ABSTRACT
This chapter will concentrate on the following events, which initiate a homicide investigation:
1. The actions that should be taken by police officers and police personnel who first receive a report of a possible homicide
2. The actions that should be taken by a police officer when a witness or passerby reports a possible homicide in person
3. The actions that should be taken by first officers on arrival at the homicide crime scene
4. The preliminary investigation that should be initiated by the first officer
Notification of a Possible Homicide: The Official Notification
to the Police
The first notification to the police department of an actual or suspected homicide or an incident that may develop into one is usually received by telephone. This first call may simply be a request for assistance for an injured person, a call stating that shots were fired, or a report of a screaming man or woman. This first call to the police does not always provide sufficient data to enable the officer to assess the true nature and extent of the incident. Under circumstances where the information received suggests the possibility of a homicide, the person receiving the information should do the following:
1. Obtain and record the following information: a. The exact time the call was received. b. The exact location of occurrence. c. Whether the perpetrators, suspicious persons, or vehicles are still at the
scene. Try to get any descriptive information and direction of flight for the immediate transmission of alarms and/or notification to other patrol units.
