Police Procedure for Robbery

[mythtrav16]

I'm working on a story involving home burglaries and I need to know a bit about how cops treat them these days.

Am I right in assuming that when a burglary is reported, only a couple of officers/detectives will show up at the house for a statement and a list of what's missing, and maybe somebody will dust for prints around the suspected point of entry? i.e. It doesn't end up like a crime scene from "Law & Order", with an army of CSI techs marching in and out the front door looking for evidence?

Also, I'd imagine that there'd be a big differance in investigation thoroughness between someone who had their Xbox stolen, and someone who had a $10 million Monet painting stolen. So is there an official value cut-off point that changes an investigation from "just getting a statement" to "leaving no stone unturned searching for trace evidence & DNA?"

Also, if the cops suspect that the burglary might be the work of the same person who has done a lot of other burglaries, is that likely to provoke a far more thorough forensic investigation of the house?

 

[emap]

Talking in actual terms, generally the police send one car, he takes a statement and leaves. If the person who called is messed up scared he or she would stay until a counselor shows up. Sometimes they get an investigator to come out and look for fingerprints. It all depends on if it is an apartment or house.

Houses are much better at providing evidence than apartments, alot less people and less chance of someone noticing. An eyewitness is the best form of evidence because a fingerprint generally isn't left, they use gloves. This is why you do not want an apartment facing the fire escape, people can come up the escape break in and rarely get noticed. If you have alot of stuff expect all or most of it to leave out the fire escape.

 

[SweetErika]

Talking in actual terms, generally the police send one car, he takes a statement and leaves. If the person who called is messed up scared he or she would stay until a counselor shows up. Sometimes they get an investigator to come out and look for fingerprints. It all depends on if it is an apartment or house.

I disagree. I think it mainly depends on the procedures and resources of the police department and the severity of the crime(s) committed (perhaps including whether or not the police believe it's a serial crime and/or the offenses are escalating). The credibility of the victim and his/her story could also play a huge role - the burglary of the home of an upstanding citizen will likely get more attention than that of a drug abuser or person who's known to have mental issues, tell stories, etc. Mythtrav, these are likely the factors that determine how thoroughly the crime is investigated.

Houses are much better at providing evidence than apartments, alot less people and less chance of someone noticing. An eyewitness is the best form of evidence because a fingerprint generally isn't left, they use gloves.

Houses aren't necessarily better at providing evidence than apartments. Plus, more people around equals more of a chance of someone noticing the theft and perpetrator. Apartments usually have more people around than single-family homes. As you said, eyewitnesses can be helpful (I don't agree they're the best evidence because their memories are notoriously unreliable); apartments may provide more witnesses than houses.

 

[unregistered]

 

[TheRealFATANG]

Talking in actual terms, generally the police send one car, he takes a statement and leaves. If the person who called is messed up scared he or she would stay until a counselor shows up. Sometimes they get an investigator to come out and look for fingerprints. It all depends on if it is an apartment or house.

Seconded.

Also, the cops only show up in force, ASAP, if the suspect is still in the house or nearby.

Also, the cops officially don't care about your property after you tell them you do not have serial numbers to your missing property.

They will seldom take fingerprints - If they even show up. In most major cities, there are so many burglaries, that they take a report over the phone and leave it at that.

Also, cops hate the paperwork involved in a dead-end burglary investigation, and most burglary investigations are dead-end, so generally, they will only catch a burglar if he gets caught for something else, or if he's serial.

 

[mythtrav16]

In most major cities, there are so many burglaries, that they take a report over the phone and leave it at that.

At the moment, my burglar character only hits houses/homes in the suburbs, not city high-rise apartments. And if she did hit apartments, they would only be penthouses. She isn't some sloppy crackhead just needing dough for her latest fix. She's a professional thief who takes pride in her skill, and robs people for love of her craft just as much as she does it for the money.

 

[Luna_Bella]

I don't know How it works anywhere else but the procedure at the station where I worked was this-

When we received the call, a cruiser with usually 2 police officers was dispatched on scene if the suspect was still there then the 2 officers would call for back up.

a report would be taken along with some pictures. On occasion fingerprints would be taken. Fingerprinting a crime scene is a lot harder then what CSI makes it look, the police station doesn't have the equipment to process prints, they have to be sent to federal authorities who then process them, if they are any good. but then again they might not have anything to match them.
as For DNA and trace evidence well unless its murder chances are they aren't taking any (unless of course, that the burglar would have cut himself and left blood behind then it makes for easy collecting)

if your front door had been busted, the police officers would then contact a security company and have a guard posted at your front door until the door and lock could be fixed

No there isn't any cut off value. Every burglary is treated the same the difference comes in court once the suspect has been arrested, the charges are more for a burglary of a bigger value... ever heard of Grand theft?

anyways I hope this helped....

 

[timothy1238]

The first thing which has to be done infront of the polece is never get scared tell the confidently so that they would not suspect youi.Talking in actual terms, generally the police send one car, he takes a statement and leaves. . Sometimes they get an investigator to come out and look for fingerprints. It all depends on if it is an apartment or house.
________________
Reputation Management

 

[mythtrav16]

I don't know How it works anywhere else but the procedure at the station where I worked was this-

When we received the call, a cruiser with usually 2 police officers was dispatched on scene if the suspect was still there then the 2 officers would call for back up.

a report would be taken along with some pictures. On occasion fingerprints would be taken. Fingerprinting a crime scene is a lot harder then what CSI makes it look, the police station doesn't have the equipment to process prints, they have to be sent to federal authorities who then process them, if they are any good. but then again they might not have anything to match them.
as For DNA and trace evidence well unless its murder chances are they aren't taking any (unless of course, that the burglar would have cut himself and left blood behind then it makes for easy collecting)

if your front door had been busted, the police officers would then contact a security company and have a guard posted at your front door until the door and lock could be fixed

No there isn't any cut off value. Every burglary is treated the same the difference comes in court once the suspect has been arrested, the charges are more for a burglary of a bigger value... ever heard of Grand theft?

anyways I hope this helped....

Yes it does, Luna_Bella and thanks!

So you were a cop? And I see that you're Canadian? Did you wear one of those bright red uniforms with a broad-brimmed hat? I've always thought that women look hot in uniform. Must go back to my days in a coed school with uniforms...

 

[redstick2]

I don't know How it works anywhere else but the procedure at the station where I worked was this-

When we received the call, a cruiser with usually 2 police officers was dispatched on scene if the suspect was still there then the 2 officers would call for back up.

a report would be taken along with some pictures. On occasion fingerprints would be taken. Fingerprinting a crime scene is a lot harder then what CSI makes it look, the police station doesn't have the equipment to process prints, they have to be sent to federal authorities who then process them, if they are any good. but then again they might not have anything to match them.
as For DNA and trace evidence well unless its murder chances are they aren't taking any (unless of course, that the burglar would have cut himself and left blood behind then it makes for easy collecting)

if your front door had been busted, the police officers would then contact a security company and have a guard posted at your front door until the door and lock could be fixed

No there isn't any cut off value. Every burglary is treated the same the difference comes in court once the suspect has been arrested, the charges are more for a burglary of a bigger value... ever heard of Grand theft?

anyways I hope this helped....

Luna Bella's reply is also the way a burglary would be handled in Louisiana... the only difference is that in Louisiana, the value of the items stolen in a burglary would not change the applicable law. Here, a burglary is the unauthorized entry with the intent to commit any theft or felony therein. The only time the value of the stolen item comes into play would be if it were a simple theft outside the context of a burglary or robbery (those are two different things...) and the possession of stolen goods. Don't know if this helps or not...

 

[TheRealFATANG]

At the moment, my burglar character only hits houses/homes in the suburbs, not city high-rise apartments. And if she did hit apartments, they would only be penthouses. She isn't some sloppy crackhead just needing dough for her latest fix. She's a professional thief who takes pride in her skill, and robs people for love of her craft just as much as she does it for the money.

Then there would probably be a full tactical response, CSI and all, and you would probably get the FBI involved in serial burglary of that nature.

 

[Luna_Bella]

lol No I was not a cop!!! I was an "office agent" aka a secretary/office clerk. and unfortunatly an intern, After my internship there was no job opening... and probably isn't gonna be for a while. But I totally agree with you on the "uniforms are hot" I was a very Happy girl working in that office....

as for the red uniform you are talking about the Royal Canadian Mounted Police you will rarely see them in that uniform, unless you go to Ottawa, the capital or to Regina, where the training academy is.
on a regualr basis they wear just a navy blue uniform with a broad yellow stripe on the outside of each leg.

in Canada there's 3 levels of law inforcement : The RCMP, Mounties(highest), the Provincial Police force, and the municipal police force. I worked for the provincial police force.

 

[bronzeage]

Where I live, the police priority when responding to a burglary are simple. First, they check the residence and make certain the burglar is no longer in the house. Second they make a quick list of damage and missing property. If the crime is fresh, they may search the neighborhood for likely suspects. Third, they give the victim a card, so they can call the burglary division to give more information.

If a burglar is not caught in the act, the chances of being caught are very small. Even if he is found with a car load of your stuff, it's not proof he is the burglar.

The only time a burglary becomes a high priority is if a house or apartment is broken into at night. If people are sleeping, it is then a home invasion.

 

[Primalex]

At the moment, my burglar character only hits houses/homes in the suburbs, not city high-rise apartments. And if she did hit apartments, they would only be penthouses. She isn't some sloppy crackhead just needing dough for her latest fix. She's a professional thief who takes pride in her skill, and robs people for love of her craft just as much as she does it for the money.

This doesn't make sense.

 

[mythtrav16]

This doesn't make sense.

Not to most people, no. Much like the appeal of graffiting public property. But nonetheless, there are many who find delight in it.

For her, it's all about the thrill of "getting away with it", pitting her wits against the mind(s) who designed all the security measures between her and the valuables she intends to steal (and beating them) and doing what she does so smoothly, quickly and discretely that the cops don't even get close to nailing her.

Very, very few people could do what she does, as often as she does and never get caught. That talent 'elevates' her about everyone else, and it is something she is proud of.