I like to watch mystery and real crime shows.
While the mystery shows are fiction, some are based on real cases. One of those real cases occurred in Tulsa, and I have seen it used in several different series.
A common feature of many of the fictional shows is a defense attorney and/or private investigator who often finds evidence that the police will miss, or ignore, and the attorney or PI uses the evidence to find the real culprit.
But I am seeing a trend in the real crime shows of more cases questioning police investigations and their results. In these cases, I see police missing, or mishandling, or misinterpreting evidence.
This leaves me with several questions:
Did the police look at everything?
Were the investigators sufficiently trained to identify, collect, handle, process, and interpret the evidence?
Has anyone ever compiled a complete list of all the elements of an investigation?
The last two questions lead to a possible solution that could cut down the number of botched investigation, and could also help correct the results of an investigation gone wrong: a comprehensive guide to investigations.
If such a guide existed, investigators could use it to make sure they don't miss evidence, and they handle, process, and interpret it correctly.
Also, if a questionable investigation does take place, the guide could be used to review the investigation to see where and how things went wrong, and so authorities could know which corrective actions they need to take.
I don't know if such a guide already exists. I am just an observer who thinks about what he has seen. I am not a law enforcement officer, or an investigator, so I have no way of knowing without asking someone who is.
If it does exist, I have one more question:
Why isn't everyone using it?
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