1) The most important skill a criminal investigator should possess, and that will be used most often is the ability to converse well with a wide variety of people (Swanson et al., 2012, p. 37). This is due to the fact that CI's will gain a great deal of information from people. CI's must also have strong professional training with a solid background of experience from which they draw. They are self-disciplined, ethical, trustworthy, operate with integrity, unbiased, act without judgment when considering the guilt or innocence of a suspect, rely on both the systematic process of investigation as well as their intuition and the knowledge they possess, and they are willing to reach out to their contacts and other professionals when needed. They are humble, and can recognize when they have traveled outside of their area of expertise. Effective CI's use both inductive and deductive reasoning, and they monitor themselves to ensure effective use of those reasoning processes (Swanson et al., 2012, p. 38). They have empathy, sensitivity, and compassion, and avoid becoming cynical due to their constant contact with negative aspects of the world. The objectives of a crime scene investigation are to establish what happened; determine the order of events; find out what the suspect did or did not do at the scene; establish the modus operandi (the method of operation) used by the suspect; determine what property was stolen, and what articles were left behind; take note of any inconsistencies at the scene; locate and interview witnesses; document and recover physical evidence; and provide investigation leads (Swanson et al., 2012, p. 49). Some of the objectives of an investigation can not be fully completed by a criminal investigator, and instead require a specialist...hence the need for a CI to be willing to admit when they need to call in a specialist, and the need to be willing to actually call an expert. The work at a crime scene is divided into three parts: 1) overall coordination of the scene, 2) forensic services, and 3) investigative services (Swanson et al., 2012, p. 49). This is to ensure that the objectives of the investigation are achieved. Crime scene investigation includes a preliminary investigation, which takes place first, and then the in-depth investigation. There are five fundamental rules of crime scene investigation which include maintaining control, conceptualizing events (taking the time to discover how a crime was committed), using caution when proceeding to and through the crime scene, apply the rule of inclusiveness (every available piece of evidence should be obtain; obtain first, ask questions later), and make sure to document extensively (Swanson et al., 2012).
2) Having a good investigator for a crime scene is crucial to the verdict of the case. There are two different types of offenses that could lead to a crime scene investigation; a felony and a misdemeanor. A felony is an act punishable of incarceration of one or more years or to be put to death. A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine or imprisonment for no longer than a year. The investigator gathers, documents, and evaluates evidence and information. The objectives of a crime scene investigator are 1. to establish that a crime was actually committed, 2 to identify and apprehend the suspect(s), 3 to recover stolen property, 4 to assist in the prosecution of the person(s) charged with the crime. The investigation of a crime scene places a great amount of responsibility on the investigator and other agents. The investigator has 14 main essential qualities that must be met to be successful. 1. Have strong self-discipline 2. Use legally approved methods that are ethical 3. Have the ability to gain the confidence or people that are involved in the crime investigation 4. Do not act out of malice 5. Include in their case documentation any evidence that may lead to the suspect being innocent 6. Know that investigation is a method that is scientific rather than artistic 7. Realize that successful investigators supplement their own initiative into the investigation 8. Have many contacts among different occupations 9. Are not reluctant to contact other experts from different fields to continue the investigation process 10. Use inductive and deductive reasoning 11. Know that inductive and deductive reasoning can be distorted 12. Learn something from every person with who they come into contact with 13. Have empathy, sensitivity, and compassion 14. Avoid becoming calloused and cynical from contact with criminals. If an investigator is able to obtain those qualities they will likely be much more successful throughout their career.