NCJ Number
105269
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 60 Issue: 2 Dated: (April-June 1987) Pages: 97-111
Date Published
1987
Length
15 pages
Annotation
Research into police criminal investigation procedures over the past decade has produced some changes in the organization and structure of criminal investigations, but further research on the criminal investigation process is required.
Abstract
The 1975 Rand report on the criminal investigation process in the United States concluded that detective work had little influence on the clearance rate for serious felonies, since the study revealed that crime clearances were largely dependent on information and evidence supplied by citizens and uniformed officers. Canadian and British studies confirmed the key findings of the Rand report. In the 1970's the Rochester Police Department (New York) experimented with team policing, with a team consisting of approximately 30 patrol officers, 4 to 7 detectives, a patrol lieutenant, and patrol sergeants. An evaluation of the experiment indicated that teams had a higher percentage of arrests and clearances for burglary, robbery, and larceny than did nonteam personnel. The National Institute of Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement of the U.S. Justice Department has sponsored training programs to enhance the management of criminal investigations. These courses emphasize case screening and the investigative role of patrol officers. Future research should map the range of investigative functions, explore investigative behavior, examine the information flow for various crime types, and relate investigative behavior and information flow to case outcome. 38 references.