Police Investigators' Perceptions of Victim Involvement During the Investigation Process

Police Investigators' Perceptions of Victim Involvement During the Investigation Process

Presenter(s)

Kaylin G. Florentino

Comments

Presentation: 11:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m., Kennedy Union 331

Description

Law enforcement officers handle various crimes and cases, many of which involve working with victims. However, most studies have focused on the perspective of the victim, their trauma, and the role they play within the investigation. The scarcity of research focusing on police perception of the victim’s involvement within the investigation process is important because few studies have been done. The current study used phenomenological approach to explore the perceptions of the police investigator about the victims’ role in the investigation process. Through snowball sampling, three police detectives from a Midwestern police agency volunteered for a semi-structured interview. The interviews were conducted via zoom and lasted an average of one hour and thirteen minutes. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, while simultaneously writing memos and thematic analysis was conducted. Preliminary findings indicate that police investigators encourage involvement from domestic violence and sex crime victims, whereas property crime victims are not seen as needed for the process. Detectives are looking for cooperation when appropriate and asked of the victim. Additionally, there were no explicit responses or implications that suggested victims of any kind should not have any involvement within the investigative process.

Publication Date

4-20-2022

Project Designation

Capstone Project

Primary Advisor

Susybel R. Kallsen

Primary Advisor's Department

Criminal Justice and Security Studies

Keywords

Stander Symposium project, College of Arts and Sciences

United Nations Sustainable Development Goals

Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

Police Investigators' Perceptions of Victim Involvement During the Investigation Process

Share

COinS