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Accelerant Detection Canines: Dogs that can detect accelerants by scent

Accelerants: Materials that speed the progress of a fire

Adversarial System: The state and defense represent their evidence as vigorously as possible

Age-progression Photos: "Photographs that are "aged" through the use of computer software"

Alec Jeffreys: The biologist who first used DNA in a criminal case to identify a suspect

Allan Pinkerton: "First detective for Chicago, IL in 1849. Also founded the Pinkerton Agency"

Alphonse Bertillon: The founder of anthropometrics

Anatomically Correct Dolls: Dolls with all anatomical features used to interview children

Anthropometry: The combination of anthropology and measurements to identify a person

Arson: "The willful and malicious burning or attempt to burn structures, vehicles, or property"

Automated Fingerprint Identification System: "A computer based fingerprint identification system, AFIS"

Automated Information System: An automated information system capable of storing and retrieving informaition any manner desired

Ballistics: The study of projectiles in flight

Beat Drug: "Substances sold to buyers in place of actual drugs, phony drugs"

Bertillon Measurements: The 11 measurements of various parts of the body to identify a person

Biometric Identification: The identification of people based upon the measurement of various body parts

Biometrics: The use of personal biological measurements for entrance into computer systems

Blend: To become part of surrounding activities or culture

Blending Operations: Assimilating officers into their surroundings

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis: "The study of the origin, trajectory and patterns of bloodstains"

Body Language: The display of certain body movements as brought about by deception or truthfulness

Bow Street Runners: "18th Century unpaid private citizens who received ""rewards"" for identifying thieves"

Brady Material: "Also known as ""discovery"""

Brady v. Maryland: The Supreme Court case allowing the accused to discover all opposing evidence for trial

Brown v. Mississippi: "Supreme Court Decision ending brutality and ""third degree"" interrogation tactics"

Bugs: Concealed transmitters

Burglary: Unlawful entry into a structure to commit a crime therein

Burned: The act of being observed by the person being surveilled

Buy and Bust: The apprehension of a drug seller upon the purchase of drugs

Canvass: Interviewing a large number of potential witnesses

Career Criminal Programs: The investigation of career criminals

Carnivore: A device used to intercept informtation through the internet

Case Folder: A file used for the collection and organization of investigation documents

Case Management: "The procedure for collecting, recording, organizing, and perserving investigative information"

Certified Fraud Examiner (CFE): Investigators who are certified to conduct fraud investigations

Chain of Custody: "A continuous, logical chain of evidence possession"

Chop Shops: Garages that strip stolen cars of usable parts to repair damages vehicles

Circumstantial: Evidence that establishes a fact or circumstance from which a court my infer another fact at issue

Close or Tight Tail: "Folllowing a person, must be undetected, a constant surveillance"

CODIS: Combined DNA Idex System

Cognitive Interview: A technique used to enhance the accuracy of a witness's information

Cold Case Investigations: The investigation of old unsolved crimes

Common Law: Unwritten legal precedents created through everyday practice and supported by court decisions

Competency : Evidence that is admissible contrasted with that which is not

Comprehension Drug Abuse and Control Act of 1970: The act that defines the legality of drugs

Computer Viruses: Malicious software programs written to damage or harass other computer systems

Computer-aided Investigation: Computer programs used to analyze criminal information and to prepared investigative plans

Computerized Case Management: "Computer software used to collect, record and organize investigative information"

Computerized Report Writing: Digital dictation systems for computerized report writing

Confidential Informant: "A professional person who provides information to law enforcement, usually on a one time basis"

Confidential Information: People who provide the police with information and remain anonymous

Contact: An investigator who maintains contact with the undercover officer

Contaminated: "The state of being contaminated, spoiled"

Contract Security Investigations: Contracted external companies which provide numerous security services

Cover Story: An fictional explanation of one's presence or activities

Covert Operations: Undercover investigations

Crime Scene: The geographic location where a crime has been committed

Crime Scene Unit: "A unit of investigators trained to secure, analyze and process crime scenes"

Crime Scene Vehicle: A vehicle used to transport crime scene investigators and crime scene processing supplies

Criminal Personality Profiling: "The attempt to identify a person's mental, emotional, and psychological characteristics"

Criminal/noncriminal Investigation: The investigation of criminal and noncriminal matters

Criminalist: A forensic scientist who examines physical evidence

Criminalistics: "Scientific discipline directed to the recognition, identification, individualization and evaluation of evidence"

Criss-cross or reverse directories: Directories that allow various means of referencing information

Cultivated Sources: People who have special information regarding a particular crime

Cybercrime: Any illegal act in which knowledge of computer technology is used to commit the offense

Cyberstalking: The harassment of others through the use of a computer

Cyberterrorism: Terrorism which is perpetrated through the internet

Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceutical Inc: A Supreme Court decision stating that federal courts should generally allow admission of all relevant evidence

Decoy Operations: "The use of police officers as ""victims"", a proactive attempt to detect criminal activity"

Direct Evidence: Directly establishes the main facts at issue in a case

Discovery: The pretrial procedure whereby opposing sides supply information to each other

DNA Profiling/Genetic Fingerprinting: "The ""matching"" of DNA profiles between suspects, victims, evidence, and locations"

Documentary Evidence: "Tangible writings, pictures and audible sounds"

Domestic Terrorism: Terrorism committed by citizens of the United States

Domestic Violence: Violence within the family or between husband and wife or partners

Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA): A federal law enforcement agency which investigates drug offenses

Drug Testing: Drug screening of employees

Due Process Revolution: Due process guaranteed to suspects pursuant to Supreme Court Decisions

Dumpster Diving: Searching through dumpsters for identification related material

Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA): Prohibits the use of polygraphs for private sector employment screening

Employee Polygraph Protection Act: Limits the use of prescreening polygraphs for employment

Encryption: The method of encoding information to prevent use by others

Entrapment: Inducing a individual to commit an uncontemplated crime

Ethics: The practical normative study of the rightness and wrongness of human conduct

Eugene Vidocq: French criminal and informant who led the French Surete

Evidence: "The means by which an alleged fact, the truth of which is submitted to scrutiny, proven or disproven"

Ex Parte Order: A court order permitting electronic interception of communications

Explosives Detection Canines: Dogs that can detect explosive residues by scent

Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA): An act which regulates the use of credit reports used in hiring decisions

Fire Walls: A software program which prevents entry into computer networks

First Officer: The first police officer responding to a crime scene

Follow-up Investigation: "An investigation involving all aspect of the investigative process, see ""latent investigation"""

Follow-up Report: A report used to report additional investigative activities

Forensic Death Investigation: The investigation of questionable deaths

Forensic Photogrammetry: 3-D measurements of the real world directly from photographs for use in courts of law

Forensic Psychophysiology: Recording stress in deception with a polygraph device

Forensic Science: A multitude of scientific disciplines used to answer scientific questions in court

Freedom of Information Act: "An Act recognizing the public's ""right to know"" information"

French Method of Detective Work: Clandestine methods against political and criminal suspects by using informers

Frye v. United States: The Supreme Court Decision regarding scientific procdures being accepted within the scientific community

Global Positioning System: A satellite system used to locate any position on the map

Hacking: The willful and malicious penetration of someone's computer system to achieve some purpose

Hacktivism: The activity of hacking into computer systems

Header Information: Personal information that is sold to anyone

Henry Fielding: 18th century novelist who laid the foundation for the first modern police force

HOLMES: Home Office Large Major Enquiry System

Home Security Surveys: A survey to determine the security features of a home of business

Hostile Environment Sexual Harassment: A workplace which promotes or tolerates sexual harassment

Hypnosis: Heightened relaxation and concentration

IAFIS: Intergrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System

Identify Theft: The criminal act of assuming another person's full identity

Incendiary Material: "Items used to produce fire, matches, candles, chemical, gases"

Incident Report: A report used to report a particular incident

Industrial Espionage: The covert collection of industrial secrets or processes

Infiltration: Gaining entry into criminal organizations

Informant: A person who provides law enforcement with information in return for money or other motivations

Informant: People who provide the police with information

Information Brokers: Persons or organizations that provide detective databases

Insurance Fraud: "Investigations involving fraud of healthcare, insurance, workers compensation and others"

Integrity Shoppers: Investigators who test the integrity of retail personnel

Intellectual Property Rights: Protective trademarks or copyrights

Interdiction: The interception and seizure of drugs

International Terrorism: Terrorism on an international level

Internet Fraud Complaint Center: A location where fraud complaints can be lodged

Interrogation: "An adversarial interview with opposing goals, the truth versus deception"

Interview: A amicable interview with common goals

Investigare: "Latin meaning ""to search into"""

Investigation: The systematic and thorough examination and inquiry into something or somone

J. Edgar Hoover: Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation from 1924 to 1972

Joint Terrorism Task Force concept: The combination of resources of various federal agencies

Joseph D. Pistone: FBI Special Agent known for his undercover work

Judicial Notice: "Facts which do not need to be proven, facts accepted by the judge"

Kidnapping: The detention and taking of a person against their will

Knock Off or Copycat Goods: Counterfeited products

Latent Investigation: "An investigation involving all aspect of the investigative process, see ""follow-up investigation"""

Leads: Clues or pieces of information that aid in the progress of an investigation

Loose Tail: "Folllowing a person, must be undetected, not a constant surveillance"

Mail Drop: A method used to leave information for other investigators

Manslaughter: The killing of a person not surmounting to criminal murder

Materiality: The significance and importance of evidence to the outcome of the case

MCI-Managing Criminal Investigations: Places an investigator's time and effort into important solvable cases

MDTs: Mobile data Terminals

Medical Examiner / Coroner: A forensic pathologist

Memetic Viruses: "Hoaxes, chain letters, erroneous alerts"

Miranda Rules: The rights which must be read to a suspect once in custody

MO / Modus Operandi: The method in which criminals commit their crimes

MtDNA: Mitochondrial Deoxyribonucleic Acid (DNA)

Mug Shot: A photograph taken of a suspect

Murder: The criminal killing of another person

Mystery Shoppers: Undercover agents posing as shoppers to detect theft

Narcoanalysis: The use of truth serum

NCIC: National Crime Information Center

NCIC: National Crime Information Center

NCJRS: National Criminal Justice Reference Service

NEOTWY: "An acronym formed by using the last letter of when, where, who, what, how and why"

Night Vision Devices: Devices used to see in the dark by using available light

Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONCDP): An agency which monitors and studies the use of drugs in the United States

Official Written Reports: Narrative reports prepared by investigators using a typewriter or word processor

Operation Identification: A proactive effort to identify personal property to prevent its theft

Opinion Evidence: "Evidence which generally is inadmissible in court, opinions can be provided by lay and expert witnesses"

Overt/covert Investigation: "Overt, conducted openly; covert, conducted in secret"

Paper Trail: "A series of documents by which the police can ""follow"" a person"

Path to Miranda: The Supreme Court decision to end interrogations without rights advisals

Patterns: A series of similarities that may link cases to an individual

PCR: Polymerase Chain Reaction

Pedophiles: Sexual offenders who receive gratification from sexual contact with children

Pen Register: A device which records dialed phoned numbers

Photo Log: A log kept to document all photographs taken of a crime scene

Physical Dependence: The physical need to continue using drugs

Pinkerton Agency: A national detective agency which protected presidents and investigated counterfeiting

Plants: Materials placed around the ignition device to feed the flame

Point of Origin: The location where a fire starts

Polygraph: "A mechanical device used to measure the respiration, circulation, and the galvanic skin response"

Polygraph: A device used to detect deception in suspects

Portrait Parle: "Speaking picture, a method of describing the human head in a very detailed manner"

Preemployment/Background Screening: Screening of potential employees

Preformated Reports: Forms prepared manually by investigators

Preliminary Investigation: The initial inquiry into a reported crime

Presumptions: Deductions in law that may be made from certain sets of facts

Pretexting: Providing a cover story for an informant

Prima Facie Evidence: "Evidence, standing alone, which is sufficient to establish a given fact"

Primary - or case - or Lead-Investigator: The criminal investigator responsible for the proper investigation of the crime scene

Pristine: Original condition

Privacy Act: An act allowing people to review and correct personal information

Private Investigator: "An investigator working for private entities, mostly concerned with security matters"

Private Investigators: Self-employed people who conduct investigations for private entities

Privileged Communitions: "Communications protected by law, i.e. clergy, lawyer, spouse relationships"

Proactive Investigation: The use of proactive investigative techniquest to detect offenders before the offend

Proarrest Policies: Policies governing the arrest of violent offenders

Product Liability: The civil result of products which cause injury to the consumer

Proprietary Security Investigations: In-house corporation or business security department investigations

Psychological Dependence: The mental belief that continued drug usage is required

Psychophysiological veracity: Verifying truthfulness by measuring stress with a polygraph device

Public Investigator: "An investigator working for local, state and federal government agencies"

Rape: Forced intercourse upon a woman against her will

Rape Kits: A kit used to collect sexual assault evidience

Reactive/proactive Investigation: "Reactive, instigated by a complaint; proactive, instigated by an officer's initiative"

Real Evidence: Tangible items used to prove or disprove a fact in issue

Recalcitrant: Uncooperative

Recanvass: The reinterview of a large number of potential witnesses

Reconstructing: The use of evidence to reconstruct the activities leading to the condition of a crime scene

Relevance: "Evidence which tends to prove or disprove any fact in dispute, the evidence's bearing on the case"

Repeat Offender Programs (ROPs): The law enforcement effort to direct resources at career criminals

Research Revolution: A period of research into the criminal justice system to identify shortcomings

RFLP: Restricted Fragment Length Polymorphism

Rough Tail: "Following someone, not important if discovered by the subject"

Rules of Evidence: "A set of regulations that act as guidelines for judges, attorneys, and law enforcement personnel"

Scotland Yard: The facility housing the London Metropolitan Police

Script Kiddies: The use of programs produced by others to break into systems lacking adequate security

Serial Murder: A series of murders committed by the same offender

Sexual Assault: An act of sexually molesting a person for sexual gratification

Sexual Harassment: Unwanted and uninvited sexual contact or harassment of another person

Shadow: A one person surveillance

Shopping Services: Private security firms that offer mystery shopper services

Shopping Services: "Professional shoppers who conduct integrity, efficiency, and facility analyses of businesses"

Shrinkage: The reduction in inventory due to theft or diversion

Sir Robert Peel: Creator of the London Metropolitan Police

Source Control: The controlling of drug production prior to its distribution

Stakeouts: A method of watching a location or person

Store Detective: A private detective who investigates pilferage and theft

STR: Short Tandem Repeat

Strickler v. Greene: Addresses the requirement of the state to reveal exculpatory evidence

Subject: The person or location being surveilled

Surete: "Police de Surete (Security Police), the French detective bureau"

Surveillance: The act or observing a person or location

Surveillant: The person conducting the surveillance

Tap and Trace: The method of identifying phone number locations

Temporary Headquarters: A temporary location used to provide support and command direction to investigators

Terrorism: The use of terroristic actions to further political and religious ideaologies

Testimony: The information provided to the court by a witness

"The ""third degree""": The use of brutality during the interrogation process

The Third Degree: The use of brutality during interrogations

Theories: "Beliefs regarding the case based upon evidence, patterns, leads and tips"

Thief Takers: "Private citizens with no official status, paid for arresting criminals"

Thomas Byrnes: Commander of the Central Detective Office in New York City in 1880

Timeline: A study of activity over a specified period of time

Tips: Information obtained from citizens regarding a crime

Tolerance: The body's ability to tolerate higher doses of drugs

Tracking Devices: A deviced used to locate and track stolen vehicles

Trailers: Materials used to spread a fire

Travel Advisories: An advisory by the government of countries not to visit

Travel Warnings: A warning by the government regarding dangerous situations affecting travelers

Triangulation: A measurement method used to locate items of evidence within the crime scene

Trojan Horses: A computer virus

U.S.Customs: A federal agency responsible for protecting the borders of the United States

Ultraviolet Forensic Imaging: The use of ultraviolet lights to enhance details in photographs

Undercover: The investigation of criminal activity while posing as a participant

Undercover Buy: Purchasing drugs while posing as a drug offender

United States v. Byron C. Mitchell: A 1999 court challenge of fingerprint technology claiming that fingerprints are not unique

Vehicle Identification Numbers: The unique number assigned to a vehicle by the manufacturer

Vestigare: "Latin meaning ""to track or to trace"", the basic form of the word ""investigare"""

VICAP: Violent Criminal Apprehension Program

Weapons of Mass Destruction: "Chemical substances, biological agents and nuclear materials used for destructive purposes"

Web Attacks: A large amount of internet activity targetted at one particular company

Wickersham Report: First national study of the US criminal Justice System

Will West Case: The identification case that placed fingerprint technology above that of anthropometrics

Wire Taps: The method of listening in on phone conversations

Workplace Violence: "Physical misbehavior between coworkers, stemming from arguments to murder"

Worms: A computer virus