Follow-Up Investigation

A detective or criminal investigator may be assigned to a case and may even show up at the crime scene before the patrol officer leaves. In our example of a student who is robbed and assaulted, this occurrence may be so common that no investigation beyond the preliminary one takes place. However, if there has been a rash of such crimes in the vicinity of the campus, apprehending the offender or offenders may be a priority and a senior criminal investigator may be assigned to the case and assume responsibility for what happens from that point on.

In order to fulfill his or her responsibility for investigating the crime, he or she may conduct a visual inspection of the crime scene and develop a preliminary plan for the investigation. In addition, the senior investigator will decide what other services or resources are needed. For example, if the suspect was seen entering a nearby apartment building, the investigator may call for personnel to search the apartment building or ask for a search warrant if there is a suspect who has been identified as living in that apartment building.

Among the duties or procedures utilized by the senior investigator are interviewing the victim again or interviewing other witnesses, conducting or supervising the neighborhood canvass, interrogating the suspect if he or she is in custody, and searching for and collecting other evidence.