HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION CASE FILE PROFILE THE LOS ANGELES POLICE ...

HOMICIDE INVESTIGATION CASE FILE PROFILE

THE LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT MURDER BOOK

National Resource and Technical Assistance Center for Improving Law Enforcement Investigations

FEBRUARY 2018

This publication is funded through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this publication (including, without limitation, its content, and policies, and any services or tools provided). This project was supported by Grant No. 2016-MU-BX-K005 awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance.

The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Department of Justice's Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and the SMART Office. Points of view or opinions expressed in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION............................................................................................................. 1 PURPOSE......................................................................................................................... 1 BACKGROUND............................................................................................................... 1 MURDER BOOK DEVELOPMENT................................................................................. 2 MURDER BOOK CASE FILE SECTIONS ...................................................................... 3 APPENDICES.................................................................................................................. 8

APPENDIX 1: MURDER BOOK COVER PAGE AND TABLE OF CONTENTS TEMPLATE...............................8 APPENDIX 2: CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD...............................................................................10 APPENDIX 2a: CHRONOLOGICAL RECORD TEMPLATE .......................................................12 APPENDIX 3: CRIME SCENE LOG TEMPLATE.........................................................................15 APPENDIX 4: CRIME REPORT....................................................................................................18 APPENDIX 4a: CRIME REPORT TEMPLATE.............................................................................21 APPENDIX 5: DEATH REPORT....................................................................................................25 APPENDIX 5a: DEATH REPORT TEMPLATE.............................................................................27 APPENDIX 6: FOLLOW-UP REPORT(S).....................................................................................30 APPENDIX 6a: FOLLOW-UP REPORT(S) TEMPLATE..............................................................35

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INTRODUCTION

Many police departments -- especially those that are small, that do not have much experience investigating homicides, or that struggle for adequate resources -- do not have a standardized case file structure for their homicide investigations. Instead, a large folder, accordion file, box, or plastic storage bin, with little to no organization or uniformity, is oftentimes used to house investigative documents. This type of unstructured case file system limits the accessibility of key case investigative documents and compromises the efficiency and effectiveness of the investigation and potential prosecution.

In the early 1980s, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) recognized this deficiency in their organization and developed a homicide investigation case file structure, entitled the Murder Book, to bring organization and standardization to homicide case files. The uniform structure of the Murder Book allows anyone involved in a homicide investigation, including other detectives, supervisors, and prosecutors, to review and locate key investigative reports, photos, and other materials in a standard way. As a result of utilizing the Murder Book, LAPD homicide detectives are able to more effectively manage their heavy investigative caseload.

PURPOSE

The LAPD Murder Book is an example of a case file structure that can be adapted and customized by agencies seeking to implement a case file management structure. The Murder Book case file structure has been used successfully by LAPD for nearly four decades. It ensures proper documentation of a homicide investigation, facilitates effective case supervision, meets the needs of prosecutors for successful prosecution, and supports a cold case investigation should the case be reinvestigated.

This profile of the LAPD's Murder Book outlines the overall construction of an LAPD homicide investigation case file and details the contents of each section of the book. Examples of documents often contained within the Murder Book are provided. The structure can be utilized in either a hard-copy format (case binder) or replicated in a digital case management system. Some of the Murder Book's sections can also be applied to organize nonfatal shooting investigation case files.

BACKGROUND

This profile of the Murder Book draws on the experience of Detective John Skaggs (Ret), who retired in June 2017 after serving more than 30 years with the LAPD. Detective Skaggs spent over 23 years assigned to homicide investigations, was the lead detective on 165 homicide investigations, and directly supervised more than 200 homicide investigations. During the course of his career, Detective Skaggs amassed a wealth of knowledge pertaining to homicide investigation case file management and the critical components of successful homicide prosecutions.

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Detective Skaggs has conducted numerous homicide unit assessments and extensive reviews of homicide case files, and has conducted homicide investigation trainings throughout the U.S. Based on his experience investigating and supervising homicide investigations and assessing homicide units, Detective Skaggs developed and further refined the Murder Book case file management structure used by the LAPD and several other high-performing homicide units.

MURDER BOOK DEVELOPMENT

Every homicide investigation requires the compilation and maintenance of a structured case file, either in electronic or hard-copy format. Utilizing and maintaining an all-inclusive investigation case file structure is a proven best practice that can ensure an investigation is properly documented and facilitate proper case management, supervision, and prosecution. If a homicide investigation is conducted under one case number, then there should only be one Murder Book. For example, if the homicide investigation involved multiple victims but is listed under one case number, then there should only be one Murder Book. The Murder Book case file consists of a three-ring binder, which contains all case-related materials outlined in the sections below. Case file dividers correspond to a Table of Contents with indices numbered 1 through 28. The indices correspond to topic headings within the Table of Contents and should be used to contain reports, photographs, notes, and any other information pertaining to that topic.

NOTE: A homicide investigation case file is discoverable, meaning its contents may have to be turned over to defense counsel during pre-trial proceedings. When a suspect is arrested and charged, a copy of the case file (in a binder) shall be provided to the prosecutor assigned to the case upon request.

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MURDER BOOK CASE FILE SECTIONS

The following lists each section of the LAPD Murder Book case file and provides a brief description of the content of each section.

Table of Contents (see appendix 1)

Section 1

Chronological Record

This form documents, in summary form, the chronological record of the investigation, recording the date and time of the entry, as well as the name of the detective who authored the entry.

All homicide investigations should contain a chronological record of events that document advancement in the investigation and information needed for future investigation. It should provide a brief description of the detective's actions, what was investigated, and what may need to be further investigated at a later time. It should reference where in the Murder Book a report or notes that further explain the event or issue can be found. The reader of the chronological record should be able to understand how the investigation progressed (see appendix 2).

Section 2

Crime Scene Log

All investigations should have a crime scene log that documents all personnel present at the crime scene who enter the area not accessible to the public. The report should document the personnel, their names and identification numbers, time of arrival and departure, and their duties performed at the scene. The crime scene log should identify the name of the officer who maintained and completed the crime scene log (see appendix 3).

Section 3

Crime Report

The crime report should be completed by the primary investigator. This report contains victim information, witness information, a summary of their statements, and a synopsis of the crime, including modus operandi. This report is also commonly referred to as a "24-hour" homicide report (see appendix 4).

Section 4 Death Report

This section contains the death report (see appendix 5).

Many departments produce a death report for all deaths in their jurisdiction, whether it be from natural causes, an accident, a suicide, traffic death, or homicide. On criminal homicide deaths, a crime report and/or an incident report, as previously outlined, is also produced to report the crime.

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Section 5

Property and Evidence Report(s)

This section contains all reports regarding the recovery and storage of property and evidence (e.g., recovered property report, evidence report, and chain of custody reports).

Section 6

Crime Lab Report(s)

This section contains requests for laboratory examination of evidence and all reports regarding the scientific analysis of evidence, including NIBIN, DNA, and latent prints completed by any crime laboratory.

Section 7

Vehicle Report(s)

This section contains all vehicle reports pertaining to the investigation, including photographs of the vehicle and motor vehicle computer printouts.

Section 8

Arrest Report(s)

All arrest reports generated from the investigation should be stored here, as well as any prior arrest reports related to suspects, witnesses, and others who are involved in the investigation. Subsections can be created to separate items related to specific individuals.

Section 9

Related Crime Report(s)

Crime reports related to victims, suspects, witnesses, and other individuals should be gathered together here. Subsections can be created to separate items related to specific individuals.

Section 10 Follow-up Report(s)

This section contains reports written by homicide detectives related to the current investigation that are produced after the completion of the initial crime report. Generally, a follow-up report is used by a detective to document investigative steps taken that are important to the progress of the investigation.

One of the most important reasons to produce a follow-up report is to present a case to the prosecutor's office for charging a suspect. The follow-up report should include all important developments in the case that support the request for charges on the particular individual(s). Instead of verbally explaining a case to the prosecutor and supplying several individual reports that may include witness' statements, lab results, and descriptions of the crime scene, a follow-up report would include all of this information in a single document.

Additionally, a best practice for homicide investigations is to complete a follow-up report to document the status of an unsolved homicide investigation, required within 60 to 90 days after the murder. The report should include a summary of the crime, follow-up activities performed by the investigator, the status of any scientific examinations, including DNA or ballistic evidence, and a task list section (see appendix 6).

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Section 11 Victim(s) Information This section contains all personal information regarding the victim(s), including their rap/ arrest sheet, Motor Vehicle Department information, photographs/mug shots, and other computer-generated reports. If there are multiple victims, a subdivider listing the victim's name or designated letters should be used.

Section 12 Suspect(s) Information This section contains all personal information regarding the suspect(s), including their rap/ arrest sheet, Motor Vehicle Department information, photographs/mug shots, and other computer-generated reports such as their use of social media. If there are multiple suspects, a subdivider listing the suspect's name or designated letters should be used. If a suspect is later eliminated as a suspect, their information should be removed and placed in the appropriate section. For example, if they become a witness, their information should be moved to the witness section. If they are eliminated as a suspect and have no other status in the investigation, their information should be moved to the Eliminated Suspects section of the Murder Book.

Section 13 Photo Line-ups This section contains photographic arrays (6-packs) or single photographs used for conducting sequential photo line-ups. The photographic admonition and any documents written and/or signed by witnesses should be kept in this section.

Section 14 Witness List/Statements A list of all witnesses should be kept at the front of this section. The list should include the witness' assigned witness number (if given one), name, address, phone number, and the recording number if the interview was recorded. The witness' statement report and/or notes are stored in the section corresponding with their assigned witness number.

Section 15 Officer at Scene Reports/Notes This section contains any reports, such as an initial patrol officer's report or supplemental reports and notes completed by officers who responded to the scene and performed essential duties (e.g., a neighborhood canvass) or discovered important evidence or information. These reports should detail the actions performed and the information or evidence discovered.

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