IN THE USA POLICE

The basic feature in American police departments is choosing personnel for the detective division from the patrol unit. Successful operation of police depends much on their understanding the priorities (приоритет) in structuring (структурирование, построение) the detective function.

The primary function of the detective is to prevent crime and in case of its commission - to apprehend the offenders who escape (избегать, избавляться) arrest at the hands of the patrol division and to recover the stolen property. This function which consists essentially in the ferreting out serious crimes and in the detection of those who commit them includes (включать) criminal investigation and is a basic feature of modern police service. It is the point at which the forces of law and order approach (приближаться, подходить) the problem of crime and the criminal, detective division in the police department playing an important role in frustrating the efforts of professional criminals. Thus, crime detection includes overt and covert detective functions.

To cope with case load (нагрузка) in the police department it is necessary sometimes to detail the functions in the detective division into homicide, robbery (грабеж), burglary, larceny, automobile theft and other squads.

This specialization in detective division permits (позволять) the detective to concentrate his time and energies in the prevention and investigation of a particular (специфический, особый, определенный) type of criminal activity, and through continuous work in a specific criminal area he gradually builds up a fund of skills and information that is indispensable to departmental efficiency (эффективность, коэффициент полезного действия). Не comes to know personally the offenders who operate within specific criminal specialty which constitutes the functional area of his investigation; operating in plain clothes if necessary he becomes familiar with their methods of operation, their habits, their distinctive marks, friends, relatives and close associates. (Contrary to general belief (убеждение, мнение) disguises (маскировка, переодевание) of various sorts do not play an important role in undercover work of the successful detective).

He chooses, cultivates and uses the informants who are very helpful in ferreting out serious crimes and investigative process. The information of the informants concerning the activities of criminal offenders is of great importance in crime prevention and quick and accurate crime solution. Not infrequently an experienced detective is able to narrow the investigation and search down to a single individual after a careful study of the crime scene and recognition (узнавание) of salient features of modus operandi. The detection and apprehension of the evil-doer and the production of evidence against him, all depend on criminal investigation which is the keystone in the structure of the detective function. Members of the detective division perform various types of investigation. The Oxford Universal Dictionary defines "investigation" as observing or studying by close examination and systematic inquiry. "Criminal investigation" involves four specific objectives (цель): 1. Establishing the fact of the commission of a crime - the corpus delicti or the body of a crime. 2. Identifying the elements of the offence. 3. Detection and apprehension of the offender. 4.The production of evidence against him.

What does the successful solution of detective cases usually depend upon? It does not generally depend so much on miraculous (сверхъестественный) sleuthing powers or methods which we see in detective mystery thrillers (сенсационный фильм-боевик) but on persistent, intelligent hard work and qualifications and training which an ordinary policeman does not possess. If you ask, "What personal qualities does a good detective possess?", the answer could be, - there is no doubt that the successful detective possesses besides proper law enforcement professional education such personal qualities as common sense, courage, discretion (благоразумие, усмотрение), self-confidence, resourcefulness (находчивость), initiative, intelligence, imagination (воображение), patience (терпение) and perseverance (настойчивость), alertness (бдительность), discriminating observation, memory (especially memory to remember faces), and decision-making judgement. In general detective division carries out in police the functions similar to combat (боевой, строевой) elements in military operations.