You are a rookie investigator assigned to the Juvenile Sex Crimes Unit

You are a rookie investigator assigned to the Juvenile Sex Crimes Unit. Because you are new to the unit, the supervisor of the unit has assigned you to work with veteran investigator Jake Wilson to get your training in sex crimes unit investigations. During your tour of duty on your first day, you receive a call to proceed to 1255 Maple Street to meet a patrol officer who is on a juvenile sex assault call at the No Tell Motel. On arrival, you learn that the suspect was seen by law enforcement officers acting suspicious in the parking lot earlier in the day, and when he spotted officers, he quickly drove away from the motel parking lot. After a short chase, officers took the subject, Jose Torres, H/M 35 years of age, into custody.

After taking the suspect into custody, he was asked by officers why he ran, and he opened up to officers and told them that he had been having sex with an underage 14-year-old girl, his girlfriend, in the motel room and had gotten scared when he saw the police. You also learn that officers did not read him his rights before asking him questions regarding the scene and recognize this might be a problem in the case. The crime scene had been entered already by several police officers who stopped by to visit the crime scene, and office management had also stopped by. The 14-year-old female was also at the crime scene, and your partner is interviewing her on the scene to find out what happened.

Based on the above crime scene and information, answer the questions listed below regarding the scene.

Assignment Guidelines

• Address the following in 1,500 - 2,000 words:

Evidence and Scene Processing

• Considering the evidence at the crime scene, make a list of this evidence, and also advise what equipment you will utilize to recover the evidence.
• Describe the process of protecting the crime scene and recovering the evidence, labeling it, transporting it, and exactly what type of analysis you would request to have performed with the evidence by the lab.
• After reading the scenario, is there a problem with scene contamination?
  • What role will this evidence likely play in your case?
  • Would a warrant be needed at the crime scene? Why or why not?

Victim and Witness Statements, Suspect Interrogation

• What is the proper process for obtaining a statement from both the suspect and the victim in this incident?
• Will you be able to use the information provided to patrol officers by the suspect immediately after his arrest?
• If your partner interviewed the suspect at the scene and threatened him, would this be lawful? Why or why not?
• If your partner lied to the suspect to gain information from him, would this information be usable?
  • What if your partner read the suspect his rights before the interrogation?
• What has the Supreme Court said about the use of deception in interrogating a suspect?
• Where would you interview the female victim?
• Who would do the interview, and how should it be conducted?
• What types of questions should the interviewer ask the suspect and the victim in this crime? Why?

Training Needs

• What type of specialized training would you need as a sex crimes investigator?
  • Describe some of the training you feel would be useful for a rookie detective who just got promoted and placed into a sex crimes unit. 
• What types of training would you recommend for a veteran detective who had just transferred into the sex crimes unit?
• How does experience play a role in the types of training that you would recommend for each of these two types of officers—a rookie and a veteran? Explain.

Sexual Assault Laws

• What are the specific laws of your state regarding rape? Your response must be in your own words.
• How does your state's laws differentiate between adult and juvenile rape victims? Explain.
• If the victim were 14 years old, the suspect were 17 years old, and the sex was consensual, how would this affect the ability to charge the suspect with the crime in your state?
• What if the victim were 14, the suspect were 17, and the rape were forced—how would this then effect your ability to charge the individual?
• In the given incident from the Phase, what would the likely charges be against the suspect?

Work Stress

• What types of stress-relieving techniques would you recommend that an investigator use regularly? Explain.
• How can stress on the crime scene affect an investigator's conduct? Explain.
• What are the department's options when dealing with a detective who is under a lot of stress?
• What would you recommend be done with an investigator who is under a significant amount of stress? Why?
  •  Can the department force the detective to get psychological help to combat the stress?