Members, roles and
responsibilities of an Investigation Team
Forensic Pathologist
It is the responsibility
of the forensic pathologist to ascertain the circumstances surrounding an
individual’s death. The forensic
pathologist should identify the following; the identity of the deceased, the
type of injuries sustained by the deceased, at what time the injuries were
inflicted, what caused the injuries and ultimately what was the main factor
that led to the deceased’s death. In
certain cases it may not be compulsory to carry out an autopsy as the reason
behind the death of an individual may obvious to the forensic pathologist. An example of an autopsy not being required
would be an individual passing away naturally because of a known medical
condition. The evidence gathered by the
forensic pathologist will be officially documented/ recorded as it may be
required for use in the court. The
forensic pathologist involved in the particular criminal offence will inform
the detectives, working on the case, regarding the findings that they have
obtained. The forensic pathologist would
not be required to attend a crime involving a mugging but they would be
required to attend a scene where the circumstances of an individual’s death are
unclear, such as a body being located in a canal. The forensic pathologist would have the role
and responsibility of identifying the main factor that led to the deceased’s
death.
Medical Examiner
It is the
role of the medical examiner to identify an approximate time that the
individual is said to have died. The
medical examiner will have the role and responsibility of using their in depth
knowledge of the processes involved in decomposition to officially document/
record an approximate time. The service
of a medical examiner would only be required when the criminal investigation involved
an individual who is deceased. The
medical examiner would be called to a scene involving a suspected homicide, for
example, in order to identify an approximate time of death. The results obtained will then be
subsequently presented to the detectives working on the criminal
investigation. The medical examiner may
also be called to court to verify their findings to the judge and jury.
Forensic
Anthropologist
It is the
responsibility of the forensic anthropologist to attend the scene and state
that the bone/s do in fact belong to a human skeleton. The forensic anthropologist will also have
the role and responsibility of using their knowledge regarding the study of
bones to answer the following; do the bones belong to a male or a female, how
old the deceased was, the ethnic origin of the deceased and finally the damage
inflicted upon the bone/s. The forensic
anthropologist will be required, as a part of their role and responsibility, to
document/ record their findings. The
forensic anthropologist would play a vital part in the criminal investigation
regarding the identification and analysis of human bone/s and the results
obtained would be reported to the detectives working on the case. The service of a forensic anthropologist
would only be required when an investigation involving the identification and analysis
of bone/s is necessary. Forensic
anthropologists would, for example, be called to investigate the presumed human
remains present in a mass grave. The
forensic anthropologist would use their knowledge to answer questions as stated
above.
Detective/s
It is the
responsibility of the detective/s in a criminal investigation to attend the
scene and liaise with other members of the investigation, such as the forensic
scientists, in order to identify the further lines of enquiry that need to take
place. The detective/s will identify
what motive there may have been, in the case of murder, and ascertain potential
suspects. The detective/s will have
documentation/ records that give a detailed account of the stages of the
investigation that are taking place as they will be required to provide
evidence in court that establishes to the jury and judge how they have come to
the conclusions that they have regarding the criminal investigation. The use of detectives is required in criminal
investigations as they specialise in identifying the motive for the criminal
offence, suspects thought to be involved in the criminal offence and the
further lines of enquiry that need to take place. The aforementioned information would be
applicable to a terrorist attack and the detectives would play a role, if
necessary, in liaising with international police forces.
Ballistics Expert
The role of
the ballistics expert will be to carry out various forms of testing at the
ballistics laboratory in order to be able to; identify the particular make of
firearm that was used in an attack, match shell casings to a particular make of
firearm, ascertain the space between the victim and the individual using the
firearm and whether or not the injury that the victim has sustained has been
the result of the firearm in question due to matching the striations on a
bullet recovered from the scene and comparison tests with those test fired in
the ballistics laboratory. The
ballistics expert may also be required to match the wound that the individual
has sustained to a particular firearm. The
ballistics expert will use various forms of equipment that are an essential
part of identifying the answers required regarding firearms in a criminal
investigation, such as; the database or a comparison microscope. The role and responsibility of the ballistics
expert will be to identify the firearm make and model using various forms of
testing in the ballistics laboratory and also document/ record their findings
as they will be required for use in the court.
It is essential that the documentation/ recordings are accurate and
detailed as they will be questioned by the members of the prosecution team in
court if the case regards an attack on an individual using a firearm and the
individual on charge denies that they were involved. The service of a ballistics expert would only
be required in a criminal investigation that involved the use of a firearm,
therefore in a terrorist attack that involved the use of firearms the
ballistics expert may be called to attend the scene. The ballistics expert would have the role and
responsibility of looking at the bullet holes found in the walls of a bank, for
example.
Forensic
Entomologist
It is the
responsibility of the forensic entomologist to identify an approximate time
that the individual is said to have died by using their in depth knowledge
regarding the study of insects. The
forensic entomologist will have the role and responsibility of attending the
scene and identifying what insects are present and at what process the insects
are at in regards to growth. The
forensic entomologist will also collect samples of the insects for further
analysis at the forensic laboratory. The
forensic entomologist will be required, as part of their role and
responsibility, to document/ record their findings. The service of a forensic entomologist would
only be required when the events that led to an individual’s death cannot be
ascertained, such as in a criminal investigation involving a suspected
homicide. The forensic entomologist
would report their findings to the detectives working on the criminal
investigation in order for them to have an approximate time that the individual
has died. The information reported to
the detectives is vital as it enables the alibi of suspects to be verified
along with other forms of evidence.
The Police
The
responsibility of the police is vital to any form of criminal investigation as
they are generally the first public service that attends the scene of a
crime. The police, in the case of
attending a scene were a suspected homicide has taken place, would call for
assistance for the victim if it was apparent that they were still alive. The
police officer who has arrived at the scene would be referred to as the First
Attending Officer (FAO) and it would be there role and responsibility to cordon
the scene offin order to preserve any evidence and protect the body from the
environment, if the crime has occurred in an outdoor environment. The role and responsibility of the police
would also be to identify if any witnesses to the crime are present and take a
statement from them which includes their contact details, the First Attending
Officer (FAO) would also be required to report the crime to the police
department in order for the relevant members of the criminal investigation
team, such as the detectives and forensic scientists, to be notified and attend
the scene. The First Attending Officer
(FAO) also has the authority to apprehend any individuals who they presume to
be involved in the crime. The First
Attending Officer (FAO) will be required to give a statement that may be used
in court.The police would be the first stage of the criminal investigation
process as they are in most cases the first public service to be called in the
case of a criminal offence and they would potentially be called upon incourt to
detail what they discovered upon arrival at the crime scene. This links specifically to the First
Attending Officer (FAO) as they may have detained an individual who was
behaving suspiciously at the scene of the crime and they could be on trial,
therefore they may have to verify to the jury that the individual on trial was
the individual that they detained at the scene of the crime. The police, regardless of the form of crime
that has taken place, will have the role and responsibility to ensure that the individuals
involved in the crime are safe and do not require any medical or other
assistance. The police will also have
the responsibility of interviewing any witnesses to the crime, reporting the
crime, apprehending any suspects located at the scene of the crime and calling
for assistance when necessary. In the
case of a mugging there would be no requirement of services such as a forensic
pathologist as there are no individuals that are deceased. The police would acquire any CCTV footage
showing the mugging taking place, witnesses would be asked to give a statement
and the victim of the mugging would also give a statement that details a
description of the attacker. The police,
following the collection of the victim’s details, would ensure that they are
called in to the police station to identify any suspects that have been
apprehended from a line up or through looking at pictures of the suspects.
Scene of Crime
Officer (SOCO)
It is the responsibility
of the Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) to identify any relevant forensic evidence
present at the scene of a crime and also ensure that the scene of the crime is
safe for the other members of the criminal investigation team to access. The forensic evidence, once identified, must
be photographed and recorded prior to its collection and transfer into the
appropriate receptacle. The Scene of
Crime Officer (SOCO) is required, as part of their role and responsibility, to ensure
that there is a chain of continuity and that all forensic evidence indentified
and collected is done so in the correct manor wearing the full personal
protective equipment. The Scene of Crime
officer will ensure that all documentation/ records are detailed and correct as
they will be used in court, in the case of a murder trial, by both the
prosecution and defence. The Scene of
Crime Officer (SOCO) may be called to attend court in order to give a detailed
and accurate account of the procedures that took place at the scene of the
crime when they were identifying and gathering the relevant forensic evidence. The Scene of Crime Officer (SOCO) will liaise
with the forensic scientists regarding the analysis and the findings gathered
as a result of the analysis. The Scene
of Crime Officer (SOCO) will be required at a criminal investigation that involves
a terrorist attack as the relevant evidence will need to be identified and
collected in order for transportation to the forensic laboratory for further
analysis. The Scene of Crime Officer
(SOCO) will need to work with the police and other departments to ensure that
the scene is safe to access.
Forensic Scientists
It is the
responsibility of the forensic scientistsinvolved in a criminal investigation
to analyse any forensic evidence gathered at the scene of a crime. The forensic scientists must ensure, as part
of their role and responsibility, that they maintain the chain of continuity
and wear the appropriate items of personal protective equipment during the
analysis of the forensic evidence. The
conclusions that they draw from the analysis of the forensic evidence will be
required to be documented, in great detail, along with pictures to illustrate
to the court their findings. It is
essential that any documentation/ records are detailed and accurate as they
will be used in court, in the case of a murder trial, by both the prosecution
and defence. Forensic scientists are
essential in most forms of criminal investigation as they enable any relevant
forensic evidence to be gathered and analysed.
In a terrorist attack any fingerprints that are identified and gathered
can be ran through a database and a match could potentially be identified. The findings gathered from the analysis of
the fingerprints would be officially documented/ recorded and shown to the
detectives, working on the case, who would then locate and detain the individual
if possible.
Justice System
The American
Justice System is based around the application of various criminal
investigative processes. These are governed by the ‘U.S. Constitution and Bill
of Rights, state constitutions, the U.S. Code, State Codes, court decisions,
federal rules of criminal procedure, and department and agency rules and
regulations. The Federal Rules of
Criminal Procedure, for example, govern the procedure in all criminal
proceedings in courts of the United States.’
The following
are the stages of the criminal justice process that would have been applicable
in the Aileen Wournos case:-
Investigation - The
arrest of a suspect/s is based upon the evidence gathered from a criminal
investigation.
Arrest - To
make an arrest in the American justice system ‘probable cause’ is required in
order to arrest and detain a suspect/s.
Prosecution - This
is based on the district attorney’s decision that the evidence gathered
supports the decision to prosecute the suspect/s.
Indictment - In
this stage probable cause needs to be shown in order for a suspect/s to be
indicted.
Arraignment - At
this stage of the process the defendant/s will appear in court in order to
enter a plea of either guilty or not guilty.
PretrialDetention(Bail
Hearing) - This stage is when the defendant/s can apply
for bail while awaiting trial subject to the defence and prosecution’s case.
Plea
Bargaining - This stage of the process may involve the
defendant/s admitting their crime with a plea of guilty in order to received a
lesser charge or sentence.
Trial/Adjudication
of guilt - This is when the prosecution and defence
present their cases before a judge and jury and await their decision. Guilt is
based on a case proved beyond a reasonable doubt.
Sentencing - If a
guilty verdict is given the judge will then decide on the appropriate
punishment for the crime the defendant/s has been convicted of and if a not
guilty verdict is given the judge will release the defendant/s.
Appeals -
These can be lodged by the defence and prosecution attorneys following
the verdict given at a trial.
Punishment/rehabilitation - This
is the final stage of this process and is governed by the local, state or the
federal correctional authorities. The
convicted person/s will serve their sentence, be paroled or pardoned during
this stage. However in certain cases the
final solution is the administration of the death penalty.
Key Members Of Each
Process Of The Criminal Investigation
Richard Mallory
Detectives -
Deputy John Bonnevier, County Deputy Sheriff John Bondi, Detective James Malady and Investigator
Charles James Lau
Medical
Examiner - James Downing
Forensic
Pathologist - Dr Arthur Botting
Forensic
Scientist - Daniel Radcliffe
David Spears
Police -
Attended the scene of the crime
Forensic
Pathologist - Dr Janet Pillow
Charles ‘Chuck’
Carskaddon
Police -
Trooper Rickey
Detectives -
Marion County’s Deputy Lawing
Peter Siems
Detectives -
Marion County’s Deputy Lawing
Eugene ‘Troy’
Burress
Detectives -
Marion County’s Deputys
Charles ‘Dick’
Humphries
Police -
Wildwood Police Department
Walter Gino Antonio
Police
Detectives
