Steps to Investigating a Burglary
There are numerous steps involved in the process of investigating a burglary. To begin with there is the consideration of whether the crime is in-progress or over-with. The occurrence of the former is the biggest concern for officers as it revolves around victim or officer safety (Murgado, 2017). The law enforcement should ensure that the crime scene is secure to effectively capture the perpetrator and avoid harming the victim. It is essential to document everything from receiving the phone call to the capture of the criminal. If the burglary is over with one has to responding units are canceled and tactics are employed to capture the suspect. Securing the scene is the most important factor to consider as it is where the bulk of evidence will be found (Murgado, 2017). Each piece of evidence should be handled with care to ensure it is not contaminated. A perimeter is established to prevent crowds from accessing it. Basic equipment like finger print kit and digital camera will be used. Officers should check around the perimeter as burglars may drop items while running away (Murgado, 2017). The next step involves speaking to the victims or witnesses involved in the burglary using oral statements followed by sworn statements in writing. A thorough report is them written answering the who, what, where, when, why and how questions.
Types of Evidence
Evidence is the most crucial factor of capturing and incriminating a suspect of a burglary. Therefore, it is essential that a law enforcement officer understands the various types of evidence associated with this crime. The most common evidence is fingerprints which may be found on door handles, window sills and furniture in the building where the crime took place (Murgado, 2017). Another set of evidence includes DNA samples which may be present in spilled blood, lost hair, and skin. Blood and hair may be found where the victim is injured during entry or exit from the premises. The skin samples may be found in cases where the victim may have engaged in physical contact with the burglar and scratched him or her (Warrington, 2013). Saliva may also be used as a source for DNA in cases where the suspect begins to use house utensils during the burglary. In more advanced techniques, shoeprints are used to determine the make, size and model of the shoe which will help approximate the weight, height and gender of the suspect (Warrington, 2013). The shoe prints can be followed to the suspect’s destination. Ballistics is another advanced evidence tool where shell casings, bullets, gun powder and gunshots could help trace the owner and specific firearm used.
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Collecting, Packaging, and Labeling Burglary Evidence
There are particular kits used to collect and label evidence from the scene. Before touching any of the evidence in the area it is important to mark the physical area using numbered placards (Warrington, 2013). This tool is effective for identifying the digital photos of the crime scene. The pictures will be assessed further in the crime lab during the investigation process. A fingerprint tool kit is used to collect prints from different parts of the scene with each of them labeled according to the area it was found. This enables the detectives to analyze it later (Warrington, 2013). Video tapes in case there is security cameras in the premises will help in identifying the criminal. Sterile packages including gauze pad and cotton cloth could be used to collect blood, saliva, hair and skin remnants for effective analysis (Warrington, 2013). Blood stains that are left for more than 48 hours may be useless to the investigation. Stains on a piece of cloth should be taken by packaging the whole cloth in clean paper and tagged to identify the piece of evidence. Air tight bags are used to carry firearms and ammunitions to prevent contamination from the air or the environment where they are stored (Warrington, 2013).
References
Murgado, A. (2017, Feb 9) How to Investigate a Burglary . Police Magazine, Retrieved from http://www.policemag.com/channel/careers-training/articles/2017/02/how-to-investigate.aspx
Warrington, D. (2013, Feb 12) Properly Packaging Evidence . Forensic Magazine, retrieved from https://www.forensicmag.com/article/2013/02/properly-packaging-evidence
