Avoid Major Investigative Traps
What causes competent and dedicated investigators to make avoidable mistakes, jeopardizing the successful resolution of their cases? 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, such as tunnel vision, that lead to mistakes in reasoning
Organizational traps, such as groupthink, that investigators fall prey to within their agencies
Probability errors, such as the prosecutor’s fallacy, in forensic science and criminal profiling
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.
By:
D. Kim Rossmo
Imprint: Routledge
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions:
Height: 234mm,
Width: 156mm,
ISBN: 9781041104643
ISBN 10: 1041104642
Pages: 400
Publication Date: 16 June 2025
Audience:
Professional and scholarly
,
Undergraduate
Format: Paperback
Publisher's Status: Forthcoming
THE BASICS. Introduction. Cognitive Biases: Perception, Intuition, and Tunnel Vision. Organizational Traps: Groupthink, Rumor, and Ego. Errors in Probability: Chance and Randomness in Forensics and Profiling. COGNITIVE BIASES. Cognitive Biases in Human Perception, Judgment, and Decision Making: Bridging Theory and the Real World. Bounded Rationality and Criminal Investigations: Has Tunnel Vision Been Wrongfully Convicted? On the Horns of a Narrative: Judgment, Heuristics, and Biases in Criminal Investigation. CASE STUDIES. Who Killed Stephanie Crowe? Milgaard v. The Queen: Understanding a Wrongful Conviction for Sexual Homicide. A False Confession to Murder in Washington, D.C. What Happened to Theresa Allore? Wrongful Innocence Claims: Roger Coleman and Benjamin LaGuer. RECOMMENDATIONS. How Police Departments Can Reduce the Risk of Wrongful Convictions. Reducing Investigative Failures through Effective Major Case Leadership. Necropsies and the Cold Case. Recommendations and Conclusion.
Reviews for Criminal Investigative Failures
This book is absolutely required reading for any professional in the law enforcement, emergency services, forensic medicine, or forensic psychology field who has to make complex decisions. —Daniel Clark, Editor of International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, Vol. 11, No. 4, 2009 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, From the Preface This book is absolutely required reading for any professional in the law enforcement, emergency services, forensic medicine, or forensic psychology field who has to make complex decisions. —Daniel Clark, Editor of International Journal of Emergency Mental Health, Vol. 11, No. 4, 2009 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, From the Preface
