NCJ Number
93609
Journal
Canadian Police College Journal Volume: 7 Issue: 4 Dated: (1983) Pages: 271-296
Date Published
1983
Length
25 pages
Annotation
As part of a larger survey to determine the status of criminal investigation policies and practices in Canadian police forces, this study reports on the findings pertaining to the selection, training, and evaluation of the performance of criminal investigators.
Abstract
The survey was conducted in the fall of 1981 using a questionnaire distributed to all municipal police departments having 50 or more sworn personnel as well as to certain provincial, railway, and harbor police. Regarding the selection of investigators, there is a lack of uniformity across departments. Overall, three general circumstances exist: (1) a promotion based on the candidates performance during a 1-year probation period, (2) a national promotion where the officer assumes the 'rank' of detective until reassigned to uniformed work or advanced in the formal rank structure, and (3) investigators become corporals or sergeants once they are permanently appointed to an investigation unit. The amount of service required before qualification for selection as an investigator also varies among forces as do other criteria for selecting investigators. Regarding training for investigators, survey results showed that about 60 percent of the forces give some form of preparatory training, with most of the forces arranging for their investigators to attend a provincial or regional training establishment. In evaluating the performance of investigators, most forces continue to rely on factors such as arrest rates, clearance rates, and conviction rates, but there is considerable interest in finding alternatives to these 'traditional' criteria, which have been shown to be unreliable. Tabular data and 42 references are provided.