Criminal Investigations mid term - Flashcards

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A ____________ approach to case investigation involves using specialists in various fields from within a particular jurisdiction

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multidisciplinary

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A criminal's modus operandi is the details of

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how, when and where a criminal usually operates.

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A logical process of investigation includes

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obtaining physical evidence legally, effectively interviewing witnesses, legally and effectively interrogating suspects, thoroughly developing leads and recording all details.

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According to the text, most cases that are lost are lost during what part of the investigation?

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in the first hour

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According to the text, when both the public and other professions within the justice system have unrealistic expectations of CSI abilities, law enforcement agencies are said to be suffering from what?

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CSI effect

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At a death scene, which would not be of immediate concern?

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identifying the body

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Because definitions of crimes and their penalties vary considerably depending on where they occur, investigators must be familiar with

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local ordinances, county ordinances and state statutes.

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Crime mapping focuses on

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hot spots where crime occurs.

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Critical aspects of a successful investigation include thorough planning and preparation, efficient information management, a focus on effective communication and

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advanced role definition and delineation of responsibilities.

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The initial contact with law enforcement in a criminal investigation is usually made between a citizen and a

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dispatcher.

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The act of sifting through the mountains of available information to find the data that pertains to an investigator's case is referred to as

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data mining.

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The Latin term that means "to track or trace" and that relates most closely with contemporary police investigations is

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vestigare.

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Spontaneous statements uttered by a suspect at the time of a crime, concerning and closely related to actions involved in the crime, are referred to as what type of statements?

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res gestae

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Securing the crime scene is a major responsibility of the

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first officer(s) on the scene.

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Problem-oriented policing places a high value on new responses that are more

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preventive.

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Medical examiners and coroners' (ME/C) offices provide death investigation services locally and are responsible for what type of investigation of deaths?

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all of these choices

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In cases where officers were not able to complete the investigation for some reason, what may be required?

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follow-up investigation

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Determining the optimal case assignment load, determining what factors are needed to solve crimes and reducing the number of crimes assigned for investigations that cannot be solved are all ways to increase

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investigative productivity.

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What type of response time is necessary to increase the probability of arrest at the scene?

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one minute or less

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Which process helps detectives use maps to understand the hunting patterns of serial criminals, to determine where these offenders might live and to identify offenders' next likely target?

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crime mapping

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Which statement is not one of the components of CompStat?

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increase in arrests and convictions

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Which term describes a logical process in which a conclusion follows from specific facts?

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deductive reasoning

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Whose staff can provide information and advice to investigators about legal issues, search and seizure, warrants, confessions and admissibility of evidence?

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prosecutor

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An inference is

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a process of reasoning by which a fact may be deduced.

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A fact is

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an action, an event, a circumstance or an actual thing done.

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Presynct_DictaTrans field-based reporting system

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all of these choices.

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A major advance is the ability of computer software to stitch together digital photos of 180 degrees or more to create one 360-degree photo—a panoramic view of a crime scene that is interactive, allowing viewers, including jury members, to walk through it as though they were there. This type of 360-degree photographic view is called

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immersive imaging.

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A sketch drawn or personally witnessed by an investigator that accurately portrays a crime scene and that is allowed into evidence is referred to as what type of sketch

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admissible

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Admissible photographs must be

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all of these choices.

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Approximately what percentage of an officer's time is spent writing reports?

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20 percent

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Being concise means to

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eliminate wordiness.

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Citizen Online Report Writing is appropriate for

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discovery crimes.

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Crime scene photographs are

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none of these choices.

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Due process disclosure of what type of evidence must be determined and made by the prosecutor?

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exculpatory information

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In a police report, the majority of statements should be

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facts.

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In which direction should the top of a sketch be oriented?

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north

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Investigative reports are read by many people and used for many purposes. Which of the following is not an example of how a report would typically be used?

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Convey information to the victim or the victim's family.

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Many agencies fail to do this with those tasked with videotaping a crime scene:

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provide adequate training.

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Officers should not write reports in the

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passive voice.

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Once a report is written, the writer should:

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Proofread it.

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One benefit of a well-written report is that it can

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all of these choices.

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One of the disadvantages of photographs is that

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they are not selective.

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Photographs should be taken

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before anything is disturbed.

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Photographs should be taken in the following order:

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general area, specific area, specific objects.

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Providing proof that the image introduced into evidence is the same image taken at the crime scene is referred to as

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image authentication.

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Record all information that helps to answer the questions of

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Who? What? Where? When? How? and Why?

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Which of the following is true of writing completed in the active voice?

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The subject of the sentence performs the actions.

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Which of the following is not a benefit of a well-written report?

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It is geared subjectively to enhance prosecution.

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Which is not associated with some of the common problems with police reports?

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inability to type

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When organizing notes for a police report, officers should not

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use a table of contents.

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Mincey v. Arizona established that

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while officers are on the premises pursuing their legitimate emergency activities, any evidence in plain view may be seized.

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Terry v. Ohio supported officers' right to

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conduct a patdown or a frisk if they believe the person might be armed and dangerous.

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Wyoming v. Houghton (1999) held that an officer may search an automobile passenger's belongings simply because the officer suspects the driver has done something wrong. This ruling, which was intended to prevent drivers from claiming that illegal drugs or other contraband belongs to passengers rather than themselves, is referred to as the

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passenger property exception.

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A genetic fingerprint is obtained from a suspect's

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DNA

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A judge may issue a search warrant if which of the following items are being sought by an officer?

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stolen or embezzled property

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A lane search, or partitioning the area into lanes,

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can be adapted to any number of police personnel.

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A search conducted with a warrant must be limited to

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only the specific area and items named in the warrant.

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A way of folding paper so that evidence does not fall out is referred as a

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druggist fold.

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A way to determine if probable cause exists today is which test?

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totality-of-the-circumstances test

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AFIS stands for

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automated fingerprint identification system.

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Consent to search is valid only if given

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voluntarily.

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DNA profiling can be done using

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cells from almost any part of the body.

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DNA testing is expensive and takes a lot of time. Because of this, laboratories require that

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all of these choices.

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Emergency circumstances (such as fire or officers hearing shots fired or screams) that allow officers to enter a home without a warrant are referred to as

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exigent circumstances.

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Every lawful arrest is accompanied by a search of the arrested person. This is referred to as

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search incident to arrest.

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Evidence disposal can occur

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all of these choices.

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Fingerprints can indicate

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none of these choices.

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Hair analysis can reveal all but which of the following?

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age and gender

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Hopefully, a well-organized, thorough and proper organization of a crime scene search will result in

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a meticulous search with no accidental destruction of evidence.

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In United States v. Leon, the court established that illegally obtained evidence may be admissible if the police were truly not aware they were violating a suspect's Fourth Amendment rights. In this case, the police were following up on a tip from an unreliable informant, which later invalidated the warrant. This exception is called the

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good-faith doctrine.

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In the examination of objects of physical evidence, class characteristics are important because they can

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place an item into a specific category.

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Which term refers to the spiral pattern cut down the length of a firearm's barrel

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rifling

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When evidence is no longer needed, it is

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any of these may be appropriate.

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When evidence is collected, an officer should record in his or her notes the

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time, date and location the item was found; the individual who found it; the case number; a description of the item; and who took it into custody.

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What type of evidence forms a substantive part of the case or has a legitimate and effective influence on the decision of the case?

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material

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Field or show-up identification is on-the-scene identification of a suspect by a victim or witness of a crime. The show-up must be

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close in time to the incident.

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Florida v. Riley (1989) approved the warrantless aerial surveillance, noting that

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there should be no reasonable expectation of privacy from the skies above.

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A field identification is also called a

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show-up.

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Force necessary to overcome resistance offered during an arrest is referred to as

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reasonable force.

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If a public threat exists, questioning to reduce that threat may occur before the reading of the Miranda warning. Which case highlighted this

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New York v. Quarles

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In Miranda v. Arizona, who won the ultimate appeal and why?

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Miranda, because his rights had not been explained to him properly

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In Saucier v. Katz (2001), the Supreme Court held that the guide for use of excessive force is that

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the force is objectively reasonable under Fourth Amendment excessive force analysis.

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In United States v. Knotts (1983), the Court ruled that installing and monitoring a bird dog tracking device in a public location

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does not violate a suspect's rights.

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In United States v. Wade, the Court said that a suspect must be informed of his or her right to have a lawyer present during what type of process?

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lineups

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In Whren v. United States (1996), the Supreme Court affirmed that officers could stop vehicles to allay any suspicions even though they have no evidence of criminal behavior. This type of stop is referred to as a

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pretextual stop.

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In addition to physical evidence, three primary sources of information are available:

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reports, records and databases; people who are not suspects in a crime but know something of the crime; and suspects in the crime.

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In the DEA smuggling case United States v. Weaver (1992), what did the Court rule?

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that race can be considered among other factors to use in developing suspects

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Information or data is not intelligence. Information needs which component to become intelligence?

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analysis

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Live lineups generally contain

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five to ten individuals.

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Making a legal arrest, gaining information for warrants or even preventing crime can all be the result of

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surveillance.

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On a linear use-of-force continuum, where do "hard empty hand techniques" fall in relation to the use of a TASER or chemical agent?

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They fall to the right (i.e., they are less forceful).

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Once a confession has been obtained, investigators should

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corroborate the confession using independent evidence.

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People may volunteer information if approached correctly. Consequently, the following technique is useful to demonstrate when conducting an interview.

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developing rapport

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Psychological profiling

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can help eliminate and develop suspects.

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Some research has found that the incidence of false confessions is

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higher than many believe and exacerbated by certain interrogation tactics.

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Surveillance, undercover assignments and raids are used only when

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normal methods of continuing the investigation fail to produce results.

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The best place to interrogate a suspect is usually

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at the police department.

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The fundamental distinction between the Fifth and Sixth Amendment right to counsel hinges on the issue of

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custody

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Which of the following questions is most direct?

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Did you assault George Smith at 5th and Main last night?"

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Which of the following is a characteristic of an effective interviewer/interrogator?

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all of these choices

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A common indicator of suicide using a knife is

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hesitation wounds.

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A dead body that sinks in water usually remains immersed for

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8 to 10 days in warm water and 2 to 3 weeks in cold water.

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A stiffening of portions of the body after death is referred to as

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rigor mortis.

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A study of 800 homicide cases found that investigators are more likely to clear a homicide if

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they arrive at the scene within 30 minutes of being notified.

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Deaths are classified by type as

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natural, accidental noncriminal, suicide, homicide noncriminal and criminal.

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If death is caused by carbon monoxide poisoning, lividity is

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cherry red or strong pink.

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In assessing victim-offender relationships (VOR,), violence that is goal-directed predatory behavior used to exert control—such as a carjacker who shoots his victim before stealing the vehicle—is referred as what type of violence?

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instrumental violence

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It can be assumed that a victim has died on land if

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half of the victim's eye looks dry when the body is brought out of the water

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Most cases of hanging are

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suicides.

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Most medical examinations of a deceased person are conducted primarily to

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determine the time and cause of death.

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Murder is classified as

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criminal homicide.

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Noncriminal homicide includes

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justifiable homicide.

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Premeditation would be a requirement in which case?

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first-degree murder

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Rigor mortis is at its maximum at about ____________ hours after death.

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12 to 24 hours

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Shotgun wounds produce __________ than single bullets.

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neither smaller exit nor smaller entry wounds

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Staging refers to

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both the positioning of the victim's body and the manipulation of the scene around the victim's body.

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The criminal or noncriminal, felonious or nonfelonious taking of life by another human or by an agency, such as a government, is called

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homicide.

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The first priority in a preliminary homicide investigation is to

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secure the safety of the scene.

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The poison known as the King of Poisons and the Poison of Kings is

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arsenic.

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The postmortem cooling process of the body is called

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algor mortis.

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The study of poisons can determine the type of poison, the amount ingested, the approximate time ingested and the effect on the body. This field is referred to as

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toxicology.

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The type of "lust murderer" who is usually of above-average intelligence, methodical and cunning, and socially skilled, and who tricks victims into situations in which he can torture and then murder them, is called a(n),

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organized offender.

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What may occur if a body is exposed to an extremely hot and dry climate?

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mummification

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What type of murder usually includes the killing of three or more separate victims with a "cooling off" period between the killings?

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serial murder

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A "date rape" drug that can be found in an odorless, colorless liquid form or as a pill or white powder and that has psychological effects including confusion, depression, anxiety, sleeplessness, drug craving and paranoia is called MDMA or

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Ecstasy.

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A "date rape" drug that is found in a white powder form and that can cause hallucinations, lost sense of time and identity, distorted perceptions of sight and sound, feeling out of control, impaired motor function, breathing problems, convulsions, vomiting, out-of-body experiences, memory problems, a dream-like feeling, numbness and loss of coordination is

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ketamine.

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A common "date rape" drug is

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Rohypnol.

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A particularly difficult type of sexual assault is date rape, sometimes called

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acquaintance rape.

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Acknowledging the severe and dangerous nature of drug-assisted sexual assaults, the Drug-Induced Rape Prevention and Punishment Act, signed in 1996, allows courts to impose prison sentences up to __________ on anyone who distributes an illicit drug to someone intending to commit sexual assault.

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20 years

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Aggravated assault requires

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severe bodily injury to the victim.

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An act toward the commission of a crime that is more complete than a threat or gesture is referred to as what type of act?

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overt act

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An example of an indicator crime is

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all of these choices.

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An unlawful attack by one person on another in order to inflict severe bodily injury and which often involves use of a dangerous weapon and is a felony is called

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aggravated assault.

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Batterer intervention programs (BIPs) have found that batterer rehabilitation is significantly affected by what the offender actually has to lose, for example, home ownership, employment and marriage. These variables are referred to as the offender's

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stake in conformity.

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By the year 2000, how many domestic violence cases resulted in arrests?

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50 percent

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Certain offenders are likely to be obsessed with keeping trophies and recordings of their assaults, and therefore any search warrant applications in such cases should include photographs, records, scripts, letters, diaries, audiotapes, videotapes and newspaper reports of the crime. These offenders are called

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sexual sadists.

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Current or former spouses, opposite-sex cohabiting partners, same-sex cohabiting partners and even dating relationships may all be described using which of the following terms.

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intimate partners

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Elder abuse is

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severely underreported.

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Healed injuries not visible to the naked eye may be revealed through

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reflective ultraviolet photography.

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Historically, officers are more likely to be assaulted while responding to what type of calls?

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domestic violence

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In April 1998, what did the Supreme Court decide in regard to constitutional challenges that claimed that the Sexual Offender Registration and Notification Act's notification requirements represented an unconstitutional added punishment?

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They rejected the argument and retained the laws.

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In a sexual assault case, it is best that the interviewer of the victim

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be a police officer with the proper training and attitude.

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In what type of interview do you carefully question the victim about the rapist's behavior, analyze the behavior to ascertain the motivation underlying the assault and then compile a profile of the individual likely to have committed the crime?

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behavior-oriented interview

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Incest is sexual intercourse with a(n)

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brother, sister or parent.

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Intentionally causing another person to fear immediate bodily harm or death or intentionally inflicting or attempting to inflict bodily harm on the person is called what?

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simple assault

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Of the three elements included in the crime of aggravated assault, investigators must prove

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only one.

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One-third of the women killed in the United States are murdered by their husbands or boyfriends, and as many as 90 percent of women are stalked before the murder. This is a clear example of

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femicide.

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Over time, the three-stage cycle of abuse (or violence) typically

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increases in both severity and frequency

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Physical evidence that indicates the severity of an assault may include all but which of the following?

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the mental state of the offender

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