In some instances, you will be required to investigate a scene to ascertain enough
information to conclude if a crime has been committed.
Example: A shots fired call has been alerted to police at Pill Box -
There are 3 people around and a person lying in a puddle of blood.
Your next steps are as follows:
Advise Dispatch / Call for backup
Render aid to the victim
Officers on the scene need to detain all subjects on the scene and separate them. When questioning suspects or witnesses you need to think about:
WHO - Who was involved, who did what crimes, etc
WHAT - What happened specifically
WHEN - When did it happen
WHERE - Where did it happen
WHY - Why did this incident take place, to begin with?
Investigating the scene requires you to prod, poke, and ask as many questions
as possible to gain information about the crime at hand. This could lead to extra arrests.
You MUST HAVE PROBABLE CAUSE TO ARREST SOMEONE
You DO NOT NEED PROBABLE CAUSE TO DETAIN SOMEONE
However, you need reasonable suspicion that they committed a crime, to begin with, or are a flight risk/officer safety hazard. Understand that people will lie to you. You need to be able to understand when people are lying and try to read through them. This is why you separate suspects. Get their side of the story. If all suspects are telling the same or about the same story, you can make a judgment call.
All officers FIRST ON SCENE will be the initial officers involved. Your job is to
secure the scene, call for backup, and ensure that no other crimes take place.
In some instances, you will be required to investigate a scene to ascertain enough
information to conclude if a crime has been committed.