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You’re no idiot, of course. You know that detectives spend days—sometimes years—compiling clues in their efforts to identify perpetrators and bring them to justice. They also rely on scientific and medical experts to help them sift through the clues found at a crime scene.

But you don’t have to apply to join the police academy to get the inside scoop! The Complete Idiot’s Guide® to Criminal Investigation will show you exactly what investigators look for and how they examine their findings. In this Complete Idiot’s Guide®, you get ...

--The history of law enforcement—the first recorded criminal acts and how early society responded, eventually leading to the formation of the first police departments.

--How the police define illegal behaviors such as homicide, robbery, assault, burglary, cyber crime, and crimes against children.

--Criminal profiling—from Jack the Ripper to the Boston Strangler.

--DNA—obtaining it, preserving it, and how it’s used as evidence in a court of law.