountid=3782


Annotated Bibliography:

Cook-Wallace, M. (2012). Testing the significance of core components of online education. The Business Review, Cambridge,19(2), 64-70. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.lib.rivier.edu/docview/1021060398?accountid=3782

Cook-Wallace statistically looked at the core components of teaching online. The four components that were examined were teaching online policy, educational technology standards, full-time equivalency (FTE), and technical support. The four components look to examine if online education provides students with quality education that is similar to face-to-face instructions. The article looks at the technology used to conduct online instruction and if this technology causes frustration for bot he instructors and the students.
This article was an excellent source examining the quality of online education. The article was posted in The Business Review, a scholarly publication. The literary review conducted a 25 question survey with 374 administrators of higher education with 118 respondents being deemed useable. The authors indicate the methodology used to obtain the data and discuss the limitations of the survey. The questions asked looked at the most important components of developing and online education program. The results were consistent with my experience teaching online at numerous institutions.
The article did not change my mind on online education as it didn’t explore whether it is better, worse, or the same as in-class education. The article focuses more on the quality of the online education programs and if they meet the high standards students expect.

Davis, N. E., & Roblyer, M. D. (2005). Preparing teachers for the "schools that technology built": Evaluation of a program to train teachers for virtual schooling. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 37(4), 399-409. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.lib.rivier.edu/docview/274709081?accountid=3782

This article acknowledges the massive growth of online education in the United States. The U.S. Department of Education agreed that online training should be incorporated in preservice teacher education. The proposed plan was examined by Iowa State University and the article evaluates that proposed programs. The article focuses on K-12 students and teachers rather than collegiate educators.
The article defines the growth in the use of online education techniques in the classroom. The focus of the article is on K-12 students and educators. This is a departure from my area of focus which is college students. The article lays out a detailed preservice educational plan for educators of K-12. The information and suggestions translate to college educators as well. The article examines if the guidelines of the preservice service training is effective. The strategies of the evaluation are well designed and thorough.
The article did not change my mind about virtual classrooms but it did give me a glimpse of the growth of online classrooms. With online education growing each year, the necessity of regulations ensuring the quality of education is needed. In terms of technology, the article was a bit outdated being published in 2005. The rate at which technology changes, an article that references technology that is 8 years old may be outdated. The concept that online programs need to be created to meet high standards does not diminish over time.

Dykman, C. A., PhD., & Davis, C. K., PhD. (2008). Part one - the shift toward online education. Journal of Information Systems Education, 19(1), 11-16. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.lib.rivier.edu/docview/200154588?accountid=3782

This is the first of a three part article written about online education. Part one of these articles looked at the shift towards online education from traditional classrooms. The article explores the many reasons why both institutions and students are drawn to online education. The ease of access for a multitude of students and the cost effectiveness of the programs make online education attractive to both parties.
These articles were the most detailed and accurate exploration of online education that I have found. The first article lays out the positive and the negative aspects of creating and shifting towards online education. The article did not change my feelings towards online education, but solidified my beliefs. The article reinforced my hesitation of some classes being taught online and my belief that online education can be high quality and benefits the masses. The articles research also cautions that educators must be properly trained to teach online. It also reiterates other ideology that the course creation must be well planned and thorough to be effective.
The object of these articles is to give a complete overview of the online experience. Beginning with the shift towards online education, comparing the online versus in-class education and the creation of a high quality course.

Dykman, C. A., PhD., & Davis, C. K., PhD. (2008). Online education forum: Part two - teaching online versus teaching conventionally. Journal of Information Systems Education, 19(2), 157-164. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.lib.rivier.edu/docview/200158633?accountid=3782

This portion of the articles compares the online experience with the traditional teaching experience. The article discusses the differences for both the professor and the student. The article clearly lays out the educator’s role in the online classroom. There are several different aspects that professors must accept if they want to adopt on online course. The article spends significant time detailing the relationship that needs to be created between professors and students in an online environment.

Dykman, C. A., & Davis, C. K. (2008). Online education forum - part three A quality online educational experience. Journal of Information Systems Education, 19(3), 281-289. Retrieved from http://0-search.proquest.com.lib.rivier.edu/docview/200158301?accountid=3782

The final article in this three part series shifts the focus from the instructor and students to the program itself. The article breaks down each portion of the course including the technology, the feel and the assignments. The course content must be created carefully to give the student a quality education. Ensuring that students are participating and giving feedback are critical. The article separates each assignment and determines how to ensure that they are effective. The philosophy of the program should be known before the program is activated. These articles should be read before any institution begins offering online education.