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exams 1-3

Terms in this set (150)

Which is NOT one of the most common activities performed in investigations?
patrolling in the community and being on the lookout for crimes
Stings, decoys, undercover fencing operations, and stakeouts are types of
undercover investigations
According to the information theory as it applies to the criminal investigation process,
the criminal investigation process resembles a battle between the police and the perpetrator over crime-related information
What is the process of collecting crime-related information in order to reach certain goals?
criminal investigation
What is the ultimate goal of the criminal investigation process?
to reduce crime
The London Metropolitan police Department was established in the _____
1800s
The mid-1800s to the early 1900s in American policing has been characterized as the
political era of policing
What era of policing used investigative tactics like the dragnet roundup of suspects and the third degree?
Political era of policing
Which sentence is NOT accurate regarding history?
History is not important.
What kind of behaviors were NOT associated with the third degree?
executing subjects
What did NOT lead to the creation of state police agencies?
a decrease in crimes
Which of the following is NOT true about the FBI?
The FBI was created by J. Edgar Hoover in 1908.
Probable cause is a set of facts that
convinces a reasonable person that particular circumstances exist
Reasonable suspicion applies to
stop-and-frisk searches
The legal question what would a reasonable person have thought or done under these circumstances relates to
probable cause
Evidence that tends to exclude or eliminate someone from consideration as a suspect is
exculpatory evidence
The standard of proof needed in trial in order to conclude that a defendant is guilty of a crime is
beyond a reasonable doubt
Identifying the perpetrator is basically the same thing as apprehending the perpetrator.
false
Luck and good fortune is rarely present in successful criminal investigations.
false
According to the entrapment theory, the criminal investigation process resembles a battle between the police and the perpetrator over crime-related information.
false
All criminal evidence depends on scientific analysis in order to be meaningful and useful.
false
Forensic science refers to the field of scientific study that addresses legal questions.
true
It is uncommon for investigators of one crime to discover information leading to being solved.
false
CSI accurately portrays the reality of criminal investigations.
false
With the system of the Parliamentary reward, a reward was offered by the government to anyone who provided information that led to the apprehension of criminals.
true
Thief-takers most often worked on behalf of the rich, not the poor.
true
In England, the role and position of the plain-clothes detective was immediately welcomed by the public.
false
At the time of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the policing function was almost exclusively a responsibility of the federal government.
false
In the political era of policing, detectives played a large and significant role in crime fighting.
false
The first identification system used in America for criminal investigation purposes was fingerprinting.
false
One of the primary advantages of private detective firms of the mid- to late 1800s (such as Pinkerton's) was that they operated without concern for political jurisdictional lines.
true
The system of policing from the early 1900s to the 1960s was known as the reform era
true
A cornerstone of community policing is that the police are the experts and the most effective without involvement of citizens in criminal investigations or other matters.
false
Because of the Lindbergh baby kidnapping, kidnapping became a federal offense and under FBI jurisdiction.
true
Fingerprints are always circumstantial evidence.
false
A defendant can be convicted of a crime with circumstantial evidence alone.
true
Circumstantial evidence is not necessarily less valuable than direct evidence in establishing proof.
true
A defendant's previous admission or confession may be admitted into court as hearsay.
true
A lay witness provides special knowledge about a fact of the case that needs examination.
false
Physicians, therapists, and forensic science technicians can all be possible expert witnesses
true
If a person is under arrest, then that person is generally not free to leave.
true
Most searches conducted by the police are conducted without a warrant.
true
The question "is the evidence and corresponding testimony based on scientific knowledge?" is associated with the Daubert test.
true
If a search is conducted without a warrant, then probable cause to conduct the search is rarely necessary.
false
When a vehicle is impounded due to a parking violation, the police can legally conduct an inventory search of that vehicle without a warrant or probable cause that the vehicle contains evidence.
true
Custodial interrogations require Miranda warnings, regardless of the severity of the offense.
true
If no-trespassing signs are posted on a property, then the police cannot legally search that area without a warrant.
false
Under search incident to lawful arrest, the police can legally search an entire house if the suspect who is arrested was within 60 feet of the house at the time of the arrest
false
The police can legally conduct a stop and frisk search of a person if that person looks suspicious and that person was never seen in the area before
false
When a motorist is stopped for a traffic violation, the officer may legally order the motorists out of their car.
True
Forensic evidence is most often used to
establish associations between offenders, victims, and instruments
According to Locard's exchange principle,
investigators should expect to find evidence at crime scenes
A ____ is the area within the immediate vicinity in which the criminal incident occurred or was believed to have occurred.
crime scene
characteristic evidence has characteristics that can be identified as originating with a particular person or source.
individual
Which field is NOT directly part of the specialty fields of forensic science?
biology
With regard to cognitive interviewing, _______.
recreating the context of the original event is extremely important
_______ are usually non-accusatory and have the goal of developing information to move a criminal investigation forward.
Interviews
is among the least reliable types of evidence yet is extremely persuasive in establishing proof.
eyewitness testimony
Human memory consists of three phases:
encoding, storage, and retrieval
Which stage of memory can be affected by the lighting conditions, distance, and obstructed views?
encoding
The fundamental premise of ______ is that human beings do not move randomly throughout their environment.
geographical profiling
______ are areas where an individual spends the majority of his/her time
Anchor points
Familiar routes to and from commonly visited areas create an individual's
cognitive map
______ is the area close to the perpetrator's home where the perpetrator has a strong inclination to not commit a crime.
buffer zone
________ is the concept that, as the distance away from a perpetrator's home increases, the chances of him/her committing a crime decreases.
Distance decay
___________ witnesses are individuals who have direct knowledge of the crime in question or of the suspected perpetrator of the crime.
Primary
_____________questions may distort the information retrieved from a witness's memory.
Leading
___________ is an altered state of consciousness that is characterized by increased responsiveness to suggestion.
Hypnosis
The most significant benefit of ______________ is that it has been shown to be an effective tool in enhancing memory recall.
cognitive interviewing
A ___________ witness is one who has information about related events before or after the crime.
secondary
Pry or tool marks on a window prove that a burglary occurred.
false
Physical evidence can act as direct or circumstantial evidence.
True
DNA analysis was first used in a criminal investigation in 1987 in England.
True
The most common types of biological evidence encountered are blood, semen, saliva, and hair.
True
Elimination prints are fingerprints of all persons who are known to have had legal access to the scene.
True
If lifted properly, fingerprints can always accurately indicate the source's age.
false
Criminalistics refers specifically to the science of physical evidence
True
Forensic anthropology refers to the science of dead bodies and autopsies.
false
Forensic entomology refers to the science of insects in answering legal questions.
True
Research shows that sketch artists almost always produce more-accurate facial images than technicians using other methods.
false
One of the reasons that some police departments do not distribute composite pictures of suspects is that they may generate false leads and contribute to an unproductive investigation.
True
False eyewitness identification is the primary cause of the conviction of innocent people
True
Statements made by other witnesses can affect a witness's retention of information. This highlights the importance of the police separating witnesses prior to interviewing them
True
Most research has come to the conclusion that hypnotically elicited testimony is deficient, especially when leading questions are asked of witnesses.
True
Investigators are placed in a very difficult situation if a witness describes the perpetrator as having a unique feature (a unique tattoo) that cannot be matched with other foils.
false
The most common reason suspects confess is, they believe that there is no point in denying the crime because the police have proof
True
For legal reasons, it is usually recommended that investigators should not be nice to suspects in interrogation settings.
false
The police may legally try to convince a suspect to waive his or her Miranda rights.
false
Most suspects agree to waive their Miranda rights. In turn, most suspects who waive their Miranda rights end up incriminating themselves.
True
Just as with hypnosis, it is best if investigators conducting interrogations know very little about the case at hand.
false
False confessions often occur after extremely long interrogation sessions
True
Fortunately, Miranda warnings are effective at preventing false confessions.
false
The recommendation that interrogations should be video-recorded has virtually no benefit for police or prosecutors.
false
Research has shown that voice stress analysis and the polygraph are similar in terms of validity and reliability of the results.
false
The theory underlying the use of the polygraph is basically that there is a relationship between a person's state of mind and his/her physiological state
True
Psychological and crime scene profiling are the same as offender profiling
false
Psychological profile of suspects can only be developed in cases such as serial homicide and rape.
false
Psychological profiling has been developed within the past five years or so.
false
One of the problems with the terms of MO and signature is that it is often not clear what is MO and what is signature.
True
Trauma to the victim's face usually indicates that the victims and the offender are strangers.
false
With regard to NCIC, it _____.
is a computerized information network operated by the FBI
The is modeled after the alerts that are used to notify people of impending severe weather.
AMBER alert
________ are most often used by the police in ongoing undercover investigations.
Confidential informants
What is the largest crime information network system in the United States operated by the FBI?
NCIC
Which of the following is NOT a type of informant?
the victim informant
This type of informant is coerced by the police to provide information.
the hammered informant
Which of the following is NOT a feature gangs often have in common?
They are the same in every city.
With regard to homicides, _____.
most involve the use of a firearm
PMI refers to _____.
the estimated time of death
All death can be explained in one of four ways:
natural causes, accidents, suicides, and homicides
It is usually most difficult to differentiate suicides from _____ or suicides from _____.
homicides; accidents
Homicides most often occur as a result of____.
argument
Which of the following is NOT a basic question that needs to be answered in a death investigation?
Why was the murder committed?
Rohypnol and GHB are _______.
so-called date rape drugs
The most important source of information in a rape investigation is _______.
the victim
The issue of _____ is unique in rape cases; it rarely, if ever, becomes an issue in other types of crimes.
consent
Child abuse involves _____.
physical abuse, sexual abuse, and emotional abuse
Which of the following is the most common form of child abuse?
neglect
Interviewing victims of sexual assaults should be conducted similarly to victims of other crimes.
False
A lack of consent in sexual assault cases can be established through a victim's statement, documentation of injuries, the use of a weapon, the circumstances of the crime, and the age of the victim
True
A signature aspect of a rape is everything that goes beyond what is necessary to commit the act.
True
First responders should minimize the number of times a victim goes over the details of the incident.
True
The focus of the interview of a sexual assault victim is the sexuality of the acts.
False
The identification of the perpetrator in child abuse and domestic violence investigations is the primary challenge investigators face.
False
Domestic violence is often underreported.
True
Psychological entrapment theory suggests that a woman has invested so much into the abusive relationship that she is willing to tolerate it rather than leave it.
True
A child's risk of being neglected decreases with age
True
The most common circumstance in which homicides occur are arguments between victim and the perpetrator.
True
The overwhelming majority of murder victims are murdered by strangers.
False
Usually, one of the most difficult tasks for investigators in homicide investigations is determining the identity of the decedent.
False
The presence of defensive wounds on a dead body is usually indicative of homicide as the manner of death.
True
After death, if insects found on the face are at the same stage of development as those in the pelvic region, it may mean that there was trauma to the pelvic region.
True
Wounds inflicted after death are generally more attractive to insects than wounds inflicted before death.
False
PMI estimates time of death through the changes a body goes through after death.
True
Cutting wounds present holes in the skin tissue.
False
Blunt force trauma is characterized by irregular or rough-edged lacerations, bruising, and possibly broken bones in the contact area.
True
Asphyxia is when a person is unable to breathe due to an action or material.
True
Ligature strangulation occurs through the use of hands.
False
Poisoning most often occurs as a result of a homicide.
False
Drug-overdose deaths are often about determining who supplied the drugs to the victim.
True
One of the problems with tip lines is that people may call to falsely report the conduct friends or associates.
True
One of the problems with telephone tip lines set up for specific high-profile crimes is that they usually receive very few calls
False
Facebook is not useful to investigators because they have to "Friend" the person they are investigating, and that person rarely accepts.
false
NCIC and NLETS are examples of interdepartmental databases.
True
Gangs have identifiers, such as colors or symbols, which are worn or shown through use of graffiti, tattoos, clothing, and hand symbols.
True
The public display of identifiers by gangs has increased in recent years to boast to the police that gangs are seemingly untouchable.
False
Gang members are disproportionately involved in crime.
True
Task forces have been developed that specifically focus on gathering gang intelligence.
True
There is no single definition of a gang
True
The mercenary informant is motivated by money to provide information to the police
True
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