Tag: Field Interviews: Page 4

The Power of Field Contacts

Simply put, the more information you have in a case, the better your chances of solving it. While this is common knowledge to most officers, we tend to forget that using field contacts is one of the easiest ways of gaining intelligence in our own cities.

August 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

Perimeter Concerns

Working perimeters can be tedious, but it's important that we remember the basics of this role.

March 31, 2006

Digging Deeper

There is a saying in law enforcement, "We deal with 10 percent of the population 90 percent of the time." And whoever said it first had to be a patrol officer.

June 30, 2005

Handling the Mentally Ill: There Are No Shortcuts for Officers

One study has shown that 32 percent of the homeless, who populate our urban streets, are mentally ill and if you have homeless people in your community, you most certainly have those who are mentally ill among them.

February 29, 2000

Conducting Effective Witness Interviews

The ultimate goal of a gang investigation is to find the truth. What happened? Who did it? How? As law enforcement officers, how do we arrive at the truth? What is our part in the game plan? Here are some suggestions that may be useful for patrol personnel, detectives and follow-up investigators when dealing with witnesses and victims of gang crimes.

November 30, 1996

Careful Planning is Key to a Sound Investigation

Getting the case to court and obtaining a favorable decision by the bench or jury is always the goal in a gang investigation. And one of the greatest assets to any case is, of course, the witnesses. How do you solicit cooperation and a commitment to testify in court from these unique witnesses?

May 31, 1996

Easing Investigations on the Gang Battlefield

Photos, jewelry, hairstyles and body piercing are among the obvious physical traits investigators look for when profiling gangs. But understanding how the members think, act and feel also can help police develop a rapport with members, and in turn, help expedite gang-related investigations.

February 29, 1996

Putting Out the Fire

Before you go scurrying to your training manuals to find out how someone can be arrested for a felony when the basic crime is a misdemeanor, take a look at how San Diego (Calif.) police have managed to curb the number of domestic abuse homicides. Through an innovative domestic abuse policy, San Diego now has one of the lowest rates of domestic violence homicides in the country.

February 29, 1996

Making a "Routine" Pedestrian Contact

Tragically, examples of police killings are no longer rare. In all too many instances, a simple request for identification and compliance with lawful instructions has led to the murder of a law enforcement officer.

December 31, 1995

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