NCJ Number
87600
Date Published
1982
Length
10 pages
Annotation
An arson investigative task force, consisting of the collective skills of the firefighter, criminal investigator, prosecutor, and the insurance industry, is essential for the consistently effective investigation of arson.
Abstract
Quality leadership is crucial to coordination of the several professional disciplines represented on the task force, and the leader's efforts must be devoted exclusively to task force work. Further, the task force leader must enjoy the esteem of the upper echelons of the police, fire, prosecution, and political hierarchies. Regardless of task force structure three professional talents must exist: (1) fire scene investigators, who can determine a fire's cause and origin, photograph and sketch the fire scene, and properly collect and preserve physical evidence; (2) criminal investigators capable of such investigative tasks as intelligence, interviews, interrogations, and surveillance; and (3) the prosecutor, who ensure that the evidence and testimony essential to a succesful prosecution are complete and legally obtained. The task force will need assistance from laboratories, insurance companies, polygraph operators, and utility companies. All task force members, should be trained in aspects of the other task-force disciplines. Eight footnotes and six bibliographic listings are provided.