Test Bank For Criminal Investigation 8th Edition By James W.
Osterburg; Richard H. Ward; Larry S. Miller 9781138903272
Chapter 1-20 Complete Guide
True or False: Investigative notes are a permanent written record of the facts of a case to be used in
further investigation, in writing reports and in prosecuting the case. - ANSWER: True
Along with the basic information of who, what , when, where, why, how - field notes should:
a.) Be taken immediately upon arrival to the scene of the investigation
b.) Be taken only when a witness provides written consent to give a statement
c.) Be thorough only if the crime is a felony and the suspect has been identified
d.) Be complete, accurate, specific, factual, clear, well-organized and legible - ANSWER: D. Be
complete, accurate, specific, factual, clear, well-organized and legible
True or False: Only inculpatory (indicates suspect's guilt) information should be included in notes and
reports. Exculpatory (inconsistent with suspect's guilt) information should remain undocumented and
only be reported by the defense attorney assigned. - ANSWER: False
Which of the following is true about note taking?
a.) Digital recordings are an easy replacement for taking notes
b.) Key facts should be recorded in notes in an abbreviated form
c.) Notes are a verbatim transcript of a witness, victim, or suspect statement
d.) Individual officers should make up their own shorthand for notes - ANSWER: B. Key facts should be
recorded in notes in an abbreviated form
True or False: Facts, inferences, and opinions should all be included in field notes. - ANSWER: False
One disadvantage to using photography to crime scene is:
a.) The photographs must be taken by an expert crime lab technician
b.) The photographs do not show actual distances and may be distorted by errors in shooting
c.) The photographs are rarely admissible in court
d.) The photographs do not have much impact for presentation in court - ANSWER: b.) The
photographs do not show actual distances and may be distorted by errors in shooting
True or False: Untrained videographers at a crime scene can make a common mistake that can
potentially have damaging effects on the case prosecution. - ANSWER: True
The type of camera that provides for low cost, are simple to operate, require little training and can be
used by every officer on the police department is:
a.) Instant-print camera
b.) Point and shoot camera
c.) Digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera
d.) Fingerprint camera - ANSWER: a.) Instant-print camera
True or false: When photographing a crime scene, the rule is to first photograph the general area,
then specific areas and finally specific objects of evidence. - ANSWER: True
A reason for using a marker in photographing a crime scene is to:
a.) Show the color of the evidence
b.) Show the fact that evidence was found in plain view
c.) Show exact location of the evidence
d.) Show accurate or relative size of the evidence - ANSWER: d.) Show accurate or relative size of the
evidence
, True or False: If something has been moved at a crime scene prior to photographs being taken, the
investigator should put the object back in its original location. - ANSWER: False
Taking exterior photographs first is important because:
a.) Evidence found outside is likely to deteriorate faster
b.) Evidence found outside is often the most important evidence in an investigation
c.) Evidence found outside is not likely to be subject to Fourth Amendment protections
d.) Evidence found outside is the only evidence that can be released to the media - ANSWER: a.)
Evidence found outside is likely to deteriorate faster
True or False: The terms "mug shots" and "lineup photographs" are interchangeable - ANSWER: False
In order to be admissible in court, photographs must be:
a.) Material and relevant
b.) Competent and accurate
c.) Free of distortion and non-inflammatory
d.) All of the above - ANSWER: d.) All of the above
True or False: Photographs and videos do not need to be properly filed and kept secure to be
admissible as evidence. - ANSWER: False
Crime scene sketches include:
a.) The position of responding officers
b.) The entire scene, the objects, and the evidence
c.) Only the evidence seized at the crime scene
d.) Only the specific area in which the crime occurred - ANSWER: b.) The entire scene, the objects, and
the evidence
True or False: There is only one step in sketching the crime scene - the actual plotting of objects and
evidence. - ANSWER: False
When sketching a crime scene, it is important to:
a.) Sketch as quickly as possible without observing or planning
b.) Plot objects first in the sketch, then measure distances and fill in the outline last
c.) Determine whether or not prosecution will be successful before sketching
d.) Determine fixed points from which to measure - ANSWER: d.) Determine fixed points from which
to measure
True or False: If a bullet hole is found in a wall five feet above the floor, the best method for sketching
the scene is the rectangular-coordinate method. - ANSWER: False
Regarding admissibility in court:
a.) The rough sketch is only admissible
b.) The scale drawing is only admissible
c.) Both the rough sketch and scale drawings are admissible
d.) Neither is admissible, only photographs and videos are admissible - ANSWER: C.) Both the rough
sketch and scale drawings are admissible
True or False: Once a complete report has been written and submitted to the Prosecutor's Office for
formal charges to be authorized, it is no longer needed. - ANSWER: False
Written reports are used:
a.) Only if a criminal investigation has been successfully concluded and a suspect arrested
b.) To convey an officer's opinion of the type of people that commit specific crimes
c.) Throughout all steps of an investigation, from initial investigation to final sentencing
d.) To prepare for court cases but never as an evaluation tool for officer performance - ANSWER: C.)
Throughout all steps of an investigation, from initial investigation to final sentencing
Osterburg; Richard H. Ward; Larry S. Miller 9781138903272
Chapter 1-20 Complete Guide
True or False: Investigative notes are a permanent written record of the facts of a case to be used in
further investigation, in writing reports and in prosecuting the case. - ANSWER: True
Along with the basic information of who, what , when, where, why, how - field notes should:
a.) Be taken immediately upon arrival to the scene of the investigation
b.) Be taken only when a witness provides written consent to give a statement
c.) Be thorough only if the crime is a felony and the suspect has been identified
d.) Be complete, accurate, specific, factual, clear, well-organized and legible - ANSWER: D. Be
complete, accurate, specific, factual, clear, well-organized and legible
True or False: Only inculpatory (indicates suspect's guilt) information should be included in notes and
reports. Exculpatory (inconsistent with suspect's guilt) information should remain undocumented and
only be reported by the defense attorney assigned. - ANSWER: False
Which of the following is true about note taking?
a.) Digital recordings are an easy replacement for taking notes
b.) Key facts should be recorded in notes in an abbreviated form
c.) Notes are a verbatim transcript of a witness, victim, or suspect statement
d.) Individual officers should make up their own shorthand for notes - ANSWER: B. Key facts should be
recorded in notes in an abbreviated form
True or False: Facts, inferences, and opinions should all be included in field notes. - ANSWER: False
One disadvantage to using photography to crime scene is:
a.) The photographs must be taken by an expert crime lab technician
b.) The photographs do not show actual distances and may be distorted by errors in shooting
c.) The photographs are rarely admissible in court
d.) The photographs do not have much impact for presentation in court - ANSWER: b.) The
photographs do not show actual distances and may be distorted by errors in shooting
True or False: Untrained videographers at a crime scene can make a common mistake that can
potentially have damaging effects on the case prosecution. - ANSWER: True
The type of camera that provides for low cost, are simple to operate, require little training and can be
used by every officer on the police department is:
a.) Instant-print camera
b.) Point and shoot camera
c.) Digital single-lens reflex (DSLR) camera
d.) Fingerprint camera - ANSWER: a.) Instant-print camera
True or false: When photographing a crime scene, the rule is to first photograph the general area,
then specific areas and finally specific objects of evidence. - ANSWER: True
A reason for using a marker in photographing a crime scene is to:
a.) Show the color of the evidence
b.) Show the fact that evidence was found in plain view
c.) Show exact location of the evidence
d.) Show accurate or relative size of the evidence - ANSWER: d.) Show accurate or relative size of the
evidence
, True or False: If something has been moved at a crime scene prior to photographs being taken, the
investigator should put the object back in its original location. - ANSWER: False
Taking exterior photographs first is important because:
a.) Evidence found outside is likely to deteriorate faster
b.) Evidence found outside is often the most important evidence in an investigation
c.) Evidence found outside is not likely to be subject to Fourth Amendment protections
d.) Evidence found outside is the only evidence that can be released to the media - ANSWER: a.)
Evidence found outside is likely to deteriorate faster
True or False: The terms "mug shots" and "lineup photographs" are interchangeable - ANSWER: False
In order to be admissible in court, photographs must be:
a.) Material and relevant
b.) Competent and accurate
c.) Free of distortion and non-inflammatory
d.) All of the above - ANSWER: d.) All of the above
True or False: Photographs and videos do not need to be properly filed and kept secure to be
admissible as evidence. - ANSWER: False
Crime scene sketches include:
a.) The position of responding officers
b.) The entire scene, the objects, and the evidence
c.) Only the evidence seized at the crime scene
d.) Only the specific area in which the crime occurred - ANSWER: b.) The entire scene, the objects, and
the evidence
True or False: There is only one step in sketching the crime scene - the actual plotting of objects and
evidence. - ANSWER: False
When sketching a crime scene, it is important to:
a.) Sketch as quickly as possible without observing or planning
b.) Plot objects first in the sketch, then measure distances and fill in the outline last
c.) Determine whether or not prosecution will be successful before sketching
d.) Determine fixed points from which to measure - ANSWER: d.) Determine fixed points from which
to measure
True or False: If a bullet hole is found in a wall five feet above the floor, the best method for sketching
the scene is the rectangular-coordinate method. - ANSWER: False
Regarding admissibility in court:
a.) The rough sketch is only admissible
b.) The scale drawing is only admissible
c.) Both the rough sketch and scale drawings are admissible
d.) Neither is admissible, only photographs and videos are admissible - ANSWER: C.) Both the rough
sketch and scale drawings are admissible
True or False: Once a complete report has been written and submitted to the Prosecutor's Office for
formal charges to be authorized, it is no longer needed. - ANSWER: False
Written reports are used:
a.) Only if a criminal investigation has been successfully concluded and a suspect arrested
b.) To convey an officer's opinion of the type of people that commit specific crimes
c.) Throughout all steps of an investigation, from initial investigation to final sentencing
d.) To prepare for court cases but never as an evaluation tool for officer performance - ANSWER: C.)
Throughout all steps of an investigation, from initial investigation to final sentencing
