Managing Major Investigations

Managing major case investigations: suggestions for supervisors

Michael J. Sullivan

The telephone rings, rousing you from a deep sleep. As the supervisor of a detective squad, you have grown accustomed to being awakened in the middle of the night. At the other end of the line, the night-watch patrol supervisor informs you that a double homicide has just occurred; investigative staff and supervisors are required to assist with the investigation. You will take over as the case supervisor once you report to duty.

What do you do? Do you have guidelines or a protocol in place to provide a framework for proceeding with the supervision of the case?

While reference material providing officers and investigators guidance on the proper procedures to follow when conducting major case investigations abounds, little of this material is available for supervisors who have to manage these cases. Thus, many supervisors must rely on trial and error to develop a workable blueprint for managing and supervising major case investigations. The following suggestions provide basic guidelines for managing the complexities of a major case investigation. They do not represent a step-by-step guide to case management but, rather, a framework to keep investigations on track. Together with an agency's established policies, these guidelines should provide supervisors with a strategic plan for managing major case investigations.

SUPERVISING MAJOR CASE INVESTIGATIONS

Slow Down

One of the most critical errors supervisors can make during a major case investigation is moving too fast. To be sure, circumstances often force investigators to move quickly on a particular lead, but the pace of the investigation itself should be more controlled. Mistakes become inevitable when speed supersedes thought. Supervisors who assume control of a runaway investigation should work to slow it down.

Use All Available Personnel

Invariably, the early phases of a major case investigation are the most important and personnel-intensive. Almost simultaneously, personnel must process the crime scene, interview victims and witnesses, pursue any initial leads, and begin canvassing residents and motorists for additional leads. If there are not enough investigators to perform all of these tasks, supervisors should not hesitate to use available patrol personnel.

Every department has talented patrol officers who work the street diligently every day. Some are waiting for their chance to be assigned to criminal investigations; others prefer patrol work but enjoy the challenge and change of pace that a major case investigation offers. Supervisors should harness the abilities of these officers in the early phases of an investigation to perform specific tasks, such as canvassing motorists, thereby fleeing investigators to concentrate on interviewing witnesses and following leads.

Supervisors also should seek the assistance of surrounding law enforcement agencies. In many jurisdictions, city and county law enforcement agencies form major case task forces to assist one another in times of emergency. If the circumstances warrant, supervisors should not hesitate to request the assistance of task force partners during major case investigations.

Once the investigators who will be assigned to the case are assembled, the supervisor must give them leads that suit their skills. Some investigators excel at processing crime scenes, others at interviewing victims or conducting interrogations. Supervisors must be cognizant of the different abilities of their personnel. Chronic failure to appreciate and properly assess the skills of investigators will result in a growing list of unresolved cases.

Develop a Checklist

Just as investigators use checklists to guide them while processing crime scenes and documenting investigative steps, supervisors should use a checklist as a guide while performing supervisory duties. Supervisors should develop a standing list of the primary tasks that must be performed during investigations and then check them off as they are assigned. Supervisors should personalize the checklist to fit their needs and the requirements of the department. The checklist should be comprehensive enough to address the wide ranging aspects of a major case investigation, which include securing the crime scene, notifying the medical examiner, obtaining search warrants, and assigning vehicle and residence canvasses. Prepared checklists reduce the pressure on supervisors to remember everything and can assist them in organizing and prioritizing the investigative steps that must be completed.

Focus on the Evidence

Occasionally, investigators and supervisors become too focused on searching for and arresting a suspect instead of locating, securing, and collecting evidence of the crime. Generally, the investigative team gets only one opportunity to collect evidence, and it must gather all it can while the evidence remains available.

At times, of course, suspects possess evidence on their bodies or clothing, which must be collected as soon as possible. Investigators should understand, however, that they can locate suspects, collect evidence from them, and then release them. If the evidence points to a specific individual, investigators can pick up that suspect for additional questioning and detention, if appropriate.

While the seriousness of a crime and the desire to protect the public may dictate that investigators arrest a suspect immediately, supervisors must weigh the longterm implications such a move may have on the litigation of the case. As a rule, supervisors should ensure that investigators possess sufficient evidence to convict a suspect before the individual is detained.

At the same time, supervisors should encourage evidence technicians and detectives to take the time necessary to process the crime scene thoroughly, even if the scene must be secured for several days to ensure a methodical search. Investigators may have only one opportunity to collect evidence. Supervisors must ensure that they do it right the first time.

Know the Crime Scene

Supervisors should familiarize themselves with the scene of the crime. If possible, they should visit the area where the crime was committed. However, this does not mean that supervisors should needlessly enter the primary crime scene and disturb physical evidence. Instead, they should carefully review any available photographs or videotape of the immediate crime scene.

Supervisors not needed at the crime scene should return to the precinct house or command center to be available for telephone consultations. A supervisor should be able to direct the investigation from a remote site. Moreover, investigators will appreciate the fact that the supervisor is not standing over their shoulders, watching every move they make.

Maintain a Supervisory Log of Events

Unfortunately, some supervisors believe that upon their promotion they abdicate their responsibility for writing reports and detailing their activities in an investigation. To the contrary, supervisors have a responsibility to document their activities just as their officers and investigators do. Prosecutors and juries want to know what transpires during major case investigations from the perspective of the case supervisor. Such information provides an important overview of the case that the court may not get from any other source.

Supervisors asked to recount the details of a case would be remiss trying to accurately recall from memory everything that happened during an investigation that may have concluded several months before the trial. For this and other reasons, supervisors should document information as it comes to them, including the time and date and the name of the person who provided the information. The supervisory log also should outline all investigative assignments and specify when they were made.

Conduct Daily Briefings

As a case progresses, daily briefings take on an important role in an investigation. They keep investigators apprised of the progress being made and keep personnel assisting with the case familiar with the latest developments. In some cases, supervisors might want to hold two briefings a day, one in the morning and one in the late afternoon.

Keep Superiors Apprised

Throughout an investigation, supervisors should keep their superiors informed of vital case details. To this end, supervisors should invite department executives to attend daily briefings.

Communicate with the Prosecutor's Office

Most prosecutors like to be notified when a law enforcement agency within their jurisdiction initiates a major case investigation. Prosecutors who know they are going to be the trial attorney for a particular case often prefer to be involved in the investigation from the beginning. A cooperative arrangement in this area benefits both parties.

In many cases, investigators require the assistance of prosecutors in preparing search warrants and other legal documents. When supervisors keep prosecutors informed from the beginning of an investigation, they eliminate the untimely delays that occur when prosecutors must review bulky case files to bring themselves up to date on an investigation.

Cooperate with the Media

As soon as practical, a supervisor should arrange to disclose preliminary information to the media via a press release or news conference. In agencies with a designated press officer, supervisors may not have to attend press conferences, but they should take part in deciding what information is released to the media. Generally, reporters appreciate that investigators have a job to do and understand that they cannot reveal every detail of an investigation. For the most part, reporters are satisfied if the police department provides periodic updates regarding an investigation.

Supervisors should maintain a proper perspective of the media's potential role in a major case investigation. The press can be an indispensable asset in disseminating potentially helpful information to the general public - information that can produce valuable leads in a stalled case, for example. Supervisors should strive to achieve a cooperative balance when dealing with the press.

Monitor the Welfare of Subordinates

Supervisors should monitor the well-being of their personnel throughout a major case investigation. Accordingly, supervisors should prioritize the investigative steps and ensure that investigators have sufficient opportunities for breaks during the day. If the crime scene requires extensive processing, supervisors should arrange to have the area sealed and secured until the following day, when rested investigators and technicians can resume where they left off. Exhausted and overly stressed personnel become prone to making mistakes.

MANAGING THE ONGOING INVESTIGATION

Once the initial stages of an investigation have been completed, supervisors must be prepared to manage the case follow-up. In many ways, successful follow-up presents a very different set of challenges for which supervisors must be prepared.

Control Files

It is crucial to the success of any long-term investigation that supervisors establish an effective system for controlling case files. To ensure the integrity of individual case files, supervisors should assign one investigator as the case agent. The case agent is responsible for inserting all reports or other materials into the working case file and should be held accountable if problems arise with the file.

To ensure that potential leads are not missed, no reports should be put into the file until the case agent and the supervisor read and initial them. Because the case agent might be in the field for extended periods, the supervisor must take an active role in prioritizing leads. The supervisor should approve each lead before it is assigned to an investigator.

Cases that generate fewer than 300 leads probably can be managed by using hard-copy lead sheets and indices. However, supervisors should make use of available computer software programs for cataloging and analyzing leads in cases that generate - or have the potential to generate - a greater number of leads.

To further control the paper flow in major cases, supervisors should arrange to have all original reports forwarded to records control personnel so they can copy and distribute the reports to the detective bureau. This prevents original reports from being confused with their copies and also prevents multiple copies of the same report from being forwarded to detectives.

Take Care of the Details

Supervisors should handle as many of the small, but important, details as possible so that investigators can follow up on leads without being distracted. For example, supervisors should act as the conduit between investigators and prosecutors when subpoenas are required, thus eliminating the need for investigators to expend quality investigative time pursuing such matters. Supervisors also should ensure - on a continuing basis - that investigators have the basic materials necessary to do their jobs.

Cooperate with Other Agencies

Supervisors can enhance investigations greatly by fostering communication with other law enforcement agencies. Proactive supervisors share their case information with any agency that may be able to provide leads or other information to help resolve a case. Today's criminals are highly mobile and neighboring agencies may be investigating different cases that could be traced to a single offender. By combining resources, agencies can identify patterns that sharpen the focus of seemingly disparate investigations. But supervisors cannot realize these potential benefits if they do not share information.

Keep Investigations Focused

Supervisors deal with many talented and strong-willed investigators while managing major case investigations. Among their many tasks, supervisors must keep investigations focused, while managing all of the individual personalities and egos involved. To do so, supervisors should continually reinforce the team concept.

Many theories generally develop during major case investigations, particularly before a suspect is identified. The supervisor must encourage investigators to keep their options open and consider all possibilities. Most important, investigators should be allowed to pursue only those theories that are based on sound logic and consistent with the known evidence. Because supervisors generally do not interview witnesses or victims, they often can maintain a more objective view of the case and its intricacies and recognize when an investigation is drifting off course.

Commend Hard Work

Finally, supervisors should not forget to recognize and commend investigators and officers for their hard work and commitment. While investigators strive to solve all cases, realistic experience dictates that some will go unsolved, despite the efforts of the personnel involved. Supervisors should commend investigators not only for successes but also for diligent work, regardless of the outcome. Such praise helps to maintain morale during protracted investigations and helps to establish a positive long-term working relationship between supervisors and their investigative staffs. Supervisors never should burn their bridges on one case by demanding more than their personnel can give.

CONCLUSION

Major case investigations place special demands on supervisors. These challenges require that supervisors develop effective strategies to manage the myriad duties they must perform. By adopting fairly simple measures, however, supervisors can meet the challenges posed by these often-complex investigations.

Despite - or perhaps because of - the pressures associated with major case investigations, effective management can help to build a strong esprit-de-corps among the personnel conducting these investigations. Supervisors should ensure that investigations proceed in a methodical manner that fosters careful fact-finding and yields strong cases that can withstand close scrutiny in court. Supervisors also must reassure investigators when hard work yields limited results. There will be other cases. In fact, the next one may be just a phone call away.