Law Enforcement Investigations Research Articles

Raman Spectroscopy for the Time since Deposition Estimation of a Menstrual Bloodstain

Forensic chemistry plays a crucial role in aiding law enforcement investigations by applying analytical techniques for the analysis of evidence. While bloodstains are frequently encountered at crime scenes, distinguishing between peripheral and menstrual bloodstains presents a challenge. This is due to their similar appearance post-drying. Raman spectroscopy has emerged as a promising technique capable of discriminating between the two types of bloodstains, offering invaluable probative information. Moreover, estimating the time since deposition (TSD) of bloodstains aids in crime scene reconstruction and prioritizing what evidence to collect. Despite extensive research focusing on TSD estimations, primarily in peripheral bloodstains, a crucial gap exists in determining the TSD of menstrual bloodstains. This study demonstrates how Raman spectroscopy effectively analyzes biological samples like menstrual blood, showing similar aging patterns to those of peripheral blood and provides proof-of-concept models for determining the TSD of menstrual blood. While this work shows promising results for creating a universal model for bloodstain age determination, further testing with more donors needs to be conducted before the implementation of this method into forensic practice.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a 5-day training on science-based methods of interrogation with U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcement investigators.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a 5-day training on science-based methods of interrogation with U.S. federal, state, and local law enforcement investigators.

Recommendations for Improving the Use of Direct-To-Consumer Genetic Testing Databases in Law Enforcement Investigations

Prisoners are some of the most vulnerable populations in our society today, often relinquishing to the state everything from medical autonomy to family support. In a system where wrongful convictions are not unheard of, it is critical that we preserve the civil rights of investigative subjects wherever possible. Law enforcement agencies in the United States have increasingly begun using direct-to-consumer recreational genetic databases as a tool to enable forensic investigations. These commercial genetic testing companies analyze polymorphisms in DNA to isolate genealogical information, medical data, and other traits. Traditionally, law enforcement has been restricted to the use of matching repeating sequences in non-coding sections of DNA. However, through services like GEDMatch, law enforcement has gained access to single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) markers from upwards of 25 million consumers throughout the world. This rapidly developing technology must be regulated to ensure that consumers, as well as blood relatives of consumers, are not unfairly targeted by investigations. With studies indicating that DNA is typically reported as the single most important piece of evidence to jurors, it is in the best interests of policymakers to ensure that the DNA data is both accurate and used fairly. First, we will provide a background of the technology and regulation of direct-to-consumer (DTC) genetic testing databases in law enforcement. Second, we propose a mechanism by which states might legislate the appropriate use of these databases by law enforcement by limiting access and enforcing a double-blind system. This paper lays out the background and policy proposal for a requirement of direct-to-consumer genetic testing companies to communicate the possibility and type of information shared with law enforcement, and a framework by which policymakers can ensure unbiased and minimally intrusive use by law enforcement.

Peculiarities of certain investigative actions and procedural guidance of the prosecutor during martial law

On 24 February 2022, a full-scale war broke out and martial law was introduced throughout Ukraine by Presidential Decree No. 64/2022 in connection with the military aggression of the Russian Federation. The efficiency and effectiveness of criminal proceedings during the martial law regime depends on the quality of criminal procedural rules.
 The armed conflict initiated and supported by the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine since 2014 has created new challenges for the system of both international and national justice. The article draws attention to the fact that with the introduction of martial law in Ukraine on 24 February 2022 in connection with the military aggression of the Russian Federation, a number of significant changes were made to both the «military» section IX-1 and other sections of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. The nature of violations of these provisions requires a different approach not only at the level of legal qualification, but also in the process of organisation and procedural guidance of the pre-trial investigation by the prosecutor.
 The author emphasizes that the testimony obtained during the interrogation of a suspect, including simultaneous interrogation of two or more already interrogated persons, in criminal proceedings conducted under martial law may be used as evidence in court only if a defence counsel participated in such interrogation and the course and results of the interrogation were recorded using available video recording equipment.
 The author draws attention to the fact that prosecutors who provide procedural guidance in criminal proceedings concerning crimes committed in the context of armed conflict should record the testimony of victims and key witnesses, in particular, on issues relating to the role of the Russian Federation and its subordinate formations in the context of armed conflict on the territory of Ukraine, including the temporarily occupied territories.
 Pre-trial investigations of criminal offences committed in the context of armed conflict can take a long time, and it is therefore important for law enforcement investigators and prosecutors to take measures to preserve information, primarily the testimony of victims and witnesses.
 When organising procedural guidance, prosecutors should take into account the peculiarities of conducting and recording the course and results of investigative (detective) actions under martial law.

Building Rapport in Interviews with Adolescent Trafficking Victims

AbstractThough much is known about children's sexual abuse disclosure, less attention has been directed towards disclosure in other types of youthful victims, especially those who may be reluctant to tell due to either normative development or victims' specific experiences. Trafficked youth, particularly those who are adolescents, represent one such group. Understanding how suspected youth trafficking victims are questioned by authorities, especially with respect to establishing rapport and trust, is important for informing professionals how to effectively question this unique population of victims to overcome their reluctance. We examined transcripts of interviews conducted by federal interviewers (n = 12,653 question‐answer turns across 33 interviews) and police (n = 4,972 question‐answer turns across 14 interviews) with trafficked youth between the ages of 12 and 18. Interviews were reliably coded for the length of pre‐substantive questioning, provision of instructions and ground rules, and use of rapport building and supportive strategies. Federal interviewers used pre‐substantive instructions and built rapport with potential victims more often than police did. Also, and although infrequently used overall, supportive interviewing strategies were evident more often by federal interviewers than police. Results provide much‐needed knowledge about how law enforcement investigators interview and elicit disclosures from vulnerable populations of adolescent victims.

Person reference in police interviews: A case study of domestic violence in Indonesia

Person reference plays a critical role in judicial discourse, influencing perceptions of impartiality and respect. Person reference can express partiality or respect, either through solidarity with, or the humanization of, witnesses, victims, suspects, or defendants in law enforcement settings. Furthermore, it is important to acknowledge that verbal violence or dehumanization can sometimes be perceived as a manifestation of impartiality, when individuals employ words that inflict harm upon others. This study employs a qualitative approach to examine the utilization of person reference by two police investigators during their interview of a suspect involved in a domestic violence incident. The data consisted of transcripts from two experimental setup interviews conducted by two police investigators with one adult individual assuming the role of a suspect. The research revealed that law enforcement investigators employed formal nomination categories during interviews in order to establish a significant level of separation between the investigating officers and the individual under investigation. The present study revealed that two police investigators made efforts to humanize the suspect. Nevertheless, the transition from using the honorifics "Bapak/Pak (Mr/Sir)" as a sign of reverence for older males, to employing the term "Saudara (metaphorical brother/sister)" in a legal setting, indicating a lack of familiarity in the connection, results in an escalation of social distance. This realization advances our knowledge of the subtle ways in which linguistic decisions can affect law enforcement interactions, offering valuable implications for improving the fairness and effectiveness of judicial discourse.

The next phase of identifying illicit activity in Bitcoin

AbstractIdentifying illicit behavior in the Bitcoin network is a well‐explored topic. The methods proposed over time have generated great insights into the deanonymization of the Bitcoin user base through the clustering of inputs and outputs. With advanced techniques being deployed by Bitcoin users, these heuristics are now being challenged in their ability to aid in the detection of illicit activity. In this paper, we provide a comprehensive list of methods deployed by malicious actors on the network and illicit transaction mining methods. We detail the evolution of the heuristics that are used to deanonymize Bitcoin transactions. We highlight the issues associated with conducting law enforcement investigations and propose recommendations for the research community to address these issues. Our recommendations include the release of public data by exchanges to allow researchers and law enforcement to further protect the network from malicious users. We recommend the enhancement of current heuristics through machine learning methods and discuss how researchers can take the fight head‐on against expert cybercriminals.

Investigative fatigue: how sleep-circadian factors shape criminal investigations.

Investigating criminal complaints and identifying culprits to be prosecuted in the court of law is an essential process for law-enforcement and public safety. However, law-enforcement investigators operate under very challenging conditions due to stressful environments, understaffing, and public scrutiny, which factors into investigative errors (e.g. uncleared cases). This paper argues that one contributing factor to investigative failures involves sleep and circadian disruption of investigators themselves, known to be prevalent among law-enforcement. By focusing on investigative interviewing, this analysis illustrates how sleep and circadian disruption could impact investigations by considering three broad phases of (1) preparation, (2) information elicitation, and (3) assessment and corroboration. These phases are organized in a framework that outlines theory-informed pathways in need of empirical attention, with special focus on effort and decision-making processes critical to investigations. While existing evidence is limited, preliminary findings support some elements of investigative fatigue. The paper concludes by placing investigative fatigue in a broader context of investigative work while providing recommendations for future research throughout. This paper is part of the Sleep and Circadian Health in the Justice System Collection.

The Paradox of Child's Diversion Policy in Conflict with the Law in the Indonesian Child Criminal Justice System

This research aims to examine the paradox of implementing the diversion policy for children in conflict with the law in student brawl cases in DKI Jakarta. The research uses a qualitative approach with a case study method. Case analysis uses forecasting analysis framework by William Dunn (2003) and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) analysis by Chermack and Kasshanna (2007). There are three conclusions from this research. First, the problems of the diversion policy for children in conflict with the law are generally not caused by primordial factors but are caused by law enforcement investigators who often do not follow the mandate of the Law on The Child Criminal Justice System to determine child diversion. This is because the police apply criminal offenses based on the perpetrator's actions and can consider the recommendations of the Community Counselor of the Correctional Center. Second, there is a paradox in the implementation of the diversion policy for children in conflict with the law, starting from the high use of the Emergency Law in the Indonesian Legal System, the low competence of law enforcement officers in implementing the diversion policy for children in conflict with the law, terminating investigations without involving Community Counselor of the Correctional Center, to carrying out detention in correctional centers that are not child-friendly. Third, based on forecasting and SWOT analysis, it is necessary to transform juvenile justice legal policies in the future, especially increasing competency of the law enforcement officers, ensuring the availability of child-friendly infrastructure, supporting the child in conflict with the law advocacy and extensifying community-based policing.

Is combatting money laundering an integrity issue? Insights from Nigeria

Purpose This study aims to determine how integrity influences money laundering combatting. Design/methodology/approach A qualitative approach using methodological triangulation was used to answer the question to describe and understand the phenomena from the participants’ perspective. Data was gathered with a semi-structured questionnaire, observation and field notes. Findings Analysis revealed that 93% of law enforcement investigators believe integrity is required to combat money laundering. They also observed that integrity is needed for the political environment, institutions and their personnel or officers. Practical implications There is a need for integrity in the economy’s public and private sectors to combat money laundering effectively. Integrity must be present in the political environment, institutions and personnel. Hence, a recommendation is to appoint chief integrity officers in all stakeholder organisations. Originality/value This study is among the few research that covers the area of integrity and its influence on combatting money laundering from law enforcement investigators’ perspective.

Estimation of bloodstain deposition time within a 24-h day-night cycle with rhythmic mRNA based on a machine learning algorithm

Estimating the time that bloodstains are left at a crime scene can provide invaluable evidence for law enforcement investigations, including determining the time of the crime, linking the perpetrator to the crime scene, narrowing the pool of possible suspects, and verifying witness statements. There have been some attempts to estimate the time since deposition of bloodstains, i.e., how much time has passed since the bloodstain was left at a crime scene. However, most studies focus on the time interval of days. As far as we know, previous study have been conducted to estimate the deposition time of blood within a 24-h day-night cycle. To date, there is a lack of studies on whether rhythmic mRNA of blood is suitable for bloodstain samples. In this study, we estimated the bloodstain deposition time within a 24-h day-night cycle based on the expression of messenger RNAs (mRNAs) by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Bloodstain samples were prepared from eight individuals at eight time points under real and uncontrolled conditions. Four mRNAs expressed rhythmically and were used to construct a regression model using the k-nearest neighbor (KNN) algorithm, resulting in a mean absolute error of 3.92 h. Overall, using the rhythmic mRNAs, a machine learning model was developed which has allowed us to predict the deposition time of bloodstains within the 24-h day-night cycle in East Asian populations. This study demonstrates that mRNA biomarkers can be used to estimate the bloodstain deposition time within a 24-h period. Furthermore, rhythmic mRNA biomarkers provide a potential method and perspective for estimating the deposition time of forensic traces in forensic investigation. Case samples in forensic analysis are usually limited or degraded, so the stability and sensitivity of rhythmic biomarkers need to be further investigated.

Inductive and transductive link prediction for criminal network analysis

The identification of potential offenders, who are more likely to form a new group and co-offend in a crime, plays an essential role in narrowing down law enforcement investigations and improving predictive policing. Once a crime is committed, focusing on linking it to previously reported crimes and reducing the inspections based on shreds of evidence and the behavior of offenders can also greatly help law enforcement agencies. However, classical investigative techniques are generally case-specific and rely mainly on police officers manually combining information from different sources. Therefore, automatic methods designed to support co-offender research and crime linkage would be beneficial. This paper proposes two graph-based machine learning frameworks to address these issues based on a burglary use case, the first being transductive link prediction, which seeks to predict emergent links between existing graph nodes (which represent offenders or criminal cases), and the other being inductive link prediction, where connections are found between a new case and existing nodes. Our experimental results show a prediction accuracy of 68.5% in co-offender prediction, a 75.83% predictive accuracy for transductive crime linkage, and up to 74.8% accuracy in inductive crime linkage.

0168 The Role of Alertness (vs. Fatigue) in the Performance of Professional Criminal Investigators

Abstract Introduction Investigative interviews and interrogations are a critical component of official inquiries. However, how levels of alertness (vs. fatigue) of the interviewer impact performance during investigative interviews or their outcomes is unclear. To this end, the current effort aimed to estimate the impact of objectively estimated alertness on (1) deception detection across true and false alibi statements and (2) outcomes of real-life investigative interviews conducted by officers in the field. Methods To achieve the first goal, sets of 8 video-recorded alibi statements (each from a different individual, with half being true) were presented to 26 law-enforcement professionals (average age of 42, two-thirds male). Prior to judging the alibi statements on truthfulness, they completed the 5-min Psychomotor Vigilance Test and rated their sleepiness. To achieve the second goal, another study tracked daily fluctuations in alertness among investigators to predict their experiences with actual field interviews. Fifty law-enforcement investigators (mean age 42, 75% male) wore a sleep-activity tracker (Readiband) for two weeks while keeping a daily-diary of interviews conducted in the field. For each interview, the investigators indicated (a) how well they established rapport with the subject, (b) how much resistance they encountered, (c) how well they maintained their own focus and composure, and (d) the overall utility of evidence obtained. Readiband-generated estimates of daily fatigue were used to predict daily interview outcomes. Results First, when judging alibis’ credibility, officer’s alertness was a strong predictor of lie-detection performance. Specifically, officers who were better at detecting deception across alibi statements were more objectively alert, indicated by faster reaction times (r = .52) and fewer attentional lapses (r = -.67). This better detection performance was largely accounted by stronger skepticism of actual lies. Second, Investigators from the field-interviewing study consistently reported more difficulties maintaining their focus and composure during interviews on days with lower alertness, as well as indicated more subject resistance and less rapport. Conclusion The findings suggest fatigue among criminal investigators (and underlying sleep disruption) is an important factor for how actual law-enforcement field interviews unfold. The findings implicate adequate sleep as a modifiable fitness factor for criminal investigators. Support (if any) Federal Bureau of Investigation Contract #15F06718C000253

How Endogenous System Bias Can Distort Decision-Making in Criminal Justice Systems

Most judicial, regulatory, and administrative systems, at least formally, are concerned with the fairness and transparency of their decisions concerning the public. Fairness and transparency of criminal justice operations are critical to creating trust in the legal system and assuring people that the larger social system is legitimate and worthy of support. However, deviations from objective and fair decision-making can be concealed when key actors who are responsible for deciding outcomes in their organizations are also responsible for collecting, assembling, evaluating, and presenting the information on which their decisions are based. Under these conditions such systems are at risk of what we term “endogenous system bias,” where data are acquired and altered in ways to justify desired outcomes that are neither fair nor transparent. The purpose of this paper is to: (1) develop a general model of decision-making constraints that can produce endogenous system bias, (2) review research on endogenous system bias at two key decision stages in one institution: the criminal justice system and (3) conduct an empirical examination of the potential effect of endogenous system bias on law enforcement investigations and prosecutorial charging in a sample of criminal homicide cases in the USA. Implications for law, policy, and social scientific methodology are discussed.

The impact of alertness vs. fatigue on interrogators in an actigraphic study of field investigations

Investigative interviews (e.g., interrogations) are a critical component of criminal, military, and civil investigations. However, how levels of alertness (vs. sleepiness) of the interviewer impact outcomes of actual interviews is unknown. To this end, the current study tracked daily fluctuations in alertness among professional criminal investigators to predict their daily experiences with actual field interviews. Fifty law-enforcement investigators wore a sleep-activity tracker for two weeks while keeping a daily-diary of investigative interviews conducted in the field. For each interview, the investigators indicated how well they established rapport with the subject, how much resistance they encountered, how well they maintained their own focus and composure, and the overall utility of intelligence obtained. Daily alertness was biomathematically modeled from actigraphic sleep duration and continuity estimates and used to predict interview characteristics. Investigators consistently reported more difficulties maintaining their focus and composure as well as encountering more subject resistance during interviews on days with lower alertness. Better interview outcomes were also reported on days with subjectively better sleep, while findings were generally robust to inclusion of covariates. The findings implicate adequate sleep as a modifiable fitness factor for collectors of human intelligence.

Verbal Indicators of Deception

Suspects involved in criminal investigations will withhold information from law enforcement personnel to avoid potential legal consequences. Discovering where suspects utilize this form of deception during interviews can help investigators identify specific portions of their narratives where follow-up inquiries should be made, providing an opportunity to gain critical information that would not otherwise be revealed. To gain this vital information, it is necessary to develop a noninvasive technique that law enforcement investigators can deploy in the field to detect deception in verbal communication as quickly and accurately as possible. This paper presents one such technique-grammatical structural analysis (GSA)-and discusses its viability in detecting deception, its limitations, and potential avenues for future research in determining the veracity of suspects statements by examining the structure and patterns in their verbal behavior

The development of multiplex STR panels for the identification of bald eagles (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and golden eagles (Aquila chrysaetos)

The ability to reliably genotype individual bald eagle (Haliaeetus leucocephalus) and golden eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) samples has proven to be a valuable forensic tool for investigations of illegal trafficking of eagle feathers and body parts. Twenty STR loci were assembled into three optimized multiplex STR panels. The three STR multiplex PCRs include loci ranging from dinucleotide to pentanucleotide motifs, and both monomorphic and polymorphic amplification. The number of alleles for bald eagles ranged 1–5 (14 polymorphic loci), and the number of alleles for golden eagles ranged from 1 to 11 (16 polymorphic loci). Bald and golden eagles shared alleles at 5 loci, the other 15 loci yielding alleles characteristic of each species. These multiplex panels will be useful in wildlife law enforcement investigations in which eagle feathers and body parts can be identified to species and individuals matched to link a crime scene and eagle victim to a suspect.

Investigators Obstacles in Child Molestation Cases

Abstract: The purpose of this research is to identify the types of obstacles that investigators face when investigating child abuse. Empirical research approach was applied in this study. This study employs a qualitative methodology, purposive sampling, and descriptive qualitative analytic approaches. According to the findings of this study, the investigator's restrictions in processing instances of criminal acts of sexual abuse against minors are both internal and external. The internal barrier consists of people resources from investigators, the system, and the cultural side. Meanwhile, there are no witnesses to see, the victims are still minors, fees, and parents' inexperience of legal procedures. The execution of law enforcement investigations must boost confidence so that all types of hurdles to conducting investigations may be rapidly overcome. As a result, the inquiry is progressing as we all hoped. The investigation should be conducted in line with the appropriate legal procedure, particularly when dealing with cases of child abuse and updating legal knowledge for investigators, particularly those whose education is still insufficient.

Latent classes of child neglect types and associated characteristics

BackgroundChildren who experience neglect typically endure multiple types of neglect and abuse during a single maltreatment incident. However, research on the phenomenology and predictors of neglect types has primarily examined neglect types in isolation. ObjectiveTo advance understanding of neglect incidents that more accurately reflect the experiences of children who have been neglected, we examined latent classes of neglect defined by co-occurring neglect types and multiple forms of abuse. To inform efforts to identify families at-risk for particular classes of neglect, associations between child, parent, and family characteristics and latent classes were examined. Participants and setting390 child neglect incidents substantiated at U.S. Army installations. MethodsNeglect types and incident severity were coded using the Modified Maltreatment Classification System. Child, parent, and family characteristics were coded using information drawn from case records. ResultsLatent class analysis yielded 5 classes: exposure to violence, failure to provide, supervisory lapses, substance-related endangerment, and non-specific. The exposure to violence and substance-related endangerment classes were characterized as highly severe. High and low severity classes were associated with distinct child, parent, and family characteristics. The latent classes were also differentiated by distal outcomes, including probability of law enforcement investigation, child removal from home, and offender removal from home. ConclusionsBy identifying the types of neglect and abuse that are likely to occur concomitantly as well as the child, parent, and family characteristics associated with increased risk of latent classes of neglect, results advance knowledge regarding the phenomenology of neglect types and inform prevention efforts.

Victimization Portrayals on Popular Crime Shows & Comparisons to the NCVS

ABSTRACT Crime shows have been airing on television for over 70 years and we continuously find said shows to have high rates of viewership. But how accurate are the portrayals depicted in said shows? This research analyzes crime show drama portrayals of victimization across two time periods by analyzing 270 episodes from 11 different crime drama television series in which a clear criminal event is followed by a law enforcement investigation. Shows were chosen at Time 1 for inclusion based on popularity, longevity, accessibility, and recency; Time 2 data included a 5-year follow-up to any of the Time 1 shows still in production. Demographics and background characteristics of victims are analyzed including gender, age, race/ethnicity, occupation, military/law enforcement affiliation, parental/marital status, and prior victimization. Additionally, the relationship between offender and victim, whether the victimization was actually portrayed in the show, whether the victim was held captive, and if the victim ultimately survived or died are also addressed. Findings are discussed in comparison to what previous research from the National Crime Victimization Survey indicates actual victimization patterns to be.