Criminal Investigations Final Exam

The Locard exchange principal is best summarized as?

"Every contact leaves a trace."

How many women have been stalked at some time in their lives?

1 in 12

How many victims of a robbery experience serious injuries such as rape, knife, gunshot wounds or broken bones?

1 in 12.

The NIJ estimates that there are ________ school-related robberies annually?

1,000,000.

Most burglaries are committed by opportunists?

16 billion dollars.

How many states now require that a police officer make an arrest in domestic violence incidents if there is a protective or restraining order against the attacker?

20.

In the Supreme Court ruling, County of Riverside v. McLaughlin (1991), a person arrested without a warrant must generally be provided with a judicial determination of probable cause within how many hours after the arrest?

48 hours.

According to NISMART date, what percentage of the killers of children in the United States have had prior arrests for violent crimes?

61

About half of all robberies involve losses of ________ or less?

82 dollars.

A throw-away child episode involves which of the following?

A child who is away from home is prevented from returning home.

Which of the following is the earliest indicator of the process of lividity in a deceased person?

A dark purplish color forming on the skin.

Shaken baby syndrome is an example of?

Acute maltreatment.

Which rule was established by the Chimel case (1969)?

After making an arrest, police may search the defendant and the area within the defendant's immediate control.

Arsonists often leave behind a "paper trail" which might include?

All answers are correct.

Covert surveillance photography is selective and often used for?

All answers are correct.

Groups that have practiced terrorism include which of the following?

All answers are correct.

Problems with informants can include?

All answers are correct.

Statistics show that there are an estimated 100 cases each year in the United States where a child is abducted and murdered. Which of the following is TRUE?

All answers are correct.

The FBI's early contributions included?

All answers are correct.

The forensic photography unit is responsible for which of the following?

All answers are correct.

The investigator must?

All answers are correct.

The pathologist can provide information about the child's injuries, including?

All answers are correct.

The tasks in a "follow-up" investigation include?

All answers are correct.

Undercover operations can present problems which include?

All answers are correct.

What is the reason and that arson is generally considered a low-priority crime?

All answers are correct.

Which is the most accurate statistic regarding wrongful deaths in the United States?

All answers are correct.

Which of the following is TRUE about commercial robberies?

All answers are correct.

Which of the following is TRUE concerning the rate of child abuse in single-parent households versus two-parent households? Children in single-parent households have?

All answers are correct.

Which of the following is a goal of the interrogation process?

All answers are correct.

Which of the following is an example of forgery?

All answers are correct.

Which of the following is one of the motivations for a criminal informant?

All answers are correct.

Which of the following ways are search warrants utilized?

All answers are correct.

Who is likely to be a victim of stalking?

All answers are correct.

Which of the following should be included in a police officer's field notes?

All choices should be in an officer's field notes.

Bill Monroe matches a description of a burglary suspect from an incident that occurred last night. Monroe is stopped by a police officer and is asked questions about his activities the night before. Monroe believes that he cannot leave; thus, he stays and answers the officer's questions. This situation is known as?

An investigative detention.

According to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC), every year, more than 200,000 children are abducted by family members. An additional 58,000 are taken by nonrelatives with primarily sexual motives. How many reported abductions represent cases in which strangers abduct and kill children, hold them for ransom, or take them with the intention to keep?

Approximately 115.

This is the act of placing a person in custody for a suspected violation of criminal law?

Arrest.

Generally, when should police officers begin to take notes?

As soon as an officer gets a call to the scene of a crime.

The principal requirement(s) of photograph admissibility is/are?

Authentication and relevance.

Which physical evidence in a fire indicates burning a petroleum base?

Black smoke.

Which physical evidence in a fire indicates burning alcohol?

Blue-orange flames.

Which of the following U.S. city established the first professional police force?

Boston

Which of the following distinguishes burglary and robbery?

Burglars are more concerned with financial gain, whereas robbers are prepared for a violent altercation with the victim.

Which of the following is an ACCURATE statement regarding the crime of burglary?

Burglars usually try to avoid confrontations during the commission of their act.

Which of the following is an element likely to define an aggravated assault?

Burns inflicted over a large area of a person's body.

What statement is TRUE of CODIS?

CODIS stores DNA profiles from across the country in a series of local, state, and national databases, all linked via computers.

According to the Uniform Crime Reports (UCR), which of the following is the most accurate definition of forcible rape?

Carnal knowledge of a female forcibly.

Allegations of planting, tampering, theft or contamination of evidence is prevented by establishing and maintaining a(n)?

Chain of custody.

An investigator is working on a missing child case where a 14-year-old girl suddenly disappeared with no apparent reason. The investigator determined there was no recent fight between the child and parents, yet the child was gone one day when the parents returned from work. Which of the following would be an investigative priority for the investigator?

Check the child's computer.

Battered child syndrome is an example of?

Chronic maltreatment.

________ is an internationally recognized "missing child" safety program in the United States (and Canada), originally created by Walmart retail stores in 1994. Today, many department stores, retail shops, shopping malls, supermarkets, amusement parks, and museums participate in the program. Legislation enacted by Congress in 2003 now mandates that all federal office buildings use the program?

Code Adam.

Sam Smith gave his confession after being threatened with physical abuse if he did not confess. Which of the following methods best describes his treatment?

Coercion.

The identification and arrest of major crime figures has been the result of?

Collection of criminal intelligence.

In this situation, the officer may not exert any authority over the subject. Officers can continue to seek the subject's cooperation but cannot demand it?

Consensual encounter.

Evidence that establishes that a crime has been committed is classified as?

Corpus delicti.

Which of the following actions is recommended for the first officer on reaching the scene of a robbery in progress?

Cover the most likely exit from the robbery location.

Which of the following is the best example of "flipping"?

Dante has agreed to provide information about an associate in exchange for his own charges being dropped.

Sam Smith's confession was ruled inadmissible by a court of law because he had been deprived of food and water for many hours before confessing. Which of the following methods bet describes his treatment?

Duress

A firm's accountant makes a payment to a fictitious company for goods that were never received. She then endorses the check for payment and pockets the money. If she is caught, with which crime will she probably be charged?

Embezzlement.

The purpose of a "flash description" broadcast is to?

Enable other officers to quickly apprehend a suspect still in the vicinity.

A teacher notices that one of his eight-year-old students has fingertip marks and burn marks on their arm. These are ________ of abuse?

External signs.

The single most significant development in criminal investigation in the United States was the establishment of the ________ in 1924?

FBI

Which of the following is the essential element of a police report?

Factuality

Loss or impairment of body members or organs is categorized as a simple assault?

False

One of the first professional police forces were established in Dallas, Texas in 1822?

False

Of the people arrested for arson, 80 percent are convicted?

False.

Robbery is essentially the same crime as burglary, a crime involving theft of property?

False.

The rate of child abuse in single-parent households is the same as the rate of child abuse in two-parent households?

False.

________ is concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse?

Forensic pathology

The primary stages of crime scene photographs are the?

General, medium-range and close-up.

By watching a suspect's hands, which of the following would be an indication that they are probably telling the truth?

Hand on chin.

According to the FBI in 2014, robberies?

Have decreased.

Which of the following is an accurate profile of a killer of abducted children?

He is around 27 years old, unmarried and is unemployed about half the time.

Which technique for detecting accelerants in fire debris involves taking solid debris from the suspected point of origin of the fire and heating the vial it is contained it?

Headspace gas chromatography.

The Bow Street Runners were established by?

Henry Fielding.

The ________ created the Department of Homeland Security?

Homeland Security Act of 2002.

Which type of larceny involves obtaining credit, merchandise, or services by fraudulent personal representation?

Identity theft.

________ terrorism is normally an effort to change the current political power?

Ideological.

An undercover police officer is using an informant in order to be introduced to a local drug dealer. Just prior to the operation, the informant, a convicted drug dealer himself, failed to meet the officer and purchased drugs without the officer present. The informant turned over the drugs to the officer immediately after the transaction. What problem does this situation exemplify when dealing with informants?

Informants are difficult to control.

When taking field notes on a home burglary, which of the following details is of least initial value?

Insurance company, coverage and deductible.

The most common form of covert information collection includes the process known as?

Intelligence gathering.

A child is seen in the emergency room with a broken arm. X-rays taken reveal multiple prior broken bones and a current spiral fracture. These are ________ of abuse?

Internal signs.

"Violent acts or acts that are a danger to human life that are a violation of the criminal law of the United States or any state or that would be a criminal violation if committed within the jurisdiction of the United States or any state" is defined as ________ by the FBI?

International terrorism.

According to the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, which one of the following is essential to a successful homicide unit?

Investigative tools, such as polygraph, bloodstain pattern analysis, criminal investigative analysis, and statement analysis.

Which of the following is best recommended for controlling an informant?

Investigators should have frequent personal contact with informants.

Which of the following is incorrect regarding the Miranda warnings?

It applies to both custodial interrogations and to circumstances in which the suspect is free to leave.

What is the most common type of weapon used in aggravated assaults?

Knife or cutting instruments.

A police officer is investigating a burglary and is using fingerprint powder and a fingerprint brush at the point of entry to locate possible fingerprints. What kind of fingerprints is the officer looking for?

Latent

A(n) ________ fingerprint is often not visible to the naked eye?

Latent.

The analysis of intelligence data often requires the diagramming of information in the forms of?

Link analysis and flowcharting.

Sean Larson is an arson investigator. Which of the following should be his first step when investigating a possible arson?

Locate the point of origin for the fire.

________ terrorism is characterized by activity that supports the interests of an ethic or nationalistic group, regardless of its political ideology?

Nationalistic.

The ________ prohibits transactions with terrorists?

Omnibus Counterterrorism Act of 1995.

Strategic intelligence is most useful in?

Organizing long-range plans for interdiction in criminal activities of extended.

Patrol division personnel can be especially instrumental in providing ________ intelligence regarding business and residential activities of major criminals in the area?

Overt.

What is the legal term that asserts the government's role in protecting the interests of children and intervening when parents fail to provide proper care?

Parens patriae.

Which of the following refers to informants who provide information with a hidden benefit or advantage to themselves?

Perversely motivated informants.

A police officer is investigating a robbery. The stolen vehicle that was used in the crime has been located. During a careful search for fingerprints using only a flashlight and careful observation, a latent print is clearly visible on the car door handle. What should the officer do FIRST?

Photograph the print before attempts are made to develop it.

The best method of organizing crime scene photos is by using a?

Photographic log.

The first criminal investigation agency in the United States was the?

Pinkerton National Detective Agency

A(n) ________ fingerprint results when a fingerprint leaves a negative impression?

Plastic.

Which aspect of homicide investigations is most prone to error?

Preserving the crime scene.

Evidence established by law that at face value proves a fact in dispute is known as?

Prima facie evidence.

A group of four women are going from store to store, stealing clothing and other items for both personal use and for resale. The women have been doing this for over a year and they operate a typical "boosting" operation. What type of shoplifters are they?

Professional.

After the preliminary duties have been performed at a homicide scene, the responding officer must immediately?

Protect the crime scene.

The main purpose of conducting a crime scene "walk-through" is to?

Provide the investigator with an overview of the entire scene.

Which of the following is indicative of an exit wound?

Ragged or torn appearance.

Terry v. Ohio (1968) requires that a police officer stopping a person for questioning has ________ that the individual is involved in criminal activity?

Reasonable suspicion.

Which of the following is a frightening and potentially dangerous crime that can occur to a family?

Residential robberies.

The ________ little known and often misunderstood piece of legislation that can protect an entity from the truly enterprise threatening" liability it could face following a terrorist event?

SAFETY Act of 2002.

Chimel v. California (1969) established the?

Search incidental to an arrest.

What is the primary motivation for the child abduction murder?

Sexual assault.

England's first paid, full-time police force, the London Metropolitan Police Department, was named after?

Sir Robert Peel.

The two basic types of criminal intelligence are?

Strategic and Tactical.

Which of the following is the most typical robbery location?

Street/Highway.

The four primary components of the intelligence gathering function are?

Target selection, data collection, data collation & analysis and dissemination.

Tactical intelligence is most useful in?

Targeting criminal activity of immediate importance to the investigator.

What are tiny pinpoint hemorrhages resulting from the discharge of unburned powder being deposited into the skin called?

Tattooing.

When investigating a possible battered child syndrome incident, the investigation should always do the following?

The pathologist can provide information about the child's injuries, including.

In which of the stages of decomposition does marbelization occur?

The putrefaction stage.

A police officer is interrogating a suspect in a white-collar crime case where several hundred thousand dollars are suspected to have been stolen. When asked if knows anything about the missing money, the suspect puts his hands over his mouth and says, "I don't know what you're talking about." What conclusion can the investigator draw from the suspect's behavior and answer?

The suspect is probably lying.

When the identity of the rapist in unknown, the focus of a follow-up interview of a victim of forcible rape should be on?

The victim's recall of the circumstances of the rape.

A police officer stops a car for a traffic violation. The officer conducts a legal search of the vehicle after obtaining consent from the driver. The officer discovered stolen property and a large amount of illegal prescription drugs in the car. The driver is given a choice to be charged with felony possession with intent to deliver a controlled substance or cooperate with the police to identify and arrest the source of the drugs. What process is the officer using?

This process is known as "flipping.

Which of the following is a characteristic of a simple assault?

Threats by one person to cause bodily harm.

The unnecessary or improper entry of individuals into a crime scene should be limited?

To avoid the destruction or contamination of important evidence.

What is the purpose of the cognitive interview?

To elicit better information from victims and witnesses.

The ________ unit examines and compares specific type of materials that could be transferred during the commission of a violent crime?

Trace evidence unit.

A dust print is a print that has been adulterated with foreign matter?

True

Evidence of soot is present in (bullet) contact wounds?

True

The egotistical informant has a desire to associate with law enforcement?

True

The investigator's field notes should include the date and time of assignment to the case?

True

The person who buys and sells stolen property with criminal intent is called a fence?

True

A police informant may legitimately conduct "controlled" undercover transactions?

True.

A sworn pretrial deposition is one form of testimonial evidence?

True.

Carroll v. U.S. established the precedent of warrantless searches of automobiles?

True.

Child abuse is most likely to occur when parents are struggling with alcohol or drug abuse?

True.

Covert information collection is the most common and includes a process known as intelligence gathering?

True.

Criminal intelligence can be misused, if not regulated and carried out properly?

True.

During the interview when the officer is convinced that the subject is lying, it is still crucial he/she maintain a non-accusatory demeanor?

True.

Guns are used in about 40 percent of all robberies?

True.

In most murders reported to police, the victims knew their assailant?

True.

In only 2 percent of the child abductions are registered sex offenders involved?

True.

Law enforcement tactics that place undue pressure on suspects to "cooperate" sometimes induce innocent people to confess to crimes they did not commit?

True.

Most burglaries are committed by opportunists.

True.

Officers usually write field notes in the order in which information was learned, rather than in chronological order?

True.

Physical evidence is defined as the type of evidence which is self-explanatory in nature, such as weapons, fingerprints, blood and drugs?

True.

Police investigators at the scene of an assault should photograph the victim's injuries?

True.

Powders can be used to develop fingerprints by making them show up on a surface where they would otherwise go unnoticed?

True.

Terrorism can be carried out by either left wing or right wing political parties?

True.

Terrorists deliberately attempt to target noncombatants?

True.

The United States has one of the highest fire death rates in the industrialized world?

True.

There are approximately more than 200,000 children abducted each year by family members?

True.

Thief catchers recruited from the riffraff of the streets to aid law enforcement officials in locating criminals?

True.

U.S. v. Leon allows the use of evidence obtained by officers acting in reasonable reliance on a search warrant issued by a neutral magistrate but that is ultimately found invalid?

True.

The ________ provisions include roving wiretaps, searches of business records and conducting surveillance of "lone wolves."?

USA Patriot Act.

Which of the following explains the term fungible goods?

Untraceable goods such as tools, liquor, and clothing.

A(n) ________ fingerprint has been adulterated with foreign matter?

Visible

To date, all crime scenes are searched based on Edmund Locard's principle, which states:

Whenever a perpetrator come into contact with the scene they either leave or take something away.

When are Miranda warning required to be read to a suspect?

Whenever a person is in custody and prior to interrogation.

Which physical evidence in a fire indicates burning vegetable matter?

White smoke.