Chelsea A. Binns - The Art of Investigation

The Art of Investigation will help the fledging detective learn the skills to observe and solve, and the experienced detective to fine tune those skills. This book needs to be part of every investigators library.

Michael F. Vecchione, author and formerly Chief of the Rackets Division, Brooklyn District Attorneys Office, and Jerry Schmetterer, author and investigative reporter

I wish I had this book when I was majoring in Criminology, or later as a rookie patrolman. The Art of Investigation is entertaining, inspirational, and informational. I have a forty-two year career as an investigator, and the stories and case studies in this book ring true.

John A. Hoda, CLI, CFE, Hoda Investigations, LLC, Private investigator, Podcaster, and Author

The innate qualities needed for the journey into truth finding are explained this book is an adventure for those who enjoy the art of the investigation, enjoy the finesse, the strategies, incredible flexibility, and the professionalism readily apparent to those of us that ply this trade.

From the Foreword by Robert Boyce, NYPD Chief of Detectives (Retired)

The Art of Investigation examines the qualities required to be a professional, thorough, and effective investigator. As the title suggests, it delves into more than the steps and procedures involved in managing an investigation, but the soft skills necessary to effectively direct and intuit along the way. The editors, and contributing authors, are the best in their field and bring a wealth of real-world knowledge and experience to the subject. There are several publications available on the nuts-and-bolts of the process and stages of an investigation. That ground has been covered. However, little has been published on the investigative skills required, the traits necessary, and the qualities endemic to an inquisitive mind that can be cultivated to improve an investigators professional skill-set.

Each chapter discusses the applicability of the traits, and requirements to the contributors own work and experience as an investigator. In doing so, the contributors provide a storyor set of storiesfrom their personal experience, which demonstrates their use or a given trait and its importance in the course of their investigative work and career. This will be first-hand experience that will serve to help any investigative profession in the course of their work. The case examples included throughout are sometimes surprising, but always engaging and insightful. An investigator must keep an open mind above all else and this book will seek to lift the veil on the inner workings of an investigation in addition to the thought processes and inner monologues of an investigator as part of that process.

The Art of Investigation will be a welcome addition to any investigators toolkit and will also be of interest to students in criminal justice, security and Homeland Security programs, security consultants, corporate and private security professionals, and the legal community.

The Art of Investigation

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Chelsea A. Binns
This book is for Samantha, who was with me on this project from the very beginning.

Bruce Sackman
To Eileen, Allison, Jonathan, and my grandchildren, Brianna and Taylor, who fill me with joy whenever they are near.

Oscar Wilde wrote, The truth is rarely pure and never simple. The investigative paths that the authors of the chapters in this book will take us on are often through the dark corners of our society, while others are part of the fabric of everyday life. In these unsettling places, where investigators find themselves delving into human weakness, craven indifference, and, thankfully, the rare occurrence of true evil, truth is a winding and sometimes dangerous path to justice. It is fraught with human error, inexplicable negligence and deceit. Those that seek the truth have both innate and acquired skill-sets necessary for that adventure. The innate qualities needed for the journey into truth finding are explained in this book. Without possession of these 15 attributes it would be impossible to sustain a career as an investigator. These innate gifts must be paired with acquired skills in an ever-changing world. Technology can expedite a case and experience adds to ones abilities.

This book is an adventure for those who enjoy the art of the investigation, enjoy the finesse, the strategies, incredible flexibility, and the professionalism readily apparent to those of us that ply this trade. As a career investigator into all types of criminal behavior I have investigated both wealthy and poor, and all in between. I find myself most comfortable with fellow investigators, truth seekers. The obvious is sometimes deceiving, healthy skepticism illuminates that trap. The requisite fortitude mandatory for long-term casework is fueled by the 15 themes displayed within these pages. The authors of the chapters within are heroic figures who detail their cases with these virtues and, most importantly, humanity.

In my tenure as NYPD Chief of Detectives, I have dedicated my professional life to finding the truth. I have led great men and women in that task; assembling, training and supervising roughly 6000 investigators towards that singular purpose. In many instances during a 35-year career, I interviewed many officers with the aim of seeking those with the innate abilities required for such difficult casework. Team building and networking are essential to the vagaries of human behavior and thinking, new technologies and tracking information. No one person solves an intricate and complex case. Sources of information are imperative to the mission, building ones network to solve the everyday obstacles within the case cannot be understated. I think of the Etan Patz investigation, 35 years to justice, the Baby Hope case, 22 years to a successful prosecutionthe dogged pursuit of truth and the justice it brings. Always believe that you as the investigator will solve the case, bring the investigation to a successful conclusion, and, ultimately, find the truth.