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**Getting Started: Helpful Hints for Investigators**

A number of individuals raised the following issue: what if I haven't conducted an investigation in a while? Is there any way to create a "cheat sheet" that will quickly remind me of the various tasks I must complete? This is a "cheat sheet." It does not take the place of the **Incident Management Bulletin** or the **Investigations Manual**; however, it should give investigators a snapshot of the investigative process.

**You receive the report of the incident:**
	List of Responsibilities	Commentary
1	Review the report.	Is it sufficiently detailed to proceed?
2	Identify the investigatory question.	Remember! The investigatory question is the question that the investigator must answer. It is the reason that you are conducting the investigation itself.
3	Using the investigatory question, identify relevant facts that you would have to collect.	Remember the intersection of time and space. We would then identify what we believe would be relevant information: information that has the potential to help describe and explain what occurred. In this context, there are four forms of evidence that you will likely collect: testimonial, documentary, physical and demonstrative.
4	Ensure that the evidence is secured prior to your collecting it.	Generally the investigator collects the evidence, but a supervisor or manager will secure that evidence pending the investigator's arrival. For example, if there was a physical altercation, we would expect the supervisor or manager to secure that scene. The investigator would actually collect any physical evidence and take pictures and make diagrams.
5	If there is a scene, go to the scene and make contact with the supervisor.	The supervisor can orient you to the physical layout of the location and help you identify which staff and/or individuals you will interview. To make that determination you will want to review work schedules, assignment sheets, etc.
6	Interview the reporter.	If the person who reported the incident is available, you should speak with that person first, if only to assure yourself that what was communicated to you as an description of the incident is correct. This is less of a problem when the reporter has written a detailed account, and you have a copy of that person's written report.
7	Collect physical evidence, create demonstrative evidence at the scene.	Physical evidence is the most unstable of all forms of evidence. You should collect it first, including the creation of demonstrative evidence, i.e., diagrams and/or photos.
8	Begin the chain of custody.	Should you collect any physical evidence, immediately document when and from where it was collected. You should document when and where it is stored, when it is removed and by whom, etc. (In most cases you are not likely to collect large amounts of physical evidence.)
9	Interview incident witnesses.	Generally you should interview incident witnesses in the following order. a. Vicitm b. Incident witnesses most likely to have direct evidence. c. Other incident witnesses d. Accused [although, should interview this person no later than end of first day if at all possible] Keep in mind that you will often have to take interviews out of order for good reasons. For example, if someone is out of town, you would not ordinarily hold up other interviews until that person returned.
10	When interviewing incident witnesses, you will slice the bologna.	Remember, slicing the bologna is like finding your missing car keys, except in this case you will ask questions of the witness. You can download a copy of the Witness Statement form you might use to document the witness's observations.
11	Review documentary evidence not reviewed for the purpose of identifying witnesses.	You should do this after the incident interviews - or at least after those interviews that are not delayed. Keep in mind that if secured properly, this information is the most stable of the various forms of evidence. By reviewing this material after the incident interviews you help protect your objectivity since much of the documentary evidence can be prejudicial.
12	Conduct background interviews.	Background interviews will result in the collection of circumstantial evidence that will help describe and explain what occurred. Examples: An interview with a co-worker about the relationship between a consumer and someone accused of abuse; Interview of a doctor about the age of a bruise.
13	Conduct follow-up interviews.	Follow-up interviews generally occur at the end of the investigation for one of two reasons. The investigator forgot to ask a question of a witness in a previous interview, or a need surfaces to ask additional questions based on the continuing investigation; or, The investigator has conflicting information in his or her possession which he or she will ask one or more witnesses to help explain.
14	Write the Final Report.	You can find a copy of the report format in Appendix A of the Investigations Manual, or you may download a MS Word copy of the format from the WEB site.