1. Investigation and Arrest
Chapter 7

2. Levels of Police in Canada
Police force cost about $10 billion annually
Included police officers at 3 different levels :
FEDERAL, PROVINCIAL/ TERRITORIAL, and MUNICIPAL
Since 1970s, Aboriginal police forces serve Aboriginal communities (sensitive to the needs)

3. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) formed in 1873 as the North West Mounted Police
RCMP or “Mounties” – federal police force
Provincial police in all provinces and territories except Ontario, Quebec and Newfoundland and Labrador.
Some provinces they serve as municipal police (Nunavut, Yukon, Northwest Territories)
RCMP is responsible for all federal law under the Criminal Code as well as federal regulations
Federal police

4. Federal police Border Integrity –customs, immigration, marine
RCMP federal policing mandate 4 areas:
Border Integrity –customs, immigration, marine
Drugs and organized crime – drug enforcement branch
International policing – international travel and visits branch
Financial crime – proceeds of crime program
Policing in the above areas is not done exclusively by the RCMP. Provincial and municipal police forces and other provincial and federal agencies often work together to enforce the law in these areas.

5. Provincial Police
Jurisdiction in rural areas and unincorporated regions around cities
Ex: Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)
Reminder: some provinces have the RCMP operating as the provincial police
Some responsibilities:
Respond to municipal police requests for special assistance in emergencies
Traffic control on highways
Provide investigative services on request

6. Municipal Police Jurisdiction over towns and cities
Each municipality funds its own force
Smaller communities that do not have municipal police use RCMP or provincial police
Number of divisions that service the local community / “SQUADS”
Gang Crime Unit, the Robbery Squad, the Homicide Squad, and the Explosives Disposal Unit

7. Municipal Police Municipal police officer’s duties:
Preserving the peace
Preventing crimes from occurring
Assisting victims of crime
Apprehending criminals
Laying charges and participating in prosecutions
Executing warrants

8. Aboriginal Police
The First Nations Policing Policy is administered by the Department of the Solicitor General
Provides partnership among the federal government, provincial/territorial governments, and Aboriginal peoples

9. Starting a police investigation
1- Arriving at the crime scene
Location or site where the offence took place (CRIME SCENE)
Officers arrive – 3 tasks
Call an ambulance and assist injured people at the scene
Call in reinforcements to help eliminate any hazards that still post a risk
Search the crime scene, even if witnesses say the suspects have left

10. 2- Protecting and Preserving the crime scene
Success in prosecuting offenders depends on conditions of physical evidence
Officers must accurately establish 2 boundaries:
The centre of the crime scene (area which the offence was actually committed) and the perimeter (surrounding areas where the alleged offender may have been present of may have left evidence

11. If evidence is not managed properly, it can become contaminated – loss, destruction, or alteration of physical evidence (may not be admissible in court)
One way to preserve and protect evidence is to document the scene carefully and accurately  police log (written record of what police witness)

12. Officers’ Roles at a crime scene
4 types of police officers investigate a crime scene:
Patrol officer – first member to arrive, secure the crime scene and ensure no evidence is lost or tampered with
“Scenes of crime officer” – trained in evidence collection and preservation techniques (skilled photographers, trained in lifting fingerprints, foot impressions)
“criminal identification officer”- responsible for searching the crime scene, examining the scene for physical evidence, gathering and analyzing evidence
“criminal investigations bureau officer” – plain clothed detective with experiences in a particular area of crime (trained to supervise the investigation, interview victims, interrogate suspects)

13. Identifying and Collecting physical evidence

14. PHYSICAL EVIDENCE
- Physical evidence  any object, impression, or body element that can be used to prove or disprove facts relating to an offence
Valuable - greater weight in court than evidence obtained through witnesses’ statements
Forensic science  application of biochemical and other scientific techniques to criminal investigation (examine and analyze the physical evidence found at a crime scene)

15. Tools
Tools used in the commission of crimes are hammers, knives, screwdrivers and crowbars
They have individual characteristics on their surfaces/edges that can be detected in crime labs

16. Impressions
Impressions  patterns or marks found on surfaces and caused by various objects such as fingers, gloves, shoes, tires or tools
Collecting impression is done in 2 stages:
First impression is recorded by photographing or scanning it, or by taking a mould
Then police try to match the impression with the object that made it

17. Impressions have 2 characteristics:
Class characteristics  general attributes of an object such as type, make, model, style and size (tire could be12-inch, manufactured in 2005, by B.F. Goodrich Company – this is general)
Individual characteristics  refer to specific and unique features of an object. Such characteristics could narrow the range of possibilities and help make positive identification (wear and tear on left rear tire)

18. Fingerprint  patterned mark left on a surface by a fingertip
Fingerprint  patterned mark left on a surface by a fingertip. Can be taken of a person’s hands, feet, or toes
Never change and are unique to each individual
No 2 people have the same fingerprint pattern (even identical twins have different)
Fingerprints

19. 2 types of prints:
Visible fingerprint  observed by the naked eye and is usually formed when the fingertip is coated in dirt, blood, grease, or some other substance (can be photographed immediately)
Latent fingerprint  made by perspiration and oils that occur naturally on the skin’s surface, cannot be seen by the naked eye – has to be developed before photographing

20. Gloves
Criminals who use gloves to conceal their fingerprints may be in for an unpleasant surprise
Police can use glove impressions to identify a suspect in almost the same way as fingerprints
Compare the impression’s class characteristics (such as overall pattern of the glove and the spacing of its stitches) and the individual characteristics (such as worn or torn areas) with the gloves of a suspect

21. Shoe prints and tire tracks
Shoe prints and tire tracks can be matched to the person
Prints can give a general idea of:
the suspect’s approximate height and weight
any injuries he or she might have sustained in committing the act
whether suspect was carrying, pushing, or dragging anything
running or walking
Tire impressions:
Can help determine the type of tires
Make of the car
Direction of the car

22. Body Elements and DNA
Crimes often result in a transfer of bodily fluids or other bodily elements from the suspect to the victim
Blood, semen, mucus, hair and skin
Police can use this for DNA testing
Blood is most common substance found at the crime scene

23. Procedures for labelling evidence
Officers label items of evidence so they can be identified at a later date
Proper labelling ensures evidence is not contaminated or tampered with
Officers take care to establish a proper chain of custody for the evidence
Chain of custody  is the witnessed, written record of all of the people who had control over the items of evidence
Chain must remain unbroken from the time the evidence is discovered at the crime to the time it is produced in court

24. It must show… Who had contact with the evidence
Dates and times the evidence was handled
The circumstances under which the evidence was handled
What changes, if any, were made to the evidence
All evidence collected is tagged and placed in an “evidence package”