Logical Investigative Methods: Critical Thinking and Reasoning for Successful Investigations

All too often, professional investigations fail because those involved jump to conclusions and draw faulty premises that leave the trail cold. Correct conclusions are not the result of guessing, but by applying efficient thought processes. Logical Investigative Methods: Critical Thinking and Reasoning for Successful Investigations is designed to help investigators, detectives, special agents, and prosecutors avoid assumptions and false premises by using logic, reasoning, critical thinking, and the scientific method in their investigations.

Topics covered in this text include:

• Finding facts instead of making assumptions
• Understanding how our cognitive skills can affect investigations
• Using philosophy and logic to come to proper conclusions and probable inferences
• Using critical thinking and logical reasoning effectively
• Outlining the criminal investigation skills required of detectives and investigators
• Profiling to analyze personality types and to interpret artifacts of a crime scene
• Interviewing, interrogation, and detecting deception
• Using tools to analyze and graphically display organized, understandable information about complex crimes
• Documenting and presenting a case using all of the tools learned

This organized text of methods, practices, techniques, and tactics provides concrete instruction that can be applied to any investigation. By learning to become trained observers who make logical inferences from their observations, users of this text can effectively streamline their investigations for a successful result.

Dr. Robert Girod, Sr. is a 35-year veteran law enforcement officer (city, county, state, and federal), an attorney and consulting detective, and adjunct professor (eight universities), and a former military officer. He is the author of Advanced Criminal Investigations and Intelligence Operations: Tradecraft Methods, Practices, Tactics, and Techniques, Police Liability and Risk Management: Torts, Civil Rights and Employment Law, Infamous Murders and Mysteries: Cold Case Files and Who-Done-Its, and Profiling the Criminal Mind: Behavioral Science and Criminal Investigative Analysis. He has authored articles for various professional periodicals, such as FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Security Management, The Police Marksman, and Musubi.