investigators dissect botched cases

Now that DNA studies definitively point to an unknown perpetrator of the heinous crime that took JonBenet's life almost 12 years ago, law enforcement veteran D. Kim Rossmo examines the 3 key contributors for investigative failures. Rossmo poses the question "What causes competent and dedicated investigators to make avoidable mistakes, jeopardizing the successful resolution of their cases?'

D. Kim Rossmo is the Detective Inspector in charge of the Vancouver Police Department's Geographic Profiling Section. Over the course of his 20-year policing career, he has worked assignments in organized crime intelligence, emergency response, patrol, crime prevention, and community liaison.

Page 3 We are all familiar with such notorious cases as JonBenet Ramsey, OJ Simpson, and Chandra Levy. Moreover, with the cost of some major crime
investigations ...

Page 13 The initial judgment in the JonBenet Ramsey case that the killer was not
a family member, despite the statistical reality in child murder cases.....

Criminal Investigative Failures
November 2008
Published by CRC Press
ISBN 1420047515, 9781420047516
368 pages


"Authored by a 21-year police veteran and university research professor, Criminal Investigative Failures comprehensively defines and discusses the causes and problems most common to failed investigations. More importantly, it outlines realistic strategies for avoiding investigative pitfalls.

Illuminated with case studies, this practical resource examines three main reasons for investigative failure:

· Cognitive biases that lead to mistakes in reasoning

· Organizational traps, such as groupthink

· Probability errors

The Dangers of Assumptions and Organizational Ego:

Authoritative contributors from a variety of disciplines elaborate on the aforementioned core points with commentary and case studies of well-known crimes. Written in a quick-to-grasp style, this useful text provides practical advice for avoiding investigative failures. It is an invaluable reference for investigators looking to prevent future failures of justice and find the truth. "

Reviews:

This topic is vitally important for not only understanding the causes and prevention of failures, but for understanding and measuring success.

—John Eck, University of Cincinnati, Department of Criminal Justice

The concepts and strategies outlined in this book are invaluable for helping to accomplish an investigator’s primary objective: ‘find the truth.’ For those of us who care deeply about investigative excellence and justice, particularly police investigators, this book is a ‘must read.’

—Doug A. LePard, Deputy Chief Commanding Investigation Division, Vancouver Police Department, Canada"