ABSTRACT
Management of the criminal investigation function generally involves two components: (1) the direct investigation of criminal activity, and (2) the administrative management of an investigative unit. Direct investigation includes those cases handled by one or more investigators, usually with minimal supervision or oversight. In more complex investigations that involve numerous investigators and specialists, a supervisor may oversee and guide the investigation. Administrative management may fall under the direction of the Chief of Detectives, the head of a division, such as the Forensics unit, or divisional units in large police departments, and may include: selection and training of investigators, reports and records, resource allocation, personnel supervision and management, crime analysis, assessments of effectiveness, handling of citizen complaints and external inquiries, and/or fostering research. Research on the investigative function has shown that many of the best practices of the past have given way to new techniques, new technology, and new procedures (many of them dictated by court decisions).
