A timeline toolkit for cold case investigations
Journal of Criminal Psychology
ISSN: 2009-3829
Article publication date: 18 December 2019
Issue publication date: 5 May 2020
Abstract
Purpose
The purpose of this paper is to outline a variety of related methods for helping with criminal (cold) case investigations. Despite the best efforts of police investigations, many cases around the world run out of leads and go cold. While many police departments around the world have developed specialist groups and task forces, academics have also been developing new methods that can assist with investigations.
Design/methodology/approach
Cold cases, by their very nature, typically comprise incomplete data sets that many traditional statistical methods are not suited to. Groups of researchers have therefore developed temporal, dynamic analysis methods to offer new insights into criminal investigations. These methods are combined into a timeline toolkit and are outlined in the current paper.
Findings
Methods from the timeline toolkit have already been successfully applied to many cold cases, turning them back into current cases. In this paper, two real-world cold cases are analysed with methods from the timeline toolkit to provide examples of how these methods can be applied in further cold cases.
Originality/value
Methods from the timeline toolkit provide a novel approach to investigating current and cold cases. This review provides academics and practitioners with a guide to begin using and developing these methods and forming successful collaborations with police departments and cold case task forces. The methods are also suitable for wider groups and to use in their investigations.
Keywords
Citation
Keatley, D. and Clarke, D.D. (2020), "A timeline toolkit for cold case investigations", Journal of Criminal Psychology, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp. 47-63. https://doi.org/10.1108/JCP-09-2019-0039
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2019, Emerald Publishing Limited