For community college and four-year college courses such as Introduction to Criminal Investigation, Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation, Forensic Investigation, Incident Investigation, and Police Investigation Methods. CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION: AN ILLUSTRATED CASE STUDY APPROACH is today''s most modern, complete, visual, and "reality-based" guide to criminal investigation. Unlike other texts, it presents both written cases and a full sequence of photos for each case, enabling students to view crime scenes from top-to-bottom, and realistically apply investigative concepts. The authors first introduce core investigative tools, demonstrating the proper use of law and evidence gathering techniques. Next, they present detailed methods for investigating a wide spectrum of specific crimes. Each type of crime is illuminated with a detailed case study and a complete series of properly-sequenced crime scene photos. This text''s "no punches pulled" coverage helps students understand exactly what to expect in the field. It also contains detailed coverage of many crimes that other books overlook, including street gang crime, and crimes involving explosives.

Hallmark Features Comprehensive, up-to-date, and concise --focusing on today''s crimes and crime scene investigation techniques, and avoiding the irrelevant outdated material that still appears in many books on the topic Teaches students techniques they will actually use, while maximizing interest and linking to crimes and techniques they may already have heard about or encountered Thorough coverage of investigative roles and tools --including identifying, collecting and preserving physical evidence; interviewing and interrogation; report writing; lead and intelligence development; and forensic science Gives students a comprehensive grounding in today''s investigative techniques Coverage of a full spectrum of crimes and crime scenes --including homicides and woundings, sexual assaults, robberies, burglaries, larceny and vehicle thefts, computer crime, arson, drug crimes, transnational crimes, narco terror, and much more Prepares students for virtually any type of crime scene they may encounter Detailed Discussion of Homicide Investigation --including a wide variety of crime scene case and photo material dealing with virtually every type of murder scene investigators are likely to encounter Gives students the most thorough preparation for homicide investigation available in the field Teaches visually, through realistic, accurately sequenced crime scene photos --helping students immediately start to apply the skills they are learning, reconstructing crime scenes and developing leads just as working investigators would Helps students follow along with the actual experience of a crime scene investigator, participating actively at every step Realistic and factual, with "no punches pulled" --showing students exactly what they can expect if they enter the field of criminal investigation Helps students objectively evaluate whether they wish to pursue crime scene investigation as a career Standalone chapter on investigating street gang crime scenes --a feature available in no other book in the field Prepares students to investigate increasingly widespread street gang crime Coverage of crimes involving explosives and bombs --including crimes that may ultimately be attributable to terrorism Prepares students to participate in investigations involving potential terrorism Well-organized coverage utilizing proven pedagogical features-- including chapter outlines of topics presented, clear learning objectives, brief case introductions, key terms, and review questions Helps students learn more rapidly and effectively Applied investigative exercises throughout --all based on real cases Gives students realistic hands-on experience they can''t get any other way Case Close-Ups --presenting cases from around the nation, illuminating many of today''s most topical and interesting criminal investigations Builds interest by connecting concepts to cases that will intrigue students and may already be familiar to them Hot Tips & Leads --presenting tips and "best practices" for conducting investigations. Helps students quickly master techniques and best practices that might otherwise require years to learn in the field Internet resources --providing reliable online sources for further investigation Helps students quickly access up-to-date Internet-based information they can trust.