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I'm looking for help on a couple of burglaries I have in mind for my WIP and what the police precedure would be in either case. I have a couple of crime scene investigation books but they both seem to focus on the investigation of murders, not burglaries.
Scenario #1: The first is actually a burglary and assault case. One of my MC's returns home and stumbles upon the burglar in his house. Said burglar rushes the MC, knocks him down and basically flees the scene. Nothing is taken (at this point), although it seems the burglar was targeting the MC's library. The library has some pretty valuable books, particularly for someone who knows/practices/is interested in the occult. The MC was knocked around pretty badly.
Ok, I know the basics are:
*Secure the scene
*Question the witness for a description
*Question neighbors for information, i.e. checking for any strange people lingering in area, a description if they got a chance to see the burglar, etc.
*Check for finger/footprints (no fingerprints - the burglar was wearing gloves)
*Check what, if anything, is missing (nothing is)
*Check for point of entry (POE is the front door - the lock was picked, not busted open)
Question:
*What other kind of evidence would the burglar leave behind? He pretty much went straight into the library and used pavement prior to entry. (The MC lives in a townhouse with a parking lot and sidewalks.)
*Is there anything else that the police might do/be looking for to help them investigate the crime?
*Would the MC be held overnight for observation? He was knocked to the floor in the burglar's rush to get out of the house. He has a bad knee, which I'm not sure I'm going to mess with further, but I'm also debating whether or not he has a concussion.
*How would the charge of assault (for knocking the MC over) change the tenor of the investigation?
Scenario #2: MC#3 is checking on MC#2's apartment because MC#2 is helping MC#1 clean up his townhouse after it got burglarized. (This scenario takes place a few days after scenario #1 obviously.) MC#3 is getting ready to leave the apartment and has put a bag of garbage in front of the door. Because this, she is in the front room/foyer area and the sound of the garbage bag moving is what tips her off that something's wrong. She knows it's not MC#2 because he's the one who sent her over there in the first place. (I might change it to a small overnight bag of clothes because MC#2 is staying with MC#1.) She looks over to the door in time to see a gloved hand come around the door. She rushes the door and slams it shut. Right now, I have it where she jams the door on the burglar's hand but that can be changed. He might be able to pull his hand out in time before the door is slammed shut. The burglar flees. MC#3 hears the footsteps retreating because she is leaning against the door. Not sure if the burglar will try to force the door or not, simply chosing to flee. Right now, I have him slam against the door at least once because she slams the door on his fingers and he's lashing out in pain.
ETA: First, the MC had stepped away from the door for a few seconds, which is why she isn't at the door when the burglar tries to enter. And, second, she put the garbage by the front door because it was beginning to go rancid as MC#2 hadn't been home in a couple of days. Third, she calls MC#2 to see if there was anyone else scheduled to come over as well (there isn't) so she knows the burglar isn't someone who should be over there. This is also the reason why MC#2 shows up about the time the police do, not sure if he arrives before or after the police.
Question: (the basic assumptions listed earlier still apply.)
*Since the burglar never made it into the house, would the police even bother entering the house? Or would they still search the house as part of the investigation? (At least the inside.)
*Would the police allow MC#2 to approach the scene if he arrives after they secure the crime scene?
*What kind of questions would they be asking him since he wasn't there when the attempted burglary was done? (Other than questions about whether or not MC#3 was supposed to be in the house at the time? She was and MC#2 confirms this.)
*Since the burglar didn't make it into the house, is the investigation of the crime scene different from the above scenario or would they be treated the same?
*Would the police charge MC#3 with assault if she slammed the door on the burglar's fingers? (I'm sure if I do have his fingers smashed, the police would alert the local hospitals and clinics to be on the lookout. But I'm not sure if I want him injured at this time. I just want the MC to be able to say he was wearing gloves.)
Sorry for the ramble. The little research I've done so far has provided the basics and I'll continue to do more. It's just that my two Crime Scene Investigation books seem to be leaning more for murders, rather than burglaries.
Scenario #1: The first is actually a burglary and assault case. One of my MC's returns home and stumbles upon the burglar in his house. Said burglar rushes the MC, knocks him down and basically flees the scene. Nothing is taken (at this point), although it seems the burglar was targeting the MC's library. The library has some pretty valuable books, particularly for someone who knows/practices/is interested in the occult. The MC was knocked around pretty badly.
Ok, I know the basics are:
*Secure the scene
*Question the witness for a description
*Question neighbors for information, i.e. checking for any strange people lingering in area, a description if they got a chance to see the burglar, etc.
*Check for finger/footprints (no fingerprints - the burglar was wearing gloves)
*Check what, if anything, is missing (nothing is)
*Check for point of entry (POE is the front door - the lock was picked, not busted open)
Question:
*What other kind of evidence would the burglar leave behind? He pretty much went straight into the library and used pavement prior to entry. (The MC lives in a townhouse with a parking lot and sidewalks.)
*Is there anything else that the police might do/be looking for to help them investigate the crime?
*Would the MC be held overnight for observation? He was knocked to the floor in the burglar's rush to get out of the house. He has a bad knee, which I'm not sure I'm going to mess with further, but I'm also debating whether or not he has a concussion.
*How would the charge of assault (for knocking the MC over) change the tenor of the investigation?
Scenario #2: MC#3 is checking on MC#2's apartment because MC#2 is helping MC#1 clean up his townhouse after it got burglarized. (This scenario takes place a few days after scenario #1 obviously.) MC#3 is getting ready to leave the apartment and has put a bag of garbage in front of the door. Because this, she is in the front room/foyer area and the sound of the garbage bag moving is what tips her off that something's wrong. She knows it's not MC#2 because he's the one who sent her over there in the first place. (I might change it to a small overnight bag of clothes because MC#2 is staying with MC#1.) She looks over to the door in time to see a gloved hand come around the door. She rushes the door and slams it shut. Right now, I have it where she jams the door on the burglar's hand but that can be changed. He might be able to pull his hand out in time before the door is slammed shut. The burglar flees. MC#3 hears the footsteps retreating because she is leaning against the door. Not sure if the burglar will try to force the door or not, simply chosing to flee. Right now, I have him slam against the door at least once because she slams the door on his fingers and he's lashing out in pain.
ETA: First, the MC had stepped away from the door for a few seconds, which is why she isn't at the door when the burglar tries to enter. And, second, she put the garbage by the front door because it was beginning to go rancid as MC#2 hadn't been home in a couple of days. Third, she calls MC#2 to see if there was anyone else scheduled to come over as well (there isn't) so she knows the burglar isn't someone who should be over there. This is also the reason why MC#2 shows up about the time the police do, not sure if he arrives before or after the police.
Question: (the basic assumptions listed earlier still apply.)
*Since the burglar never made it into the house, would the police even bother entering the house? Or would they still search the house as part of the investigation? (At least the inside.)
*Would the police allow MC#2 to approach the scene if he arrives after they secure the crime scene?
*What kind of questions would they be asking him since he wasn't there when the attempted burglary was done? (Other than questions about whether or not MC#3 was supposed to be in the house at the time? She was and MC#2 confirms this.)
*Since the burglar didn't make it into the house, is the investigation of the crime scene different from the above scenario or would they be treated the same?
*Would the police charge MC#3 with assault if she slammed the door on the burglar's fingers? (I'm sure if I do have his fingers smashed, the police would alert the local hospitals and clinics to be on the lookout. But I'm not sure if I want him injured at this time. I just want the MC to be able to say he was wearing gloves.)
Sorry for the ramble. The little research I've done so far has provided the basics and I'll continue to do more. It's just that my two Crime Scene Investigation books seem to be leaning more for murders, rather than burglaries.
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