Homicide investigative strategies

Experienced law enforcement officers know that the most important objectives in all homicide investigations are the ability to identify, collect, analyze, and process information quickly and effectively and, then, act just as efficiently on that data to achieve maximum results. The effectiveness of the investigation often depends on the investigative team's ability to quickly process and complete prioritized leads to swiftly provide answers to the case agent. Uncovering information that establishes clues and generates leads that tailor the focus and scope of the investigative effort are critical issues. Further, investigative teams must be able to locate and interview people quickly to lock individuals into statements to provide the maximum indicia of credibility and reliability; locate and preserve valuable evidence; and obtain and document the most accurate observations and accounts, putting together specific timelines. Investigators should use "the fact-finding capsule," a fundamental method illustrated by several investigative tactics completed under three important rules.

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1) Haste: quickly accomplish all tasks to seize the initiative and promptly develop facts.

2) Specificity: precisely explore all issues to obtain facts detailed enough to make objective judgments and correlations.

3) Element of surprise: prevent interviewees from getting their stories together and deter the interjection of attorneys into an efficient interview process.

The tactical steps of a homicide investigation should include a specific interview, a timeline documenting the witness' or suspect's physical location, what happened at those places over a time period necessary and germane to the case, and a well-documented statement. If the suspect articulates an alibi, investigators immediately should conduct follow-up verification interviews, observing, inspecting, and documenting the suspect's shoes, clothing, and physical appearance, as well as any premises and personal effects involved.

These basic investigatory steps remain critical to today's criminal investigations; however, the advent of technologies and modern communications creates a need to apply these old strategies in a new fashion. In today's world, almost every household has access to or possession of computers, and most individuals possess cell phones and pagers. Every technological asset, whether at home or work, has records, communications, tolls, or billings that may reveal valuable evidence regarding a person's lifestyle, friends, associates, enemies, or businesses. This information quickly can identify motives and other articulative facts essential to determining an individual's victimology or suspectology. Learning these details during traditional interviews proves essential to the investigative effort. The Fourth Amendment applies to many technologies and, therefore, investigators oftentimes need consent, court rders, or search warrants to develop the information. Experienced officers know that they must address all issues in an ongoing investigation and that the first 48 hours prove critical, leading to the prompt investigative trilogy.

INVESTIGATIVE TRILOGY

The prompt investigative trilogy has three particular areas: 1) specific focus (immediate); 2) general coverage (immediate); and 3) informative (pending). Teams of investigators must address each area simultaneously during the investigation and direct information from all three areas to the central clearinghouse (e.g., the lead investigator, case agent, or detective in the case). At that time, teams should process information, form theories, and take steps regarding the focus, scope, and need for additional resources.

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Specific Focus

Witnesses, evidence, events, and facts make up the specific focus. These categories apply to those issues immediately identified at the inception of the investigation. For instance, at a crime scene, certain witnesses may have been present at the time of the crime. Distinctive pieces of evidence may be in plain view, and events or facts may exist that investigators must address. These immediately apparent issues demand specific focus whether in crime-scene processing or interviews.

General Coverage

While teams of investigators address those specific focus issues, a second team should handle the general coverage issue, which comprises four areas. First, they should conduct neighborhood canvasses, which deal with people in close vicinity to others, and make observations or assessments regarding situational environmental issues in connection with proximity. Second, interviews of friends, families, and associates may determine victimology or suspectology information while such information is fresh and untainted by the direction of the investigation. Third, coworkers or employers may provide other information regarding victims and suspects. Finally, construction of definite victim/suspect timelines should outline the environment, proximity, locations, and times.

Informative

The third and most critical area, the informative, was created by modern technologies. Just as an inventory of a person's residence after a homicide provides many facts about that individual, so does the information from the numerous technologies available today. This area consists of records of cell phones and pagers, computer hard drives (e.g., palm pilots, laptops, notebooks, desktops, and servers), diaries, notes, and documents. Informative includes data that persons of interest in the investigation use that, in turn, tell about their lives, interactions with others, and geographic connections.

THREE-PHASE STRATEGY

All investigations have a three-phase strategy. First, investigators should ensure the availability of proper resources to conduct the investigation in the most efficient and competent manner to stabilize and organize the effort to gather all facts. Second, teams quickly should educate all investigators with as much information as possible. Third, investigators expeditiously should investigate the case, establishing focus early. More often than not, the focus of the investigation (the result of the information gathered and the interpretation of that data) will determine its success.

CONCLUSION

In today's world, investigators simultaneously must accomplish multiple tasks and quickly analyze information to seize the initiative and react timely and accurately to any given scenario. The fact-finding capsule, complimented by the prompt investigative trilogy, represents the necessary formula to factor into the equation regarding investigatory demands associated with homicide cases today. Following these protocols will ensure the most efficient use of time in connection with the gathering of facts and seizing of evidence.

Prompt Investigative Trilogy

    Immediate          Immediate          Pending
  Specific Focus    General Coverage    Informative

Specific witnesses    Neighborhood       Cell phone
                      canvass            records

Specific evidence     Friends, family,   Computer hard
                      and associates     drives
                      (victimology)

Specific events       Coworkers          Other records

Specific facts        Victim/suspect     Private papers
                      time lines

Special Agent Edwards heads the Statesboro office of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

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