Officers must balance their need to search a suspect’s person, belongings, car or house with respect for your constitutional rights. In most cases, officers must obtain a warrant to search a place or person.
Under certain circumstances, officers can conduct a protective search 심부름센터 without probable cause. This type of search must be limited in scope and time to the area immediately surrounding the arrest.
Identifying a Suspect
Identifying a suspect is typically the first step in solving a crime. Law enforcement officers rely on intel from colleagues, manually comparing booking database records and even scouring social media to find potential suspects. The process is laborious and time consuming.
When identifying a suspect, it is important to note any potential motives or symptoms associated with the offense. These can include:
General appearance-is the person sloppy or neat? does he have a moustache, beard or other facial hair?
Investigators can use IDentify to improve the suspect identification process. This digital evidence solution optimizes workflows and accelerates searchable case files for a fraction of the cost. With IDentify, unknown faces generated from the crime scene can be instantly compared to known persons of interest in the department’s database organized by match certainty. The investigator can then choose to mark a person as a suspect or dismiss them.
Obtaining an Accurate Description
With the rise in popularity of psychological crime thriller TV shows such as Mindhunter, the public may have misconceptions about what criminal profiling entails. In reality, criminal profiling is a technique used by investigators to examine evidence in the case, including victim and witness reports, to develop an offender description that can be used in searching for suspects. This can include psychological variables such as personality traits, psychopathologies and behavioral patterns as well as demographic variables such as age, race and geographic location.
The investigator interviewing the suspect should be polite, professional and not use an overbearing or intimidating demeanour. A non-aggressive approach is not only good for the investigator’s image but also helps to establish a rapport of openness and trust that can be very productive in getting the suspect to cooperate with the investigation by making statements and perhaps confessing.
In some cases, the investigator might choose to provide the suspect with material before the interview as this might help the person to understand the nature of the evidence against them. However, the investigator should not do this without first explaining to the suspect that they have a right to silence under Section 10 of the Charter.
Obtaining a Warrant
Generally, police officers must obtain a warrant before searching someone or their property. If they do not, the evidence gathered during this search may be deemed inadmissible in court. In order to get a warrant, police officers must convince a neutral judge that there is probable cause to believe a crime has occurred or is about to occur at the location. They do this by submitting an affidavit that details their suspicions.
The affidavit must be written clearly and concisely to satisfy the Fourth Amendment’s requirement that warrants must be supported by “Oath or affirmation.” A vague description that could apply to hundreds of people is not sufficient to justify a search.
The affidavit must also include the reason why police are suspicious of the suspect and why they believe there is probable cause to search the property. For example, they can cite evidence from the scene of the crime or information gathered during their investigation.
Obtaining a Search Warrant
Generally, police must have probable cause to search for and seize evidence of a crime. This usually requires an affidavit submitted to a judge or magistrate. The affidavit should contain sufficient detail about the property or area to be searched as well as the items that may be found there.
The judge or magistrate will review the affidavit to make sure it provides enough information about the suspected crimes and that there is reasonable suspicion of probable cause to conduct the search. If the affidavit does not meet these requirements, then the search will be deemed illegal.
In some circumstances, officers can do a search without a warrant, such as when they are arresting a suspect and suspect that a dangerous accomplice is hiding on the premises. This is known as a “search incident to an arrest.” Officers can also conduct a protective sweep of the residence or other area after an arrest.
Obtaining a DNA Sample
The police can ask you to give a DNA sample if they have sufficient evidence that you committed a criminal offence that carries a prison term. They can also go to court and ask for a court order to force you to give a DNA sample if you refuse to do so voluntarily (see: ‘Giving a DNA Sample’).
A DNA sample is a collection of cells from your body. The usual method of collecting a DNA sample is by swabbing the inside of your mouth with a swab that is similar to a cotton bud. Using this method, police don’t need any medical expertise to take a DNA sample.
A DNA profile can be compared to a known sample in a DNA database, such as CODIS. This can identify a suspect. In addition, DNA samples can be linked to crime scene DNA, allowing police to connect different crimes committed by the same person.
Obtaining a Fingerprint Sample
Fingerprinting is one of the most reliable and quick ways to identify a suspect. However, it requires a lot of work on the part of forensic experts to make the prints usable. This is because the prints are often latent, or not visible, until touched. Forensic scientists can “develop” the latent fingerprints using techniques such as dusting or fuming (using iodine or ninhydrin on a surface).
Besides identifying a suspect, a fingerprint sample also allows police to match it to known prints. This is why officers need exemplar prints, or known prints, to compare them with the unknown fingerprints they find at the crime scene.
The exemplars are usually taken from the suspect during the time of his arrest. Unless there is a valid reason to do otherwise, an officer should obtain the requisite written consent from the suspect before collecting his fingerprints. Otherwise, the procedure could violate the Fourth Amendment.