NCJ Number
104608
Date Published
1986
Length
126 pages
Annotation
A police detective with 24 years of experience in the Philadelphia police department explains the personal characteristics and training of effective police detectives, the types of crimes they investigate, and the investigative techniques that they use.
Abstract
The skills involved in both police work, in general, and detective work, in particular, as are the responsibilities and professional ethics required of detectives. Summaries of actual cases illustrate how detectives investigate and solve cases involving juvenile crime, drug law offenses, arson, robbery, theft, burglary and auto theft, rape, and homicide. A discussion of techniques and tools used by detectives focuses on interviewing and interrogation and the use of forensic sciences related to the polygraph, ballistics, fingerprinting, photography, criminal identification, and handwriting analysis. The roles of the medical examiner, computers, visual aids, and other equipment are also explained. Education and training requirements for detectives and opportuniies for career advancement are also detailed, as are the preparation and carrying out of court appearances. Extensive photographs, glossary, and index.