NCJ Number
75903
Editor(s)
D Tilton,
S Hintz
Date Published
1980
Length
430 pages
Annotation
This volume is the first of a two-part manual on arson. Devoted to arson investigation, it presents the types of fire causes and furnishes procedures for the collection and preservation of evidence.
Abstract
The introduction discusses the varied motives for arson and lists among them revenge, vanity, terrorism, riot participation, racial or religious persecution, pyromania, thrill seeking, organized crime, concealment of another crime, payment of money, and insurance fraud. Steps are then outlined for organizing community task forces to combat arson through citizen awareness, arson hotlines, or investigation skills training. Firefighting techniques are presented with a description of fire scene activities, tactics, and strategies. Tactics are the purposeful use of personnel, equipment, and apparatus at the fireground; strategy refers to the skills involved in locating, confining, and extinguishing the fire. Investigation approaches are analyzed separately for three types of fires -structure fires, wildland fires, and vehicle fires. Considerations for the investigator of fire-related deaths are also outlined. Sources of information for the arson investigator include the fire scene, police and hospital reports, and insurance and other financial records which may be protected by legal or confidentiality restrictions. The planning and preparatory steps for information gathering as well as for the surveillance of arson suspects are delineated. In presenting the theoretical background on the nature of fire, the manual explains the chemical and physical aspects of the burning process as well as the relationship of fire to electricity and gas. The incendiary devices used by arsonists, ranging from candles to explosives and bombs, are described. Individual chapters are devoted to the skills investigators need for evidence collection and preservation, search and seizure of suspects, fire scene sketching and photography, voiceprint and fingerprints and their interpretation, use of the polygraph, interviews and interrogations, report writing, and trial preparation and courtroom demeanor. Appended are a glossary of terms, a bibliography of over 200 entries, and sample report forms. An index, photographs, and chapter notes are provided.