Property Crime and Crimes Against People: What Do They Have in Common?

Introduction

Property crime investigation is a search for criminals who have committed crimes in obtaining property, money, or some other materialistic benefits which might involve the threat of force or using force. On the other hand, the investigation of crimes against people is always looking for people who have offended in various ways that involve the threat of bodily harm or actual physical harm (Gerstenblith, 2016). The similarity with the two types of investigation is that the primary purpose of the inquiry is often to find the prime suspect or the actual person who offended (Gerstenblith, 2016).

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The Process Used to Investigate Property Crimes

Investigators often have their ways in which property crimes are investigated, but there is always only one process of investigation which should be followed. Also, the responding officers are critical to any study of property crime as they can capture and document the crime scene in its safest and purest state. The first action in the process of property crime investigation is always for the investigators to record the crime scene as it was found (Orthmann, & Hess, 2017). Then they should identify any available witnesses to obtain different statements from various witnesses for them to compare the stories, scenarios as well as the person or people who might be involved. The responding officers should then broadcast a detailed description of the suspect and update it when more information comes up to simplify too much work of investigation.

Points of flight, exit, and entry should also be noted to ascertain whether there might be any evidence which might lead to their search. The action can be done by checking for fingerprints or blood DNA (Orthmann, & Hess, 2017). The next move would be for the investigators to search for gas containers or any accelerant in case the crime scene was of arson to reduce chances or danger to the neighboring buildings or people. The location for other possible contacts which the suspect might have made should also be checked as the suspects always have their best restaurants or guesthouses. The person in charge of the investigation should then ensure that all the obtained evidence items such as food packaging, blood, fingerprints, clothing et cetera, are submitted for further analysis (Windell, & Grana, 2016).

Theft, Burglary, and Robbery

Larceny or theft gets construed as the unlawful riding away, leading, carrying, or taking of property from a constructive possession or actual possession of another person. Burglary is entering a building illegally to commit a crime such as housebreaking or break a bank (Gerstenblith, 2016). Burglary differs from larceny such that it involves damaging of property or murder for the benefit of the criminal. On the other hand, robbery gets construed as the unlawful grabbing of a property from a place or person through the threat of force of using force (Gerstenblith, 2016). Robbery differs from theft such that is requires force, and the person steals the property with the conscience of the owner.

Pieces of Physical Evidence Present at a Burglary Scene

• Fingerprints which are always detected using the fingerprint powder
• Footwear impressions which can be found near entry points
• Tire tracks which are often used during the crime
• Shoe prints which might help identify a specific criminal
• Evidence from video footages from security cameras or the mobile phones of witnesses (Orthmann, & Hess, 2017).

Fraud and Type of Fraud Most Prevalent in New Mexico

Fraud is criminal deception to acquire personal or financial gain. Credit card fraud and identity theft, is the most common type of fraud in New Mexico. The criminals forge the debit and credit cards, and merchants fraudulently claim that a transaction took place with the forged credit cards (Windell, & Grana, 2016).

Process of Investigating an Arson Scene

An arson scene is a place where a fire tragedy occurred. The first step of investigating an arson scene is for the investigators to arrive at the scene and beware of any flammable devices that might be in the building such as electronics or gas containers which might explode. The responders will then evaluate the scene by assessing previous events as well as the fire scene's current status. During this phase, the responders will always make introductions, determine scene integrity and safety issues, and identify the essential personnel (Orthmann, & Hess, 2017). The scene will then be documented, which entails taking scene pictures, notes, and videos that might allow the scene's original state to be permanently stored in case of moving or tampering evidence that might be available.

The next step is the processing of the obtained evidence, where the respondents are often required to identify, collect, and store proof. They should prevent contamination of the evidence, package, and transport the evidence, then maintain and create a chain of custody (Windell, & Grana, 2016). The investigation will then be completed by submitting reports to the relevant databases and releasing the scene only after all possible evidence have been collected, documented adequately, and all the items which were used as part of the investigation removed.

Pieces of Physical Evidence Present at an Arson Scene

• Windows and doors which might be relevant to means and time of exit or entry from the scene
• The period in which an electronic device was last activated as it may narrow activities timeliness.
• The status of devices and appliances which are in use can showcase certain actions.
• The ambient body temperature and the crime scene temperature, which might be effective to the death period as well as decomposition or rigor mortis progress (Windell, & Grana, 2016).
• Any physical item which might be carried by the arson victim which might help in further investigation.

Indicators and Evidence in Explosives and Bombings Investigations.

• An exploded device's fragments will always be left intact such as the circuit boards, timers, wiring, and switches.
• After an explosion has occurred, the explosive's residue will always be left behind (Windell, & Grana, 2016).
• The footage of various videos might be available from the cell phones of witnesses or security cameras
• A blast site detailed investigation will always reveal crucial clues which lead the search.
• Bomb detectors can be used to detect any bomb that might be available (Orthmann, & Hess, 2017).

References

Gerstenblith, P., (2016). The Destruction of Cultural Heritage: A Crime Against Property or a Crime Against People? John Marshall Review of Intellectual Property Law, 15(336). Retrieved from https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=2787347

Orthmann, C.H., & Hess, K. M., (2017). Criminal Investigations, 11th Edition. Boston, MA. Cengage Learning.

Windell, J. O., & Grana, G. (2016). Crime and Intelligence Analysis: An Integrated Real-Time Approach. CRC Press. ISBN 9781315380766