Question 1

To determine whether a case is worth pursuing, Detective Raymond asks herself questions such as, "Is there a witness?" and "Will the complainant cooperate in the investigation?" What helps determine whether a case can be cleared?

Accepted Answer

a. Correct. Solvability factors are issues that are considered in determining whether or not a case should be assigned for follow-up investigation.
b. Incorrect. A clearance rate is the number of crimes that are cleared divided by the total number of crimes recorded.
c. Incorrect. Solvability factors, case screening, case enhancement, and police and prosecutor coordination are all used under the MCI program.
d. Incorrect. Solvability factors are issues that are considered in determining whether or not a case should be assigned for follow-up investigation.

Question 2

What is the strategy of using data analysis and other intelligence to focus police efforts on incidents and offenders causing the most harm to the community?

Accepted Answer

a. Correct. Intelligence-led policing is the strategy of using data analysis and other intelligence to focus police efforts on incidents and offenders causing the most harm to the community.
b. Incorrect. MCI stands for managing criminal investigations. The MCI proposal recommended by the RAND study regarding a more effective way of investigating crimes, including allowing patrol officer to follow up cases and using solvability factors in determining which case to follow up.
c. Incorrect. Crime analysis is the use of analytical methods to obtain pertinent information on crime patterns and trends that can then be disseminated to officers on the street.
d. Incorrect. Cybercrime is any criminal activity involving computers and networks, ranging from fraud to viruses to infiltrating networks or sites to obtain personal information for identity theft or to shut systems down.

Question 3

Investigative task forces are groups working together to investigate one or more crimes. These investigators are often __________.

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Investigative task forces are groups of investigators working together to investigate one or more crimes; these investigators are often from different law enforcement agencies.
b. Incorrect. The courtroom workgroup is comprised of the prosecutor, defense attorney, the judicial officer, and other courthouse employees. The courtroom workgroup does not participate in the investigation of crimes.
c. Incorrect. Investigative task forces are groups of investigators working together to investigate one or more crimes; these investigators are often from different law enforcement agencies. They are not member of different ranks from the same department.
d. Correct. Investigative task forces are groups of investigators working together to investigate one or more crimes; these investigators are often from different law enforcement agencies.

Question 4

One way a repeat offender program can be operated is through __________, where a detective assists the arresting officer to prepare the case against a career criminal.

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Surveillance is the close observation of a person suspected of criminal activity. Many techniques are used to conduct surveillance.
b. Incorrect. PERF stands for the Police Executive Research Forum. PERF was founded in 1976 and is a police research and policy organization.
c. Correct. One way that police can operate the ROP (repeat offender program) is through case enhancement. If the case is enhanced, an experienced detective assists the arresting officer in preparing the case for presentation in court and debriefs the suspect to obtain further information.
d. Incorrect. Decoy operations are operations in which officers dress as and play the role of potential victims in the hope of attracting and catching a criminal.

Question 5

Who are required to register so that local, state, and federal authorities can track their whereabouts, and communities can be made aware of their presence?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Some jurisdictions are enacting laws requiring the registration of various types of criminals. For years, sex offenders have been tracked in most states and on the National Sex Offender website.
b. Incorrect. Some jurisdictions are enacting laws requiring the registration of various types of criminals. For years, sex offenders have been tracked in most states and on the National Sex Offender website.
c. Incorrect. Some jurisdictions are enacting laws requiring the registration of various types of criminals. For years, sex offenders have been tracked in most states and on the National Sex Offender website.
d. Correct. Some jurisdictions are enacting laws requiring the registration of various types of criminals. For years, sex offenders have been tracked in most states and on the National Sex Offender website.

Question 6

One study found that offenders who were what were 90 percent less likely to abscond or reoffend than those who were not?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Many offenders that are on probation abscond or reoffend except those that are tracked by GPS.
b. Incorrect. A study by Florida State University released in February 2006 found that offenders tracked by GPS were 90 percent less likely to abscond or reoffend than were those who were not monitored. There was success when GPS tracking was used to monitor sex offenders.
c. Incorrect. Smartphones have been used to take photos or videos of suspects, vehicles, and crimes and other violations in progress. Giving them to offenders did not make them 90 percent less likely to abscond.
d. Correct. A study by Florida State University released in February 2006 found that offenders tracked by GPS were 90 percent less likely to abscond or reoffend than were those who were not monitored.

Question 7

Most courts have upheld the use of surveillance cameras, stating they are not a violation of individual's rights because __________.

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Although there is no specific mention of cameras in the U.S. Constitution the courts have ruled that they are not a violation because there is no expectation to privacy in
b. Incorrect. Surveillance cameras are everywhere today; despite some challenges, most courts have upheld their use, stating that they are not a violation of individuals' rights because there is no expectation of privacy in most of the
c. Correct. Surveillance cameras are everywhere today; despite some challenges, most courts have upheld their use, stating that they are not a violation of individuals' rights because there is no expectation of privacy in most of the
d. Incorrect. Advances in technology have resulted in high quality images that can be used to identify suspects.

Question 8

Advances in which type of technology have led to the increased use of cold-case squads to solve crimes?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Surveillance is the close observation of a suspected criminal. This is often used for current cases. It is infrequently used by cold-case squads.
b. Incorrect. GPS technology is frequently used to monitor individuals who are on probation. It is not commonly used by cold-case squads.
c. Correct. Advances in DNA technology have led to the increased use of cold-case squads to solve crimes.
d. Incorrect. The lie-detector, also known as the polygraph, is a mechanical or electronic device designed to ascertain whether a person is telling the truth. The reliability and validity of polygraphs are still questioned. Polygraph results are not admissible in many courts.

Question 9

In a decoy operation, what do officers do?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. In decoy, officers who dress as and play the role of potential victims, not members of the general public. They wait to be the subject of a crime while a team of backup officers is ready to apprehend the violator in the act of committing the crime.
b. Correct. In decoy, officers who dress as and play the role of potential victims wait to be the subject of a crime while a team of backup officers is ready to apprehend the violator in the act of committing the crime.
c. Incorrect. In decoy, officers who dress as and play the role of potential victims wait to be the subject of a crime while a team of backup officers is ready to apprehend the violator in the act of committing the crime.
d. Incorrect. In decoy, officers who dress as and play the role of potential victims, not a gang member. They wait to be the subject of a crime while a team of backup officers is ready to apprehend the violator in the act of committing the crime.

Question 10

The hidden surveillance of a location or person is called a __________.

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. In a decoy operation, officers dress as and play the role of potential victims in the hope of attracting and catching a criminal.
b. Correct. A stakeout is the hidden surveillance of a
c. Incorrect. Blending is plainclothes officers' efforts to blend into an area and attempt to catch a criminal.
d. Incorrect. A sting operation is an undercover police operation in which police pose as criminals to arrest law violators.

Question 11

Justin receives word that he has won a prize and just needs to go to a particular address to pick it up. When he arrives, he finds the police are waiting to arrest him on an outstanding warrant; this is a(n) __________.

Accepted Answer

a. Correct. One type of sting operation is directed against people wanted on warrants who are told to come to a certain
b. Incorrect. A stakeout is the hidden surveillance of a
c. Incorrect. In a decoy operation, officers dress as and play the role of potential victims in the hope of attracting and catching a criminal.
d. Incorrect. Entrapment is a legal defense that hold that police originated the criminal idea or initiated the criminal action.

Question 12

Cybercrime is any type of criminal activity involving ________.

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Cybercrime is any type of criminal activity involving computers and networks.
b. Correct. Cybercrime is any type of criminal activity involving computers and networks.
c. Incorrect. Cybercrime is any type of criminal activity involving computers and networks.
d. Incorrect. Cybercrime is any type of criminal activity involving computers and networks.

Question 13

One of the downsides to stakeouts is that they are __________.

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Stakeouts can be boring but more importantly they are extremely expensive in terms of police personnel.
b. Incorrect. Stakeouts may be based on a tip but that is not a downside because the police conduct the stakeout to verify the tip that was received.
c. Correct. Stakeouts are extremely expensive in terms of police personnel.
d. Incorrect. Stakeouts are effective in cases where the police receive a tip that a crime is going to occur in a commercial establishment or where the police discover or come upon a pattern.

Question 14

The officer assumes a different identity to obtain information or achieve another investigatory purpose in a(n) __________.

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. In a decoy operation officers dress as and play the role of potential victims in the hope of attracting and catching a criminal.
b. Correct. An undercover investigation may be defined as one in which an investigator assumes a different identity to obtain information or achieve another investigatory purpose.
c. Incorrect. A stakeout operation involved the hidden surveillance of a
d. Incorrect. A blending operation is one where plainclothes officers try to blend into an area and attempt to catch a criminal.

Question 15

What type of undercover investigations have broken up many major drug and arms smuggling operations in South Florida?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Federal, not community, undercover investigations have broken up many major drug and arms smuggling operations in South Florida.
b. Incorrect. Federal, not municipal, undercover investigations have broken up many major drug and arms smuggling operations in South Florida.
c. Correct. Federal undercover investigations have broken up many major drug and arms smuggling operations in South Florida.
d. Incorrect. Federal, not state, undercover investigations have broken up many major drug and arms smuggling operations in South Florida.

Question 16

In which type of operation does an undercover officer make numerous purchases over time and then obtain an arrest warrant for the dealer before a team goes in to make the arrest?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Decoy operations are operations in which officers dress as and play the role of potential victims in the hope of attracting and catching a criminal.
b. Incorrect. In a stakeout operation there is hidden surveillance of a
c. Incorrect. A sting operation is an undercover police operation in which police pose as criminals to arrest law violators.
d. Correct. In a buy-bust operation, the undercover officer makes numerous purchases over time and then obtains an arrest warrant for the dealer, and a team goes in to make the arrest.

Question 17

What is defined as inducing an individual to violate a criminal statute he or she did not contemplate violating, for the sole purpose of arrest and criminal prosecution?

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Decoy is defined as operations in which officers dress as and play the role of potential victims in the hope of attracting and catching a criminal.
b. Incorrect. A sting operation is designed as an undercover police operation in which police pose as criminals to arrest law violators.
c. Correct. Entrapment is defined as inducing an individual to violate a criminal statute he or she did not contemplate violating, for the sole purpose of arrest and criminal prosecution.
d. Incorrect. A stakeout is defined as the hidden surveillance of a

Question 18

Defendants can plead entrapment if they can show that the police __________ commit crimes they otherwise would not have committed.

Accepted Answer

a. Incorrect. Inducement is the key word; when police encouragement plays upon the weaknesses of innocent persons and beguiles them into committing crimes they normally would not attempt, the police action can be deemed improper as entrapment and the evidence barred under the exclusionary rule.
b. Correct. Inducement is the key word; when police encouragement plays upon the weaknesses of innocent persons and beguiles them into committing crimes they normally would not attempt, the police action can be deemed improper as entrapment and the evidence barred under the exclusionary rule.
c. Incorrect. Inducement is the key word; when police encouragement plays upon the weaknesses of innocent persons and beguiles them into committing crimes they normally would not attempt, the police action can be deemed improper as entrapment and the evidence barred under the exclusionary rule.
d. Incorrect. Inducement is the key word; when police encouragement plays upon the weaknesses of innocent persons and beguiles them into committing crimes they normally would not attempt, the police action can be deemed improper as entrapment and the evidence barred under the exclusionary rule.

Quiz 10: Investigations