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Every Fairfax criminal case begins with an investigation. The Fairfax County VA Police Department is the primary law enforcement agency that investigates criminal offenses in Fairfax.

Sometimes the investigating police officer may witness the offense and sometimes they are dispatched or called to invesigate an incident. In either case, the Fairfax police officer still needs to collect enough evidence at the scene of the crime to support a criminal charge. This evidence collection may include interviewing potential witnesses at the scene. Fairfax police officer will also conduct a site investigation. This may include taking photos, measurements, and securing objects from the scene.

The Fairfax County police department must obey the U.S. Constitution’s Fourth Amendment at all times during such an investigation regarding any searchs and seizures. A search of any private property requires a search warrant or there must be probable cause or an exception to the warrent requirment if there is search warrant. Private property can include one’s home or private space and one’s personal belongings, such as a purse or electronic device.

Fairfax Police are looking to establish the facts of the case when they interview witnesses. In most cases, witnesses will be interviewed separately. This ensures that the police have each witness’s individual recollection of the events.

The Fairfax police officer will want to talk to people who have personal knowledge of the crime or the alleged perpetrator. This includes family members or witnesses to the crime. To have personal knowledge, the witness must have seen, heard, smelled, tasted, or touched something related to the crime. The Fairfax police officer will document witness statements along with their own observations. This information will be available to future police officers, detectives, and prosecutors.

A key component of any Fairfax County criminal investigation is the observations of the Fairfax police officers. Fairfax police officers are trained and have learned to observe and notice details. They will note the position of weapons, blood stains, clothing, and any other details that might explain the criminal offense.

Fairfax Police will also collect physical evidence at the crime scene. The Fairfax police officers and investigators must record and document each bit of evidence pursuant to criminal law. These investigators collect physical items by using gloves to preserve fingerprints and limit contamination. They gather forensic evidence, like fingerprints, blood, or saliva, and send it to labs for analysis.

The Fairfax police officers will then place the physical evidence in a marked special bag so it can be identified later. The Fairfax Police Department will also look at electronic evidence like cell phone data, online searches, and communications.

The Fairfax Police Department must document the chain of custody for each piece of evidence. This establishes an unbroken chain of custody from the time of collection to presentation at trial. This helps ensure nobody has tampered with evidence.

Fairfax police officers will likely interrogate a list of suspects during their criminal investigatoin hoping to get a confession. In some instances, the Fairfax police officer will record these interrogations and witness interviews with video and/or audio for documentation.

Fairfax police officers and detectives are skilled interrogators. They have studied human behavior and body language. Interrogation is a science. Fairfax County detectives know how to gain a suspect’s trust and how to manipulate them into a confession. However, the Fairfax police officer cannot violate a person’s Miranda rights and Constitutional rights to get a confession.

Fairfax Police Deparment investigations are an important part of the criminal justice system, but Fairfax law enforcement agencies can make mistakes. These mistakes sometimes can result in an innocent person being arrested and potentially going to prison for something they did not do. There are many legal guidelines that Fairfax police officers must follow when investigating crimes.

It is stronly recommended that you seek the assistace of a top rated Fairfax County VA criminal defense attorney if you have been arrested for a Fairfax VA criminal offense or if you are the subject of a police investigation. Our experienced Fairfax VA crimial attorneys can ensure that your rights are protected and can provide you with sound legal advice during the criminal justice process.