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Type: Article

Section: Investigations

Losing Yourself in the Job

The officer rolled up his sleeves. Muscles built from weight training had atrophied. His tan from running along the beach had also vanished, along with other traces of his former life.

March 31, 2007

The Murder of Sara Tokars

The homeowner and a friend went to where the boys pointed to a van across the field and made a horrifying discovery. When they opened the door, the body of a young woman, her head almost completely blown apart, fell out.

March 31, 2007

Cold Case Interrogations

In many instances, the suspect in a cold case turns out to be someone who is serving time for another crime. What are the considerations for conducting custodial interrogation of such a prisoner, insofar as Miranda and the Sixth Amendment right to counsel are concerned?

February 28, 2007

The Moonberry Pond Murder

James Mixon was a drunk. In life a drunk is a pretty predictable person. They get people angry, frustrated, and fed up; they get kicked out of the places they live, and get in trouble. James Mixon was no different.

December 31, 2006

The Lawful Use of Deception

It might be nice if law enforcement officers never had to lie to a criminal suspect in order to solve a crime. In fact, some police advisors do suggest to officers that they should never mislead a suspect. Unfortunately, the reality is otherwise.

December 31, 2006

Preserving and Disclosing Evidence

Most law enforcement officers are familiar with the term “Brady error.” But what exactly does the Brady rule cover, and what obligation does it impose on police? Under the Brady line of cases, when must officers preserve evidence, and what must be revealed to the prosecutor? These questions have been answered in a series of opinions from the U.S. Supreme Court.

November 30, 2006

Miranda Wording

When custodial interrogation is imminent and it's time to give the suspect a Miranda warning, what exactly do you have to say? The answer is, nothing exactly. The U.S. Supreme Court, which created the necessity of a warning of rights and a waiver as prerequisites to the prosecutorial use of a statement obtained through custodial interrogation, has never held that any precise wording is required.

September 30, 2006

Closing the Tantra Lake Rape Case

Like most rape investigations, the Tantra Lake serial rape case began with the terror and tears of a young woman who was being attacked by a man. It ended after years of complex and difficult work by the detectives of the Boulder Police Department.

July 31, 2006

Going Door to Door

In a major criminal investigation, getting off your ass and knocking on some doors is essential. In fact, it is a crucial element in the early stages of working an unsolved case. The area canvass-knocking on the doors of all the residences surrounding the crime scene-is one of the first tasks a lead detective should have on his lead sheet.

June 30, 2006

Third Party Consent Searches

One of the "firmly established exceptions" to the warrant requirement for searches and seizures is the "consent exception."

April 30, 2006

Right to Counsel

Law enforcement officers are quite familiar with the court-created "right" to counsel established by the Miranda opinion, to protect the Fifth Amendment trial privilege against compelled self-incrimination. But it applies only during police custodial interrogation.

January 31, 2006

The Power of Association

The easiest and most common way associates are used in police investigations is to locate suspects. While this seems like routine information that everyone knows, only a few people put it into practice in each department.

January 31, 2006

Death Masks

It took the perseverance of Det. Dale Bunten and the skill of forensic sculptor Wesley Neville, a lieutenant at the Florence County (S.C.) Sheriff’s Office, to link the remains of a small-framed teenager to missing 14-year-old Tara Exposito.

December 31, 2005

Image Security Guard

Lexar’s new LockTight security system helps preserve the chain of evidence for digital photography.

December 31, 2005

Diagramming Success

Understanding the crime scene and its layout is vital to prosecuting any case. One of the quickest and easiest ways to record everything pertinent to the case is by drawing a diagram of the crime scene.

November 30, 2005

Appleton (Wis.) Police Department

The Appleton PD has received national attention for innovations in victim- and social-services-oriented sexual assault investigations, intercultural outreach to ensure services are fairly and effectively distributed to minority communities, and, most notably, programs that address the real-life needs of its youngest residents.

September 30, 2005

Trolling for Predators

Luckily, there is a new breed of law enforcement officials who are tracking what the NCMEC now calls “Computer Facilitated Crimes Against Children,” and these officers can be found online all over the country, ferreting out pedophiles on their own turf: the chat room.

September 30, 2005

Dotworkz Systems' IP Video Surveillance

Minutes after the recent Underground bombings in London, British police and Scotland Yard investigators were working tirelessly, viewing and analyzing digital surveillance imagery from the numerous cameras active throughout London. Within hours, they released images of the suspected bombers to media outlets around the world. Information came pouring in from the public and arrests quickly followed.

August 31, 2005

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