On July 19, 2020, a federal judge’s son was gruesomely murdered in California. Before the murder, a man had posed as a delivery guy before killing the diseased Anderl, a twenty-year-old man and injuring his father, Mark Anderl. The son happens to be the child of Esther Salas, a district judge who has been at the forefront of bringing justice and diversifying the courts, especially as a Latina. Probably a personal vendetta form, especially since Salas had previously been a subject to online bullying joining female judges who have faced such cyber threats.
Guidelines for Conducting a Preliminary Crime Scene Investigation
As an established homicide, the first thing is to secure the crime scene to ensure there is no contamination of evidence. Such a move protects any hope that the victim’s family it deserves and at the same time gives us as investigators the time to lock down a crime scene and document it through videos, photographs, setup crime scene perimeter, establish a path of evidence contamination and ensure crime scene security by assigning a scene officer. Since the perpetrator made their way to the property, to lock down, it means all activities must stop so that there is set distance from the area and documentation of all officers who might have contaminated the area in the line of duty. The perimeter would ensure that the area of crime is secured for evidence collection. At the same time, the DNA from the killer must be secured, and therefore establishing the path they used is vital. Crime scene security involves all activities within the area, including those who come in and those who leave. Any unauthorized person is held accountable, therefore creating a clear record of persons present in case one of them turns out to be the murderer after DNA analysis.
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Establishing time of death links the crime to possible suspects and narrow them down. Estimation of time since death (ESD) requires assuming that ambient temperature within the house has not changed, and the fact that the young man was fully clothed, determining ESD would be straightforward. Through the immediate period (PMI), the body changes due to a lack of blood circulation to vessels. Argues that such changes are easily detectable through the eyes as they break in a regular column indicating a possibility of 2hours pass after death (Shrestha et al. 2020). Still other parts such as the cornea clouds after a short time while the histological examination of the skin happens on the first day.
After documenting all evidence, moving the body slightly is key for further analysis and possible evidence collection. The time of death estimated; the next step would be to move the body carefully to collect evidence underneath. (Gehl et al., 2018) suggest that a white sheet must be placed under the surface to ensure that the evidence is not lost while the body is transported. Such can be in the form of dried bloodstains that should remain on the cloth without removing it. Each stain collected in that instance should be marked sealed an placed in separate envelopes, which aids in sampling.it is also an opportunity to collect hairs that are useful DNA predictors.
Use of Data Mining
It would be critical to incorporate data mining algorithms such as crime data clustering. The technique allows the use of neural networks through the analysis of variables. Via binary encoding of data set used, and analysis through K means cluster analysis. The analysis allows investigators to track the crime and analyze it in graphs for cluster formation. The clusters help determine patterns and statistics, allowing investigators to establish a relationship between different sets of data.
Association rule mining technique analyses frequent patterns for ease of clustering. Through frequent itemset, patterns are established that can help link different crimes together. By analyzing past cases and using other algorithms such as the apriori algorithm, support values are easily divided through datasets (Radha, 2016, p. 17). It also includes an antecedent and a consequent which assist in what-if analysis, combination and comparison of an itemset. The minimum value is set, allowing investigators to determine offender profile and use of association rules to navigate databases.
Major Crimes and Reporting Procedure
The crime is a homicide in the first degree and attempted murder for the father. The reporting procedure would include chronological documentation of every occurrence in the crime scene with no opinions but just facts. It should give details as divided into sections of the summary, the scene inclusive of all details of the evidence, description of the dead body, and the extent of the injuries. It should describe what was seen and the possible unusual happenings. For the processing, it gives us the chance to explain our assistance in the situation and who was assisting in the process. The report's idea is to give the vivid idea of the crime with writings, pictures, and all the necessary material that aid in getting the suspect.
Essential Characteristics of an Effective Criminal Investigator
Capable investigators are critical thinkers, depict integrity, persistence, and courage. One has to have the ability to engage a first paced thinking capacity that can assess situations and information. In so doing, they can establish any missing information and gaps that do not add up. They also recognize that integrity is vital in ensuring justice, and they are not driven by selfishness to close up the case. They are persistent in finding clues, analyzing data and facts, and their job does not allow them to give up on the victims. They have the motivation to do better and solve crimes in the shortest time possible. Although our investigation was useful, I would recommend better management skills to cater to the disruption caused by the media frenzy.
Ways to Conduct Efficient and Effective Investigations while Maintaining the Rights of Both the Victim(s) and the Accused(s)
Investigators must adhere to the law in case of arrests and, at the same time, protect the victims from any possible harm and respect their restitution rights. Although the criminal has already committed an incomprehensible act, an arrest must be legal from how the person is handled, follow-up of procedures, and ensuring investigators identify themselves before the arrest. Arresting authority is stated, and the murderer is reminded of their rights. Miranda warning should be given before questioning the crime. Ideally, if victims want to be excluded or included in the proceedings, it is up to them.
References
Gehl, A., Plecas, D., & Garis, L. (2018). INTRODUCTION TO PROCESSES, PRACTICES, AND THINKING of CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION.
Radha, S. (2016). A Survey to Analyze crime using Data mining Techniques . International Journal of Pharmacy and Technology .
Shrestha, R., Kanchan, T., & Krishan., K. (2020, April 29). Methods Of Estimation Of Time Since Death. StatPearls . Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK549867/
