Response 2

Response should be 250 words with 2 references

Burglary is the most common crimes investigated by the police. The reason being is that the nature of the crime is varied. It becomes difficult to set down a specific guidelines for the investigation. There are steps that must be followed when investigating a burglary. When police officers receive a call of a burglary there’s a difference between in-progress call and one that already happened. If it is an in-progress call then the victim and officer safety is important. If the suspect is still around the officer will be concerned with their location. The first step is to secure the crime scene (Swanson et al., 2012). It is important to secure the scene it is where the bulk of the evidence lies. If a mistake is made this could cost the case. The next step is to identify witness. It is best to keep the witnesses from talking to each other. Witnesses should next be located and separated for interviewing at a later time (Bevel, Tom; Gardner, Tom, 2012). The third step is to gather evidence this is another critical point. Investigators have to look beyond what they saw, but at what they might find helps. For example, many officers often miss fingerprints from a hotel burglary. They must look at it from the suspect’s viewpoint. The last step is to write a thorough report.

                Gathering evidence is a critical point. Investigators must be very through when looking for evidence. Often times the burglar will leave minimum evidence. Collecting quality evidence is important and the more evidence the better it will be for the case. Types of evidence associated fingerprints, DNA, shoe prints, and tool marks. During a burglary investigators normally find some fingerprints at the point of entry. This is an important location of physical evidence. For example, pry marks left on window can help identify a burglary. Another point that evidence could be located would be a door knob. Investigators look at the exterior doorknob for tool marks. In certain cases the method of entry is difficult to detect because a piece of plastic can be used without leaving any marks.