1000-1250 minimum word requirement

Weekly tasks or assignments (Individual or Group Projects) will be due by Monday and late submissions will be assigned a late penalty in accordance with the late penalty policy found in the syllabus. NOTE: All submission posting times are based on midnight Central Time.

You are a rookie investigator assigned to the Juvenile Sex Crimes Unit. Because you are new to the unit, the supervisor of the unit has assigned you to work with veteran investigator Jake Wilson to get your training in sex crimes unit investigations. During your tour of duty on your first day, you receive a call to proceed to 1255 Maple Street to meet a patrol officer who is on a juvenile sex assault call at the No Tell Motel. On arrival, you learn that the suspect was seen by law enforcement officers acting suspicious in the parking lot earlier in the day, and when he spotted officers, he quickly drove away from the motel parking lot. After a short chase, officers took the subject, Jose Torres, H/M 35 years of age, into custody.

After taking the suspect into custody, he was asked by officers why he ran, and he opened up to officers and told them that he had been having sex with an underage 14-year-old girl, his girlfriend, in the motel room and had gotten scared when he saw the police. You also learn that officers did not read him his rights before asking him questions regarding the scene and recognize this might be a problem in the case. The crime scene had been entered already by several police officers who stopped by to visit the crime scene, and office management had also stopped by. The 14-year-old female was also at the crime scene, and your partner is interviewing her on the scene to find out what happened.

Based on the above crime scene and information, answer the questions listed below regarding the scene.

Assignment Guidelines

• Address the following in 1,000–1,250 words:

Evidence and Scene Processing

• Considering the evidence at the crime scene, make a list of this evidence, and also advise what equipment you will utilize to recover the evidence.
• Describe the process of protecting the crime scene and recovering the evidence, labeling it, transporting it, and exactly what type of analysis you would request to have performed with the evidence by the lab.
• After reading the scenario, is there a problem with scene contamination?
  • What role will this evidence likely play in your case?
  • Would a warrant be needed at the crime scene? Why or why not?

Victim and Witness Statements, Suspect Interrogation

• What is the proper process for obtaining a statement from both the suspect and the victim in this incident?
• Will you be able to use the information provided to patrol officers by the suspect immediately after his arrest?
• If your partner interviewed the suspect at the scene and threatened him, would this be lawful? Why or why not?
• If your partner lied to the suspect to gain information from him, would this information be usable?
  • What if your partner read the suspect his rights before the interrogation?
• What has the Supreme Court said about the use of deception in interrogating a suspect?
• Where would you interview the female victim?
• Who would do the interview, and how should it be conducted?
• What types of questions should the interviewer ask the suspect and the victim in this crime? Why?

Training Needs

• What type of specialized training would you need as a sex crimes investigator?
  • Describe some of the training you feel would be useful for a rookie detective who just got promoted and placed into a sex crimes unit. 
• What types of training would you recommend for a veteran detective who had just transferred into the sex crimes unit?
• How does experience play a role in the types of training that you would recommend for each of these two types of officers—a rookie and a veteran? Explain.

Outline provided:

1. Title Page

2. Abstract

   1. I am a rookie investigator working with veteran investigator Jake Wilson assigned to the Juvenile Sex Crimes Unit.

   2. Received a dispatch call to No Tell Motel located at 1255 Maple Street

   3. Suspect Jose Terres fled scene and was apprehended after a short car chase

   4. Suspect was questioned about his actions

   5. Suspect volunteered information regarding his sexual relationship with a 14 year old girl; his “girlfriend”

   6. Miranda Rights were not given to Suspect prior to questioning and raises cause for alarm of the case

3. Evidence and Scene Processing

   1. Both scenes will be taped off and guarded from entry from unauthorized persons

   2. Chain of custody started and documented log of those entering and leaving scenes

   3. Photography and Documentation of the scene(s)

      1. Pictures of the hotel room in its undisturbed state before processing the scene

      2. Pictures of the vehicle that Jose fled in prior to processing that scene.

      3. Diagram of the location sketched or computed in authorized software

      4. Measurements of the room, scale of the evidence photographed, time and date, notes to be taken in a recorded log

      5. If bruising or other signs of physical harm or restraint is present; it is to be photographed, show scale, and be noted

   4. Fingerprints

      1. Fingerprints would be taken of both individuals:  Jose and 14 year old girl while in custody

      2. Fingerprints should be taken of authorized personnel on the case to exclude them if they were not wearing gloves that could have possible contaminated scene

      3. Using the “department issued” latent fingerprint kit; prints should be dusted, photographed, collected by lifting tape and/or placed on white backed cards to be labeled, packaged and safely secured in evidence collection kit.  Including notes of where there they were collected, who collected (chain of custody), item number

      4. Each print needs to be collected separately

   5. Physical evidence

      1. Physical items are to be photographed and to show scale if needed. 

         1. These items include but not limited to:

            1. Such as if anything was disrupted, broken, torn, or anything not looking “normal”

            2. Distressed clothing

            3. Condoms

            4. Semen presence on clothing or linens using a semen UV light          

      2. Evidence should be placed individually in authorized evidence bags, envelopes, containers, etc. 

         1. Each bag should be labeled of its contents, sealed and secured

         2. Evidence shall include item number, name of person whom collected it following the chain of custody

   6. Blood evidence, presence of hair, trace

      1. In addition to fingerprints taken, Jose and 14 year old girl should be swabbed in mouth with a collection swab to have DNA tested.  It would be used to compare to any fluids present at scene such as semen, blood, epithelia’s, and vaginal fluids.

      2. Blood presence should be photographed, shown to scale, documented before collection

      3. Blood should be collected by a swab that has its own container. 

      4. Once it is tested positive, the container is closed, marked with item number, sealed, notes taken, and stored in secure kit for transport by the current collector to be named on the chain of custody

      5. Presence of hair shall be photographed, collected by tweezers, placed in an envelope, item number issued, sealed, and signed by the collector to be named on the chain of custody.

         1. If hair isn’t able to be collected by tweezers, collection tape can be used to collect hair

         2. Trace or fibers can be collected the same way if present

      6. This evidence is safely transported and sent to the lab for further analysis

   7. What role will this evidence likely play in my case?

   8. Would a warrant be needed at the crime scene? 

      1. Why or why not?

4. Victim and Witness Statements, Suspect Interrogation

   1. What is the purpose of these recorded statements/interviews?

      1. To understand the sequence of events

      2. To confirm or deny the facts stated

      3. Prove or disprove evidence

      4. Solve or dismiss the case

   2. Miranda Rights

   3. Recorded Statement

   4. Interview protocol

      1. What types of questions would be asked of the witnesses?

         1. Who did you see? 

         2. What did they wear? 

         3. What did you hear?

         4. About what time did this occur?

         5. What were you doing when you heard the disturbance?

         6. What seemed different or out of the normal?

         7. Any facts you’d like to share?

      2. What types of questions would be asked of the victim?

         1. First, where would this interview take place?

         2. Second, who would conduct the interview?

            1. Should I interview or wait for a female officer?

            2. Who would the victim feel more comfortable with?

         3. What was the nature of her relationship with Jose?

            1. Was it consensual, coerced, or rape?

            2. What is the duration of the relationship?

            3. Is she a runaway?

            4. Status of relationship with her parents

      3. What types of questions would be asked of the suspect?

         1. What is the suspect’s statement?

            1. What was he doing at hotel?

            2. Why did he flee the scene?

            3. Why did he feel compelled to talk without his Miranda rights read aloud?

            4. Questions leading to if the nature of the relationship was consensual, coerced, or forcible rape

            5. Understanding of under the age of 18 (some state 17) is statutory rape

      4. Hypotheticals

         1. Will I be able to use the information provided to patrol officers by the suspect immediately after his arrest?

            1. Explain rationale

         2. If my partner interviewed the suspect at the scene and threatened him, would this be lawful?

            1. Explain rationale

         3. If my partner lied to the suspect to gain information from him, would this information be usable?

            1. Explain rationale

         4. What if my partner read the suspects his rights before interrogation?

            1. Explain rationale

      5. What has the Supreme Court said about the use of deception in interrogation a suspect?

         1. Frazier v. Cupp, 394 U.S. 731, 1969 

5. Training Needs

   1. Specialized Training: Sex Crimes Investigator

      1. What kind of training would be useful as a rookie detective like me placed into the sex crimes unit?

      2. What kind of training would be useful as a veteran detective placed into the sex crimes unit?

      3. How does the length of field experience play a role in this field of training for both rookie and the veteran officer?

         1. What are the strengths of the rookie?

         2. What are the strengths of the veteran?

         3. What are the weaknesses of the rookie?

         4. What are the weaknesses of the veteran?

         5. How does their experience or lack thereof affect their new placement in the Sex Crimes Unit?

6. Conclusion

7. References