appearance notice: legal document compelling an accused person to appear in court at a specific date and time
arrest: legally depriving someone of liberty by seizing or touching them to indicate that he/she is in custody
arrest warrant: written court order directing police to arrest a suspect
bail: temporary release of an accused who posts money or some other security to guarantee that they will show up for court
bench warrant: an arrest warrant issued directly by a judge when an accused person fails to appear in court
center of the crime scene: the focal point - where crime actually occurred
chain of custody: written record of people who had contact with each piece of physical evidence
citizen's arrest: an arrest without a warrant by a person other than a peace officer
class characteristics: general attributes of impressions found at a crime scene
crime scene: location where a crime takes place
crime scene contamination: loss, destruction, or alteration of physical evidence from a crime scene
detention: legally depriving a person of his liberty for the purpose of asking questions
impressions: patterns or marks found on surfaces, and caused by various objects
individual characteristics: specific and unique features of an impression found at a crime scene
innocent until proven guilty: Crown must prove guilt of accused, instead of accused proving innocence
latent fingerprint: print formed by natural skin oils and perspiration, and is not visible to the naked eye
perimeter of the crime scene: area around the center of the crime scene
physical evidence: any object, impression, or body element that could be used to prove or disprove facts related to a crime
police warnings: verbal statement of why arrest/detention and explanation of person's Charter rights relative to the arrest
promise to appear: signed agreement that accused will appear in court at appointed time
prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt: strength of the proof of guilt must be strong enough to leave almost no doubt as to guilt
reasonable grounds: information that would lead a reasonable person to conclude that a suspect had committed a criminal offense
recognizance with surety: similar to without surety, but with the addition of surety
recognizance without surety: signed agreement where accused agrees to appear in court for trial, under penalty of fine
remanded: incarcerated in a correctional facility until trial
search warrant: a court document giving police the right to search a specific location related to a specific crime
summons: court document ordering a person to appear in court for an indictable offense
surety: money put up by a person other than accused to guarantee accused appears in court
visible fingerprint: print formed when finger is coated with blood, grease, etc., and is visible to the naked eye
Anatomy of an Investigation. August 4, 2024. Calgary Police Service. https://youtu.be/7Z_nT6cP7pk
Blair, A., Costiniuk, W., Moles, G., O’Malley, L., & Wasserman, A. (2009). Law in Action - Understanding Canadian Law (2nd Ed.). Pearson.
Gibson , D.L., Murphy, T.G., Jarman, F.E., & Grant, D. (2003). All About Law (5th Ed.). Thomson Nelson.
If You Are Arrested. August 3, 2024. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/criminal-justice/bcs-criminal-justice-system/if-you-are-accused-of-a-crime/if-you-are-arrested
Investigating a Crime. August 11, 2023. Law, Crime & Justice. Province of British Columbia. https://www2.gov.bc.ca/gov/content/justice/criminal-justice/bcs-criminal-justice-system/understanding-criminal-justice/how-works/investigating-crime
Regulations & Procedures Manual. August 3, 2024. Vancouver Police Department. https://vpd.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/regulations-and-procedures-manual.pdf