Investigative Techniques

noun a detail or circumstance that is not essential but is helpful in understanding a situation

adjective describing or pertaining to circumstances or details that are not essential but are helpful in understanding a situation

• The evidence presented in court was purely circumstantial and did not definitively prove the defendant's guilt.
• The police have a few circumstantial clues, but nothing concrete yet.
• I heard a bunch of circumstantial gossip about what really happened at the party.
• His success was not due to luck, but rather a series of circumstantial events that led him to where he is now.

noun a person, especially a police officer, whose occupation is to investigate and solve crimes

• The detective was able to solve the complex case with his keen investigative skills.
• The detective figured out who the culprit was in no time.
• The detective is a real sleuth when it comes to solving mysteries.
• She approached the problem like a detective, carefully examining every clue.

verb A word used to describe an action, state, or occurrence. In this case, 'examining' is a present participle form of the verb 'examine'.

• The researchers are currently examining the data to draw conclusions.
• I'm just examining these documents to see if there's anything interesting.
• I'm just eyeballing this report to see if there are any red flags.
• She spent hours examining her thoughts before making a decision.

verb to discover information or the truth about something

• I will conduct further research to find out the root cause of the issue.
• Let me check with my friend to find out what's going on.
• I'll snoop around to find out the gossip.
• Sometimes, you have to dig deep to find out the truth.

verb to accuse of or present proof of a crime or fault

• The evidence presented in court was not enough to incriminate the defendant.
• I don't think they can incriminate him with just that little bit of information.
• They're trying to pin the crime on him, but they won't be able to incriminate him.
• His actions seemed to incriminate him in the eyes of the public.

adjective describing a process or activity that involves conducting an investigation or research

• The investigative team spent months gathering evidence for the case.
• The detective did some investigative work to solve the mystery.
• I heard the cops are doing some serious investigating on that case.
• Her investigative skills are like a magnifying glass, always uncovering the truth.

noun a person who wears ordinary clothes rather than a uniform, especially a police officer who does so in order to avoid detection while on duty

• The plainclothesman observed the suspect from a distance before making an arrest.
• The plainclothesman was able to blend in with the crowd while keeping an eye on the target.
• The plainclothesman was like a ninja, sneaking around without anyone noticing.
• She was a plainclothesman in the world of high fashion, always observing and analyzing without drawing attention to herself.

noun an examination of a dead body to determine the cause of death; autopsy

adjective occurring or done after death

• The pathologist conducted a thorough postmortem examination to determine the cause of death.
• The doctors did a postmortem to figure out what went wrong.
• They had to do a postmortem to see where they messed up.
• After the project failed, they decided to do a postmortem to analyze what went wrong.

noun the act of going back over a path or route that one has already traveled

verb to go back over a path or route that one has already traveled

• The detective decided to retrace the suspect's steps in order to gather more evidence.
• Let's retrace our route to see where we took the wrong turn.
• I'm gonna retrace my moves to figure out where I lost my keys.
• Sometimes it's necessary to retrace our past actions in order to learn from our mistakes.

verb to detect or track down by or as if by using the sense of smell

• The detective was able to sniff out the culprit in no time.
• I can always count on my dog to sniff out the best hiding spots during hide and seek.
• I heard that the new employee can sniff out a good deal from a mile away.
• She has a keen ability to sniff out the truth in any situation.

noun the act of staking out or watching a location for a period of time

• The police conducted a stakeout outside the suspect's house to gather evidence.
• We had to do a stakeout to catch the raccoon that's been getting into the trash cans.
• Let's go on a stakeout to see if we can catch those kids who keep egging our house.
• She felt like she was on a stakeout, waiting for her boss to make a decision on her promotion.

adjective used to describe someone or something that is working or operating secretly or undercover

adverb used to describe an action that is done secretly or in a hidden manner

• The detective went undercover to gather information on the criminal organization.
• I heard that Sarah is going undercover for her latest assignment.
• The cops are sending someone undercover to bust the drug ring.
• She felt like she was living undercover, hiding her true self from the world.

verb to clear from accusation or blame; to declare or prove someone's innocence

• The new evidence presented in court ended up exonerating the defendant of all charges.
• The new proof that came to light totally exonerated him!
• They finally found the evidence that cleared his name completely.
• The truth came out, exonerating him like a weight lifted off his shoulders.