Art Theft Investigation (From Museum, Archive, and Library Security, P 779-806, 1983, by Lawrence J Fennelly - See NCJ-87831)

• NCJ Number: 87852
• Author(s): L Poteshman
• Date Published: 1983
• Length: 28 pages
• Sale Source: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America

Annotation

Art theft investigation requires an investigator with certain qualities and proper report taking, evidence collection, interrogation of various types of subjects, distribution of information, and a basic knowledge of art techniques.

Abstract

The art theft investigator must be imaginative, able to create mental scenarios with variations and to think like an offender, while arriving at dependable conclusions based on objectivity, relevance, thoroughness, and accuracy. Understanding people and their environment is also a prerequisite for conducting effective investigative interviews. Styles of interrogation should vary according to the age and sex of those being interviewed, since skills in observation and attention to various types of details will vary according to age and sex. The optimum location for interrogation is the investigator's office or the police station, where the subject will feel less secure, thereby reducing the possibility of contrived answers. Windows and lights should be in back of the investigator. The first step after receiving a report of an art theft is to ensure that the area from which the art object is alleged to have been taken is cordoned off to ensure the protection of evidence, and a thorough description of the stolen object should be obtained from museum officials. A thorough search of the museum should be undertaken to determine if the art object may have been misplaced or hidden on the premises for later recovery or for the purpose of obtaining a ransom rather than a sale of the item. Report forms for an art theft investigation should be geared to the information required for the investigation, notably information on the type and subject of the work. The investigator should make sure that information on the loss is distributed not only to law enforcement agencies but to persons and organizations associated with the art market. Investigators should have a basic knowledge of various art media and the techniques by which various art prints are made.