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Forensic Evidence and the Police, 1976-1980

NCJ Number
98797
Author(s)
J L Paterson; S Mihajlovic; M Gilliland
Date Published
1985
Length
40 pages
Annotation
This manual describes the data set, data collection, data collection instruments, and sampling technique for a 1976-80 study of police reports, crime laboratory reports, and dispositions for adult cases of serious crimes in four cities: Peoria, Chicago, Kansas City, and Oakland.
Abstract
The data collection focuses on adult cases involving homicide, rape, robbery, aggravated assault/battery, burglary, and arson. A sampling approach was used in Chicago, Oakland, and Kansas City, the largest jurisdictions, and all crimes processed by the Peoria crime laboratory were included. The sources for the data collection were police, court, and laboratory records, with the primary source being police case files. For each city, cases were categorized by those cases where physical evidence was collected and examined and those where physical evidence was not collected. The data tape is described; the project codebook is provided.