Deck 1: The Investigation of Crime

Question 1

Which of the following was a communication provided by the perpetrators to the police in the Beltway Snipers case?

A) "Roses are red"
B) "I am God"
C) "God is great"
D) "Man am I"

Answer 1

"I am God"

Question 2

Key evidence in the Beltway Snipers case that ultimately led to the identification of the perpetrators was ______.

A) fingerprints
B) computer database match
C) DNA
D) eyewitness identification

Answer 2

fingerprints

Question 3

Which is NOT one of the most common activities performed in investigations?

A) searching for witnesses and victims
B) interviewing witnesses and victims
C) reading and writing reports
D) patrolling in the community and being on the lookout for crimes

Answer 3

patrolling in the community and being on the lookout for crimes

Question 4

Stings, decoys, undercover fencing operations, and stakeouts are types of ______.

A) undercover investigations
B) reactive investigations
C) initial investigations
D) follow-up investigations

Question 5

According to the information theory as it applies to the criminal investigation process, ______.

A) computer technology must be incorporated into criminal investigations
B) the criminal investigation process resembles a battle between the police and the perpetrator over crime-related information
C) all statements made to the media concerning ongoing investigations should come from one designated police official
D) a case screening model should be used in the investigation process in order for the consideration of irrelevant case information

Question 6

What factor is not a reason why the police solve so "few" crimes?

A) the structure of most crimes
B) the nature of the police response (reactive)
C) police powers limited by law
D) offenders get better committing crimes without being detected

Question 7

What is the process of collecting crime-related information in order to reach certain goals?

A) reactive process
B) proactive process
C) criminal investigation
D) case screening

Question 8

When investigating crimes like homicide, robbery, and rape, what type of investigation is typically being conducted?

A) sting
B) proactive
C) reactive
D) forensic

Question 9

Which of the following is NOT a stage to reactive criminal investigations?

A) the discovery of the crime and the police response
B) the preliminary or initial investigation
C) The follow-up investigation
D) the adjudication of the defendant

Question 10

Which of the following is NOT an undercover strategy?

A) sting
B) surveillance
C) front operation
D) decoy

Question 11

Why do cases drop out as they progress through the criminal justice system?

A) Some crimes are not reported to or solved by the police.
B) Some crimes are not a police matter.
C) Some crimes are too unimportant to invest time in them.
D) Some crimes would take too long to solve so police decide not to try to solve. them

Question 12

What are solvability factors?

A) the requirements needed to solve a case
B) the particulars of a case that increase the likelihood of that case being solved
C) the particulars of a case that need to be presented in court
D) the requirements needed to initiate an investigation of a case

Question 13

What is the ultimate goal of the criminal investigation process?

A) to reduce crime
B) to solve a crime
C) to convict a perpetrator
D) to satisfy the victim

Question 14

In what situation can a follow-up investigation be conducted?

A) a case not solved during the initial investigation that was screened for solvability factors
B) a case where questionable police actions occurred during the initial investigation
C) a case solved in the initial investigation but the victim was not satisfied with its results
D) a case where police think the wrong person was convicted

Question 15

What are the factors police supervisors consider when making the screening decision?

A) the seriousness of the crime
B) the evidence available
C) the number of offenses committed by the perpetrator
D) both the seriousness of the crime and the evidence available

Question 16

A decoy is ______.

A) the monitoring of a person and the activities in which they participate
B) compelling a person to commit a crime that he or she was not predisposed to committing
C) when an investigator presents an opportunity to attract an offender to commit a crime
D) when an investigator poses as someone willing to participate in an illicit transaction

Question 17

Which of the following is NOT true about confirmation bias?

A) the tendency of people to pay the most attention to information that confirms what they already believe to be true
B) a potential mental error or pitfall made by investigators
C) when all evidence confirms the guilt of a person
D) the tendency of people to pay little attention to information that is contrary to what they already believe to be true

Question 18

What is NOT an example of a mental mistake made in an investigation?

A) the existence of coincidences
B) investigators putting too much trust in unreliable evidence
C) the difficulty of changing one's mind once it's been made
D) investigators trust DNA tests

Question 19

Which is NOT a technique for investigators to avoid mental errors or pitfalls?

A) Keep an open mind about the possibilities of the crime and who committed it.
B) Avoid getting personally invested in a theory about the crime.
C) Be receptive to competing ideas and evidence.
D) Follow the rule that the first person you suspected probably always was the offender.

Question 20

What cases are most likely NOT to be solved by the police due to a lack of evidence available?

A) burglaries
B) homicides
C) assaults
D) rape

Question 21

All of the following can be seen as problems with evidence in criminal investigations EXCEPT ______.

A) insufficient amount of information is available to follow-up on
B) evidence can be false
C) investigators cannot be sure if a crime was committed
D) investigators might not know initially that this information could be useful for the case

Question 22

Which of the following examples does NOT explain criminal investigations as a Game?

A) The culprit drops his cigarette at the crime scene and therefore leaves his DNA behind.
B) Someone commits a burglary and forgets to erase fingerprints at the crime scene.
C) A subject does not see the surveillance cameras at a parking lot where he stole a car.
D) The subject was able to remove all evidence from the crime scene.

Question 23

Why can criminal investigations be seen like a puzzle?

A) It can always be solved if you just take enough time.
B) Because criminal investigations are a game.
C) Criminal investigations should be fun to solve.
D) There are a lot of pieces which need to be put together in order to solve the investigation.

Question 24

According to the text, why do people NOT report crimes?

A) "personal or private matter"
B) "not important enough"
C) "personal or private matter" and "not important enough"
D) "don't trust the police"

Question 25

A reactive criminal investigation does NOT involve ______.

A) accidental discoveries
B) the collection of evidence
C) decision making and judgments
D) the search for new crimes in communities

Question 26

The fact that the police usually have to react to the report of a crime may help explain the inability of the police to solve more crimes.

Question 27

Identifying the perpetrator is basically the same thing as apprehending the perpetrator.

Question 28

Luck and good fortune are rarely present in successful criminal investigations.

Question 29

Criminal evidence can also be thought of as crime-related information.

Question 30

According to the entrapment theory, the criminal investigation process resembles a battle between the police and the perpetrator over crime-related information.

Question 31

All criminal evidence depends on scientific analysis in order to be meaningful and useful.

Question 32

The source of all evidence is the perpetrator, according to the information theory.

Question 33

It is uncommon for investigators of one crime to discover information leading to another case being solved.

Question 34

CSI accurately portrays the reality of criminal investigations.

Question 35

Identify and discuss the three potential problems with evidence in criminal investigations.

Question 36

In order to solve a crime, what objectives need to be met?

Question 37

Explain why criminal investigation is so critical to the functioning of the entire criminal justice system.

Question 38

Explain why law enforcement agencies do not solve more crimes than they do. What could be done to improve police success in this regard?