Arson Investigation

You are a senior member of an arson investigation unit. You are being supported by newly assigned criminal investigators from a street crime unit, who do not have much experience in the investigation of arson crimes. These new investigators will be doing the interviewing of arson suspects. You have been asked by the agency director to provide a white paper for dissemination to the new investigators. The paper will contain the required components that differentiate arson from an accidental fire. Further, you must explain to the new investigators in the paper the various types of economic and psychological motives that exist, so they may best plan their interviews with the arson suspect.

In a white paper to the newly assigned investigators, please address the bulleted tasks listed below in the assignment guidelines. There are a number of arson investigator resources that are not found in academic journals that may be utilized as references in this assignment. It is critical that when making a statement of fact in your paper, you cite the reference you obtained the information from in the text of the paper and that the reference is included in your reference page.

Assignment Guidelines

Address the following in 7-9 pages:

Describe the elements of proof for an arson fire.

Identify and describe at least 2 distinct motives for individuals to commit arson. The motives you select should fall under 2 different categories listed below:

Social
Economic
Psychological

Provide a background of the type of person who is likely to commit arson for the motives you select.

Suggest to the investigators where they might develop leads on the suspect based on the type of arsonist he or she might be. Explain in detail.

If the investigators have the opportunity to search the residence and/or business of the suspect, what artifacts should they be aware of that would help them identify motives of the arsonist? Explain in detail.

Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.