Policing: An International Journal: Volume 44 Issue 4

Guest editorial

Charles Wellford, Thomas Scott

The role of detective experience on homicide clearances

Sean E. Goodison

The study aims to examine the effect of detective experience on the likelihood of clearing a homicide, while controlling for additional extralegal and case/investigative…

Improving the clearance of serious crime: the case of aggravated assault

Thomas Scott, Charles Wellford

This paper addresses the clearance of aggravated assaults (AAs). Specifically, the authors consider variations in these clearances over time for large agencies and test which…

Clearing gang- and drug-involved nonfatal shootings

Lisa Barao, Anthony A. Braga, Brandon Turchan, Philip J. Cook

Clearance rates for nonfatal shootings, especially cases involving gang- and drug-related violence, are disturbingly low in many US cities. Using data from a previously completed…

Sexual assault investigations and the factors that contribute to a suspect's arrest

James Markey, Thomas Scott, Crystal Daye, Kevin J. Strom

Sexual assault investigations present uniquely challenging circumstances to detectives, and a small proportion result in arrest. Improving sexual assault investigations requires…

How victim credibility and cooperation influence investigative decision-making: examining DOJ's gender bias principles for investigating domestic and sexual violence

Lisa Growette Bostaph, Laura L. King, Patrick Q. Brady

The purpose of this exploratory study is to examine if and how victim credibility affects investigative decision-making and case outcomes in domestic violence and sexual assault…

Triaging online child abuse material: testing a decision support tool to enhance law enforcement and investigative prioritisation

David Mount, Lorraine Mazerolle, Renee Zahnow, Leisa James

Online production and transmission of child abuse material (CAM) is a complex and growing global problem. The exponential increase in the volume of CyberTips of CAM offending is…

“Hold them or fold them:” evidence-based decisions to discontinue investigations of non-domestic minor violence

Kent McFadzien, Lawrence W. Sherman

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate a “maintenance pathway” for ensuring a low false negative rate in closing investigations unlikely to lead to a clearance (detection).

More and better video evidence for police investigations of shootings: Chicago's area technology centers

Philip J. Cook, Anthony Berglund

The purpose of this study is to describe the creation, implementation, activities and rationale for the Area Technology Centers (ATCs), an innovation adopted by the Chicago Police…

Digital media investigators: challenges and opportunities in the use of digital forensics in police investigations in England and Wales

Dana Wilson-Kovacs

In-depth knowledge about specific national approaches to using digital evidence in investigations is scarce. A clearer insight into the organisational barriers and professional…

Effective police investigative practices: an evidence-assessment of the research

Heather Prince, Cynthia Lum, Christopher S. Koper

Detective work is a mainstay of modern law enforcement, but its effectiveness has been much less evaluated than patrol work. To explore what is known about effective investigative…

“Mosaicking”: cross construction, sense-making and methods of police investigation

Martin Innes, Fiona Brookman, Helen Jones

This article explores how homicide detectives make sense of and manipulate multiple physical, digital and informational artefacts when assembling case narratives. The authors…