Another case illustrates how important proper investigation can be to the outcome of a case. Various authors cite the case of a fire in a home that killed two children. The children's mother had left them in the care of her boyfriend, who left them alone and left the residence. A small fire was seen burning outside the home after he left. The authors note, "The suspect was arrested and charged with arson and murder. Law enforcement authorities claimed that accelerant was detected on the suspect's clothes and in fire debris sampled outside the dwelling" (Various authors, 2003, p. 127). In fact, the accelerant found outside the home was completely different from that found on the suspect, (which was gasoline), and eventually the charges were dropped. The defendant worked as an automobile mechanic, which explained the presence of gasoline on his clothing. This indicates how a botched investigation can lead to the wrong conclusions that could brand a person for life, and it indicates how important it is to be thorough and diligent in any arson investigation. This is why accurate fire investigation is important to both the public and the authorities. This community spent citizen dollars prosecuting the wrong individual, while the true arsonist went unpunished. That creates a serious situation for the community, because the arsonist could strike again and take more lives.
Accurate fire investigation also helps keep insurance costs down. Insurers want to know the cause of incendiary fires, and they have to pay large insurance claims if the cause is found to be accidental or arson. In some cases, the fires are set intentionally to gain insurance money, and successful arson investigation can help determine the cause of the fire, if it is insurance fraud, and hopefully who is responsible, to keep these kinds of losses from occurring.
In conclusion,...
Arson is an ongoing problem throughout the country, and understanding how to investigate arson is critical is solving the cases and preventing it from occurring again. Arson is also one of the crimes that often go unsolved, so good arson investigation can lead to more charges and convictions, too. Fire investigation can root out insurance fraud, too, which is extremely important to insurance companies and their claims, so fire investigation helps many areas of
business, communities, and the people who live there.
References
Bellilse, M. (2007). Moore avoids
death penalty with
plea bargain. Retrieved 24 Feb. 2009 from the Reno Gazette Journal Web site: http://www.rgj.com/article/20070119/NEWS/70119007.
Drake, J. (2001, February 20). Arson unit's powers stripped. The Washington Times, p. 1.
Editors. (2009). Arson. Retrieved 24 Feb. 2009 from the Insurance Information Institute Web site: http://www.iii.org/media/hottopics/insurance/test1/.
Lynch, P.A. (2007). Michigan court recognizes rule that arson cases can be proven. Retrieved 24 Feb. 2009 from the Interfire.org Web site: http://www.interfire.org/features/legalview.asp?date=12142007.
Ockershausen, J. And Cohen, H. (2008). Twelve-fatality
hotel arson: Reno, Nevada. Retrieved 24 Feb. 2009 from the USFA Web site: http://www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/publications/tr_164.pdf.
Various Authors. (2003). Fire and casualty. Retrieved 24 Feb. 2009 from the DRI.org Web site: http://www.dri.org/dri/course-materials/2003-fire-casualty/pdf/2003-0103-07-Ogle.pdf.
Woods, E.K., & Wallace, DH (1991, November). Investigating arson: Coping with constitutional constraints.
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