SPECIAL CRIME INVESTIGATION

THEFT – who is liable

Those who (a) with intent to gain (b) but without violence against or intimidation of
person nor force upon things, (c) take (d) personal property (e) of another (f) without the
latter’s consent.

Theft, distinguished from robbery

(1) There is absence of violence or intimidation against person.
(2) There is no entrance of an inhabited house, public/private building, or edifice
devoted to religious worship:
a) Through an opening not intended for entrance or egress;
b) By breaking any wall, roof, or floor or breaking any door or window;
c) By using false keys, picklocks or similar tools; or
d) By using fictitious name or pretending the exercise of public authority.

MODUS OPERANDI

I. INHABITED HOUSE
- any shelter, ship or vessel constituting the dwelling of one or more persons even
though the inhabitants thereof are temporarily absent there from.

POINT OF ENTRY refers to the location selected by the thief to enter the dwelling.

Factors in selecting point of entry:

a. public visibility
b. degree of resistance, and
c. time necessary to gain entry

1. The thief/robber generally cruise a selected neighborhood, observing

homes for “signals” indicating a probable target, e.g. unoccupied house or
building signaled by the absence of cars, lights, or other factors;
2. Looks for an entry point that is obscured form public view by some
physical feature;
3. Confirms that no one is home, often by knocking on the door or looking
through a window, the primary entry point is selected and entry attempted;
4. Initially, tries all doors and windows;
5. If efforts fail, forced entry will be attempted.

METHODS OF FORCED ENTRY

a. Celluloid entry – involves the placement of a flexible plastic-like object, such as

photo negative, credit card, or plastic ruler between the door frame.
 b. Application of physical force – involves using:
- fist, elbow, or foot through a window or sliding glass;
- crowbar, screwdriver, pipe wrench or other metal tools to pry open a window of
force open a door;
- false key, pick locks, pick guns and tension wrenches

SEARCH

PROWL
– method by which the thief/robber searches for property to be stolen
– may be used to identify the suspect age by the reconstruction of prowl

 Experienced thief attempts to leave the crime scene as

undisturbed as possible;
 Inexperienced thief (typical prowl) – is hurried, no regard for
secrecy, drawers are overturned and items are broken and
damaged, leaving the home with appearance of disaster area.
POINT OF EXIT is a means by which the thief leaves the crime scene
- if the same side window was used as point of entrance and exit, property stolen
may be of little size and easy to carry and conceal, such as jewelry, guns, etc…
- if exit is different from entry, property stolen may be large, heavy objects such as
TV sets.

II. COMMERCIAL BUILDINGS

Commercial buildings generally have superior locking devices and alarms.

Accessible glass entry points are kept to a minimum. For these reasons, the
business thief or robber is often equipped with tools necessary to affect entry.

1. target is specific, not selected on a random basis;

2. some degree of advance planning is involved;
3. windows and skylights are preferred area of entries; and
4. business without alarm system are preferred.

METHODS OF FORCED ENTRY:

When an entry point is selected, force is applied in a variety of ways, to wit:

- glass panes may be cut;
- doors pried of picked;
- bars occasionally burned or cut away.

SECURITY “BYPASS” METHOD – a means to gain entry undetected, the robber

circumvents and deactivate burglary alarm system.
SEARCH:
- prowl is usually shorter in duration
- more specific than the residential prowl
- location of valuable property is generally known;
- almost always observed by the robber before actual commission of the crime,
during business hours.

The use of safes in retail business is common practice; thus, forcibly opened
safes as primary evidence lead in a number of burglary investigations. Many
burglars plan the safe burglary to coincide with a timely delivery of money.

METHODS USED TO GAIN ENTRY INTO A LOCKED SAFE:

1. RIP ATTACK OR PEEL JOB – involves peeling the metal sheers from a
wakened corner location.

How done: Entry is gained initially punching the dial ring and dial from the safe
door front late to weaken and expose the locking mechanism. The safe door may
then be “ripped” or “pealed” to expose the locking bar.

2. PUNCH ATTACK – the preferred method of experienced safe burglar. The safe
dial is forced of by a blow from a sledgehammer or like object, leaving the
spindle and essential locking mechanism open to attack.

3. BURNING TORCH OR EXPLOSIVE CHARGE ATTACK – involved the use of

oxygen and acetylene tank to punch a hole and expose the locking mechanism
or setting up a small and calculated explosive charge to blow open the safe.

TRACE EVIDENCE THAT MAY BE FOUND – most safes have fire preventive
insulating materials built into them, so it is common to encounter such materials in the
form of fine powder throughout the scene.

SAFE, OPENED WITHOUT APPARAENT SIGN OF FORCE:

- A master thief has manipulated the dial by the faint sound of the tumblers; or
- The door was not properly locked; or
- The door was opened by someone who knew or had access to the combination.

EXIT – The point of exit is often the same point of entry.

INVESTIGATIVE PROCEDURES

1] Crime Scene
2] Official Records
3] Property Recovery

1] The Crime Scene

 When processing the crime scene, the investigator must reconstruct the actions
of the suspect in as complete a fashion as possible. The exact method of entry should
be determined by a careful examination of damage door, window, or other entry point.
All marks, striations, fingerprints, and other tracing clues should be recorded by field
notes and photography.

QUESTIONS:
 What items have been handled by the thief?
 Have these items been disturbed by the thief?
 What method of search (prowl) did the thief?
 Why the particular method?
 What items are missing?

NEIGHBORHOOD CHECK
 Were “strangers” to the neighborhood observed?
 Were unfamiliar automobiles parked in or cruised the neighborhood?
 Were unusual sound heard (glass breaking)?
 Are there pertinent personal factor involving victims – pending domestic dispute
case, delinquent children, business partner disputes, etc.?

STAGED THEFT/ROBBERY – a scene arranged by the victim to suggest a

theft/robbery.
- insurance fraud
- cover losses in gambling
- cover misappropriations for personal gain

2] Official Records
Arrest record of a suspect can be provided by the file records available to
investigators giving him a starting point for the construction of operation.
- Modus Operandi – method of operation of thief
- Rogue files – records of previously apprehended thieves
- Informant file – a file containing probable informants listed by the type of crimes.

3] Property Recovery and Fencing Operation

When items are stolen from a dwelling, three (3) possibilities exist:

a. Property is destroyed
When a burglar becomes aware of a police investigation closing in, an
attempt to destroy linking evidence may be made.
Inexperienced thieves, often juveniles having thoughts about their criminal
actions, often destroy property out of guilt or fear.

b. Property is sold
Experienced thieves almost always sell the stolen item themselves or
through a fence.
 c. Property is kept for personal use
One of the prime motivations for theft is a compulsion to acquire material
goods that are otherwise unobtainable.

Ultimately, successful property depends on obtaining an initial detailed

description of the stolen property. The investigation first attempts to locate the
property and then links the item with the suspect. Once property and perpetrator
have been connected, the investigative challenge lies in legally demonstrating
that the suspect obtained the property for the theft scene.

FENCE IS ONE WHO BUYS STOLEN ITEMS WITH “NO QUESTIONED ASKED.”

STING OPERATION is one where arrest is made only after the investigators believed
they have identified the maximum number of suspect gathered the necessary evidence
to sustain successful prosecutions.

ROPTIDE is an innovative proactive operation, with investigators posing as sellers of

stolen property to recover stolen property in the possession of fencing targets, and
deterring future dealings between thieves and their fences.

CRIMINALISTICS APPLICATIONS

TRACE EVIDENCE TO BE CONSIDERED:

During entry attempts, thieves are often very nervous and apprehensive. In their haste
to force entry without being seen, they may be careless about leaving tracing evidence.

a. TOOL MARKS
b. PAINT EVIDENCE
c. GLASS EVIDENCE
d. SOIL
e. BLOODSTAIN
f. FOOTPRINTS
g. HAIR FIBERS

a. TOOL MARK is an impression resulting from forceful contact between tool and
surface area of an object.

b. PAINT EVIDENCE is often encountered on tips of tools left at the crime scene.

PAINT – is a mixture of a pigment and a vehicle, such as oil or water, that

together form a liquid or paste that can be applied to a surface to provide an
adherent coating and impart color.
 Thieves may leave or take away paint evidence during entry, prowl, or
while exiting the scene. If entry is forced by a metal tool, paint on the tool
surface or the surface may chip away. During the prowl of the structure, fresh
paint may adhere to the thief’s clothing or shoes. Safe thieves frequently involve
the transfer of paint form either the safe to the tool or from a painted tool surface
to the safe.

c. GLASS EVIDENCE is valuable tracing and identification clue. The investigator

can determine if the original force came from outside or if the force was exerted
from inside the structure.

When a striking force pushes through a window-pane, the pane will bend
toward the origin of the force. Some of these fragments may adhere to the
clothing without notice.

1. Cone Fracture – often indicate the side on which the pane was struck.
As the force moves through the pane, pressure directly in front of the
striking objects creates a cone-like opening in the glass.

Types:
- Small Opening – indicate the side from which the force
originated.
- Large/Opposite Opening – indicate the side from which the
force exited.

2. Radial Fracture – jagged breakage lined from the cone opening outward
that appear on both side of the glass. It also results from the bending of
the pane toward the striking force.

3. Circular or Concentric Fractures – appear on the same side as the

striking force, although they may be apparent in smaller numbers on the
opposite side.

d. SOIL is composed of decayed rock, various minerals, and decomposed plant

matter.

There is really no such thing as “just plain dirt,” soil is unique, with
samples within a few feet of each other frequently differing significantly in
composition. The individuality of soil is determined by the degree of humus,
minerals, and human made elements present in a particular sample.

Soil density gradient test is the current method of comparing and

analyzing soil samples.

How Conducted:
 Glass tubes of narrow diameter are filled with various liquids if different
density value. Sample A, found on the theft scene, and sample B, obtained from
a suspect’s backyard, are deposited into two liquid filled tubes of the same
density. When all particles of born soil samples have settled, comparisons are
made as to color and through chemical analysis.

e. BLOOD STAIN – the thief in haste might cut himself and leave blood stain in
the crime scene.

Benzidine Color Reaction Test – traditionally used to determine if blood stains

are from humans. It is a known carcinogen, it use has been discontinued and
the Phenophthlein test is usually substituted.

f. FOOTPRINTS/SHOEPRINTS/TIRE MARKS – are located in either indoor or

outdoor scenes, the patterns of the prints should be recorded and carefully
measure.

PLASTER OF PARIS/SILICONE RUBBER COMPOUNDS – provide a detailed

impression of the tracing characteristics of the original impression.

The value of the shoe or tire mark as evidence lies in the unique or
individual qualities. The cast can provide general tracing clues, such as brand or
model, or it may clarify a specific impression that could indicate guilt. As each
shoe or tire mark undergoes normal wear, imperfections of the safe or thread
appear.

g. HAIR EVIDENCE – consist of human hair that falls naturally from the head at
fairly constant rate. Accordingly, a thief may leave a hair sample in the course of
the commission of the crime.