Furthering understanding of forensic units: a detailed examination of Knoxville police department\u27s crime scene unit.

Throughout the past three decades, the criminal justice system has decidedly employed new technologies for the purposes of establishing guilt or innocence. Forensic science, with its synthesis of scientific methodology and investigative considerations of law enforcement, ushered in the development of DNA profiling and forever changed the process of crime scene investigation.This shift in focus also led to a shift in the individuals involved in investigation, producing the widespread formation of stand-alone crime scene units. Utilizing both civilian and sworn employees of a law enforcement agency, these units became responsible for the documentation, collection, and preservation of evidence that would later make or break a criminal case in the courtroom. The transition with the increased use of forensic science resulted in a shift in legal approaches and methodologies that began to place more value on physical rather than circumstantial evidence; in due time, “scientific proof” became a necessity in the courtroom and led to an indispensable reliance on crime scene units. Yet, for all the focus placed on forensic science following the advent of DNA profiling, little attention has been given to the crime scene units responsible for this evidence collection and preservation. A lack of national standards for crime scene units and the nature of law enforcement organizations in the United States resulted in the independent development of units each with independently developed standard operations, collection procedures, and preservation methods, with no uniform professional standards as to how this crucial evidence should be handled. The purpose of the current study was to fill this gap through the exploration, collection and analysis of data related to the operations of the forensics unit of the Knoxville Police Department. The data was collected as part of a formative program evaluation with both process and outcome components. Findings from this research were compared to the standards recommended by the National Institute of Justice (2009), as well as to standards developed through prior research on characteristics that resulted in effective crime scene investigation (Kelty, Julian, & Robertson, 2011; Ludwig, Edgar, & Maguire, 2014). Lastly, findings of the current research were compared to those of Rausch’s (2015) study that assessed the standards, education levels, training, and national certification of forensics units across the United States. Comparing the current and previous data allowed recommendations to be developed that would contribute to improvement in crime scene unit operations. The program evaluation that sought to identify key components and policies of the unit that contribute to unit effectiveness and efficiency and included both qualitative and quantitative information collected in multiple stages. Perceptions of the “users” of the unit were assessed to determine user perception of the effectiveness of the unit. Additionally, information on the effectiveness and efficiency of unit processes, unit outcomes, and relevant factors that serve to influence unit performance were examined. The evaluation gathered information on these characteristics of the unit and its operations and assessed the extent to which the standards in the police unit meet professional forensic standards and recommendations as set forth in the National Institute of Justice (NIJ) report on the status of criminal forensics (National Institute of Justice, 2009). Additionally, information on the nature of organizational relations as they may affect unit performance were assessed. That is, the nature of relations between officers and civilians in the unit as well as aspects of unit subculture were identified and reviewed. The information collected on the nature of these relations were assessed using standards set forth in the research literature as characteristics of effective forensics units and forensic examiners. Lastly, the information collected on KPD was compared to data collected on a national sample of crime scene units (Rausch, 2015) to determine the extent to which KPD was similar to or different from other crime scene units contained in this survey. Participants in this study were sworn and civilian employees of the Crime Scene Unit of KPD and sworn patrol personnel within KPD. Data was collected through mixed methods including survey distribution, interviews and observation within the unit. Data was collected from September 1, 2017 to January 31, 2018; follow-up data collection to provide for a more complete analysis was collected from May 1, 2018 through June 30, 2018. Results indicated that the Crime Scene Unit of KPD was currently operating at a higher standard in comparison to the national recommendations and baseline data collected in prior research (Rausch, 2015). Interpersonal relations within the unit were sound and personnel within the unit were perceived as operating within the context of characteristics that resulted in effective crime scene investigator/unit performance. KPD personnel were mostly satisfied with the services provided by the unit. While this was an evaluation of only one forensics unit with small numbers of unit personnel, the model used for evaluation may be applied in other departments, therefore extending the capabilities to oversee, direct and develop forensics units within the context of evidence-based decision making. Recommendations based on the current work included: gathering data that could be used to assess forensics unit effectiveness and the factors that would facilitate or impede the same, movement toward national forensic standards, and use of the current methodology as a template that could be used to evaluate forensic crime units nationwide

An Examination of E-Banking Fraud Prevention and Detection in Nigerian Banks

E-banking offers a number of advantages to financial institutions, including convenience in terms of time and money. However, criminal activities in the information age have changed the way banking operations are performed. This has made e-banking an area of interest. The growth of cybercrime – particularly hacking, identity theft, phishing, Trojans, service denial attacks and account takeover– has created several challenges for financial institutions, especially regarding how they protect their assets and prevent their customers from becoming victims of cyber fraud. These criminal activities have remained prevalent due to certain features of cyber, such as the borderless nature of the internet and the continuous growth of the computer networks. Following these identified challenges for financial institutions, this study examines e-banking fraud prevention and detection in the Nigerian banking sector; particularly the current nature, impacts, contributing factors, and prevention and detection mechanisms of e-banking fraud in Nigerian banking institutions. This study adopts mixed research methods with the aid of descriptive and inferential analysis, which comprised exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) for the quantitative data analysis, whilst thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data analysis. The theoretical framework was informed by Routine Activity Theory (RAT) and Fraud Management Lifecycle Theory (FMLT). The findings show that the factors contributing to the increase in e-banking fraud in Nigeria include ineffective banking operations, internal control issues, lack of customer awareness and bank staff training and education, inadequate infrastructure, presence of sophisticated technological tools in the hands of fraudsters, negligence of banks’ customers concerning their e-banking account devices, lack of compliance with the banking rules and regulations, and ineffective legal procedure and law enforcement. In addition, the enforcement of rules and regulations in relation to the prosecution of financial fraudsters has been passive in Nigeria. Moreover, the findings also show that the activities of each stage of fraud management lifecycle theory are interdependent and have a collective and considerable influence on combating e-banking fraud. The results of the findings confirm that routine activity theory is a real-world theoretical framework while applied to e-banking fraud. Also, from the analysis of the findings, this research offers a new model for e-banking fraud prevention and detection within the Nigerian banking sector. This new model confirms that to have perfect prevention and detection of e-banking fraud, there must be a presence of technological mechanisms, fraud monitoring, effective internal controls, customer complaints, whistle-blowing, surveillance mechanisms, staff-customer awareness and education, legal and judicial controls, institutional synergy mechanisms of in the banking systems. Finally, the findings from the analyses of this study have some significant implications; not only for academic researchers or scholars and accounting practitioners, but also for policymakers in the financial institutions and anti-fraud agencies in both the private and public sectors

CPA\u27s handbook of fraud and commercial crime prevention

https://egrove.olemiss.edu/aicpa_guides/1823/thumbnail.jp

A strategic framework for e-government security: the case in Nigeria

A thesis submitted to the University of Bedfordshire in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of PhilosophyCountries across the globe are striving towards full-scale implementation of e-government. One of the issues arising with the efforts to this realization is the assurance of secure transactions while upholding high privacy standards. In order to engage citizens in the process, there must be transparency and confidence that the e-government systems they are using are reliable and will deliver the services with integrity, confidentiality and accountability. Different systems require different levels of security according to the services they provide to their users. This research presents an investigation into reasons why e-government security frameworks developed by researchers with the claim that it is one-size-fits-all issue may not hold true, particularly in the case of Nigeria, based on certain identified realities. The claim of a generalized framework appears very challenging because there seem to be much diversity across different governments. Countries differ in one or more of the following characteristics: political systems, legal systems, economic situation, available technological infrastructure, Internet and PC penetration, availability of skills and human resources, literacy levels, computer literacy levels, level of poverty, leadership, and ethnic diversities in terms of norms, languages, and expertise. Security measures implemented in e-government projects in some developed countries, beginning with more established e-government systems around the world, were evaluated and a strategic framework for e-government security proposed which considers both technical and non-technical factors that involve people, processes and technologies. The framework is proposed to advance the rapid adoption of practices that will guarantee e-government security. It seeks to provide a flexible, repeatable and cost-effective approach to implementing e-government security. This research examines the issues of enclosure in the implementation of e-government from the perspective of security and ultimately survivability

Policing internet fraud in Saudi Arabia : the mediation of risk in a theocratic society

This thesis aims to contribute to current debates on the policing of Internet fraud by introducing the Saudi Arabian experience. Drawing on the findings of field research focusing on the capital city of Riyadh, this study assesses the extent to which the Saudi state response to Internet fraud fits in with contemporary debates on cybercrime control within a late-modern penal framework as theorised in Western literature. At the same time, the study provides a detailed micro-sociological account of how the policing of Internet fraud is carried out in different police units within the city in which the case study was conducted. This involves an in-depth investigation into both the organisational and operational dimensions of the Saudi police response to such criminal activity. In this respect, the thesis explores and analyses how this new aspect of policing activity fits in with not only the existing organisational practices, but also the occupational and individual concerns of frontline officers (McCahill, 2002). Moreover, the study considers the implications of the Arab, Islamic and specifically Saudi culture, social norms, values and political environment for police responses to Internet fraud.An interpretive approach was adopted, employing a single case study strategy, which utilised two methods, i.e. participant observation and semi- structured interviews, to collect the required data. The observational data was generated from seven police departments that are directly involved in the policing of Internet fraud in Riyadh. Interviews were conducted with 41 participants, including representatives of both the managerial and operational levels at the units targeted in the observational work, officers from supporting departments and officers with key roles in planning, controlling and supervising the implementation of police policies and strategies in relation to Internet fraud, at both national and local levels.The findings revealed that the only way in which Saudi control strategies in response to cybercrime can be aligned with those followed by Western authorities is in relation to the state’s ‘expressive gestures’ (Garland, 1996, 2001). In this regard, evidence demonstrated that the legal and organisational innovations introduced by the Saudi state, ostensibly to address informational crimes, had serious limitations in achieving their declared purposes and were perceived by police participants as intended only to create and sustain a favourable global image. In contrast, the study failed to find a clear and wide application of plural policing of Internet fraud, which is characterised by networks of calculation through deploying instrumental ordering practices and risk management technologies. In addition to the limited relevance in an autocratic society such as Saudi Arabia of the ideological, socio-economic and political conditions that facilitated the emergence of the notion of plural policing in Western societies, the Saudi police organisation also appeared unready to engage in networked policing of Internet fraud.Moreover, it was shown how the policing response to Internet fraud was shaped by specific moral principles and cultural values. The findings of this thesis emphasise not only the persistent influence of ‘old’ cultural traditions and moral principles on officers’ perception of risk in Internet fraud and, consequently, their decision to respond to incidents brought to their attention, but also how police commitment to these cultural and religious values can place limits on the ability of technological systems to facilitate preventive policing of online fraudulent activities. Based on these findings, it is argued that policing of Internet fraud in Saudi Arabia, and the extent to which it aligns with the principles of crime control in late modernity, can only be understood by examining and analysing how new policing modes and cultural traditions merge and integrate to shape police response to such a novel criminal phenomenon as Internet fraud

An exploration of virtual criminal investigations in Ghana : legal issues and challenges

The widespread cybercrime has caused changes and brought about a need for new investigative skills, laws and enforcement procedures to attack these obstacles. Since technological crimes committed through the information superhighway or the internet is evolving very rapidly, efficacious enforcement of cybercrime is becoming extremely challenging. Cybercrime is both a national and international issue and local legislation alone cannot be able to combat the menace. Digital evidence permeates every aspect of the average person's life in today's society and no matter what you are doing these days, a digital footprint is probably being created and contains some type of digital evidence that can be recovered through digital forensic investigation It requires stringent laws, skilled personnel, well-established institutions, and transnational response. To efficaciously combat cybercrime, countries, states or governments must establish an independent anti-cybercrime unit and design national guidelines for digital evidence collections to combat the canker. This thesis, therefore, presents an examination of the virtual crime or cybercrime investigation challenges and legal issues on electronic evidence in Ghana. The study examines the existing cybercrime laws and practices in Ghana and makes a comparative study from other jurisdictions. Also, the study draws a survey from the international legal framework on cybercrime and electronic evidence on various methods and procedures that can be used to conduct digital forensic search and seizure of electronic evidence and investigation when cybercrimes occur. Recommendations were made which include formulation of stringent laws, establishing the national Cybercrime investigation Strategy and policies, the establishment of national guidelines for digital evidence collections, develop anti-cybercrime tool-kit for the collection of digital evidence, the establishment of digital forensic training institutions in all regions of Ghana for hands-on skilled based training for law enforcement officers and judges to ensure efficiency in the process of digital forensic investigation and prosecution of cybercrimes in Ghana are given.Police PracticeD. Phil. (Criminal Justice

Eye witness testimony; understanding post identification feedback and witness confidence inflation as system variables: a review of police practice

The confidence witnesses experience in their selection decisions, when participating in formal identification parades, has been the subject of much criminological research. The findings suggest that confidence is far from being a static construct; instead it is understood to be highly malleable and capable of being ameliorated by post-identification information. Although the effects of post-event feedback are well documented, no research has been conducted that establishes the nature and extent of information passed to witnesses by police investigators in real crime case scenarios. The dissertation reviews the current training provision for detectives and establishes an absence of any official guidance in regard to the information that should or should not be provided to witnesses post-identification. This is indicative of the current belief that witness confidence is conceptualised as being outside of the control of the criminal justice system. The research in this thesis challenges this position and suggests that information provided by police investigators is capable of affecting witness confidence, and, in addition, is also wholly capable of being placed within the scope of statutory control. The research establishes the views and practices of operational investigators and concludes that witnesses are frequently provided with positive reinforcement. The altering of witness confidence in this way has serious ramification for the judicial system, meaning that the confidence a witness displays at trial is unlikely to be indicative of that they experienced at the point of identification. In my conclusion I suggest that witness confidence should be understood as being equally susceptible to contamination as any other form of forensic evidence. That being the case, its management should be safeguarded within a legal framework and subject to intrusive scrutiny to establish its integrity at court

Fraud in the banking industry: a case study of Kenya

Fraud has become a worldwide problem that is not set to abate in the near future. It is eroding the profitability of organisations with devastating effects on firm solvency. This research aims to contribute to the knowledge and understanding of fraud in Kenya’s financial institutions and focuses on the Kenyan banking industry, which includes forty three commercial banks of local, national, regional and international standing. The research conducted uses a theoretical framework based on the Fraud Triangle to analyse the incidence of fraud and the motivations of fraudsters. The research uses a sample of audit, fraud, security and other managers involved in fraud fighting from thirty banks across the industry to conduct a mixed qualitative and quantitative study based on a survey of sixty respondents and seventeen semi-structured interviews. The research found that fraud is considered to be a major problem within the Kenyan banking industry, although the relative size of frauds conducted was relatively small and unsophisticated. Fraud detection and prevention methods used in the industry were standard and no different from global standards. The fraud triangle worked effectively to predict the patterns of fraud described by respondents. However from this study it is argued that the Fraud Triangle is not as effective in explaining the collusive and predatory nature of the Kenyan bank fraudster