NCJ Number
212746
Journal
Journal of Police and Criminal Psychology Volume: 20 Issue: 2 Dated: Fall 2005 Pages: 20-43
Date Published
2005
Length
24 pages
Annotation
The proposed low-tech systematic investigative strategy called "Cross+Check" (C+C) is intended to ensure that all potentially useful information is collected in the investigation of a crime or security problem.
Abstract
C+C is an investigative tool that is easy to use in the field by police and security professionals. It requires having a folder that contains six sheets of A4-sized paper. These sheets are used as "investigative forms" for recording various types of information to be kept in the file for use as needed. The key operational advantage of C+C is its visual analysis of the interrelationships among four qualitatively different sources of information, i.e., police/security information, descriptive information, diagnostic information, and research information. The system uses these four types of qualitatively different information to develop inferences and then test them by checking them against each of the four levels of information in the system. This paper presents an overview of each of the four domains and the information it is likely to contain, along with the reference sources drawn from a literature review of the criminal profiling and investigative psychology fields. How each of the six investigative forms is used is then explained. The use of the C+C investigative system is next described in a case example of arson. This practical application of C+C shows how it generates investigative leads and strategies for finding evidence. Its value as an investigative tool is in guiding the user to "think investigatively" and "reason visually" in a logical and systematic manner. 14 figures and 37 references