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250 word response 2 references Due 6/10/2023

Carasco

There are several steps to managing a criminal investigation.  These are considered the elements of managing criminal investigations (MCI).  The five elements are the “initial investigation, case screening, management of the ongoing investigation, police-prosecutor relations, and continuous monitoring of the investigative process” (Ostenburg, Ward, and Miller, p. 124).  The initial investigation begins with the primary officer.  The primary officer is expected to gather as much information as possible to assist the assigned detective with the investigation.  During the case screening process, a supervisor will review the case and determine if the case will be assigned to a detective for additional investigation. If a case is assigned to an investigator, it is important for the supervisor of that unit to make sure that the investigation continues and is actively being investigated.  Another important concept is the police-prosecutor relationship.  The focus in this step is to ensure a good police-prosecutor relationship which will hopefully improve the outcomes of criminal cases.  The final step of this process would “give administrators continuous feedback on the investigative process and the quality of personnel performance” (Ostenburg et. al., p. 127). 

During the first step, it is important the primary officer conducts a thorough investigation from the onset.  There might be cases in which the primary officer determines there is no investigative value to the case however the officer might take additional steps to comfort the victim.  The investigating officer may continue to their investigative effort “to placate particular victims, although it may be obvious at the outset that the crime is not likely to be solved” (Greenwood, Chaiken, Peterslia, and Prusoff, p. 7).

The case screening process is important because the supervisor reviewing these cases acts like a filter.  The supervisor determines what investigations have a high probability of making an arrest.  The problem with this step is that the supervisor may not assign a case to a detective based on the information provided during the initial investigation.  This presents a problem for the organization because there is a possibility that an incident that may have been solved will never be investigated.

In the third step of this process, it is vital that the supervisor assigned to the unit maintains control and oversight of all investigations assigned to his detectives. If these actions are not taken, they could negatively impact an investigation and the relationship between the agency and the community.  

The fourth step is equally as important.  In this step the goal is to have a great working relationship with the prosecutor’s office.  When this relationship is strained if reflects negatively on the agency.  During this phase the prosecutor has control of the case and any negative feelings toward the police department could result in criminal cases being dismissed.

The final step requires police administrators to develop a plan to continuously monitor their process.  This allows the organization to perform an assessment on their investigative process and make any changes if necessary.  If this step is ignored, then there will never be any improvements in the investigative process resulting in the same issues continuing to occur. 

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