Educational Library
Police Investigations
How police interviews, witness interviews, and evidence collection work in Canada.
Digital Evidence in Canada: Understanding Police Digital Evidence
Digital evidence may include messages, photographs, videos, location information, online activity, or other electronic data. Police digital evidence may come from a phone, computer, vehicle, security system, cloud service, provider, app, or…
Read article · 10 min readEvidence Collection in Canada: Understanding Criminal Evidence
Evidence collection can shape how police investigate an allegation, how the Crown evaluates a charge, and how a court decides what facts have been proven. Criminal evidence may include statements, physical objects, documents, digital records,…
Read article · 10 min readPolice Interviews in Canada
Editorial review, revised publication article, source-verification guide, and final checklist
Read article · 13 min readWitness Interviews in Canada
What they are, how information may be gathered, and what may happen next
Read article · 12 min readCell Phone Searches in Canada
A police cell phone search Canada question may arise when officers request a device, seize it during arrest or execute a warrant. Phones contain messages, photographs, locations, financial records and cloud access. Canadian law recognizes…
Read article · 9 min readArrest Warrant Canada: What It Means and What May Happen Next
If you have been told that police may have a warrant for your arrest, the phrase arrest warrant Canada can produce immediate fear and uncertainty. An arrest warrant is a court document authorizing police to arrest a named or described person…
Read article · 9 min readComputer Forensics Criminal Investigation Canada: A Plain-Language Guide
People searching for computer forensics criminal investigation Canada information are often trying to understand how digital data is preserved, examined and interpreted. If police have seized a device, or a forensic report appears in…
Read article · 8 min readConfirmation Bias Criminal Investigation Canada: How Early Theories Can Shape Evidence
The search phrase confirmation bias criminal investigation Canada describes a recognized risk in human decision-making. Once an investigator, prosecutor, witness or other participant develops a belief about what happened, information supporting…
Read article · 10 min readDNA Evidence Criminal Cases Canada: A Plain-Language Guide
People searching for DNA evidence criminal cases Canada information may be trying to understand a laboratory report, a request for a sample or an alleged DNA association. DNA can be important evidence, but it does not answer every question in a…
Read article · 9 min readInternal Police Investigations in Canada: What They Mean
People searching for internal police investigations in Canada may be concerned about an officer’s conduct, a public complaint or a professional-standards review connected with a criminal case. An internal police investigation examines whether a…
Read article · 10 min readInvestigative Bias Police Canada: Understanding Tunnel Vision and Fair Investigations
The search phrase investigative bias police Canada often appears when someone believes investigators focused too quickly on one person or explanation. Canadian justice reports commonly discuss the related risk of “tunnel vision.” Bias can…
Read article · 10 min readJudicial Authorizations in Police Investigations in Canada: A Plain-Language Guide
The phrase judicial authorizations police investigation Canada refers broadly to warrants, orders and permissions issued by a judge or justice for investigative steps. They can permit a search, production of records, location tracking,…
Read article · 9 min readPolice Civilian Oversight in Canada: How It Works
People searching for police civilian oversight in Canada may be trying to understand who examines complaints about police, investigates serious incidents or reviews the quality of policing. Civilian oversight places some policing-related…
Read article · 10 min readPolice Disclosure in a Criminal Case in Canada: What It Means
People searching for police disclosure criminal case Canada may have been charged with an offence and received documents, recordings or digital files from the prosecution. Disclosure is the information relevant to the prosecution that is…
Read article · 9 min readPolice Notes in Criminal Case Canada: What They Record and How They May Be Used
When someone reviews disclosure after being charged, the search phrase police notes in criminal case Canada may lead to several different records. Handwritten notebook pages, electronic entries, interview notes and reports can overlap, but are…
Read article · 10 min readPolice Officer Testimony Criminal Trial Canada: What to Expect in Court
For someone approaching trial, the search phrase police officer testimony criminal trial Canada may raise questions about what an officer can say, how notes are used and whether police evidence receives special weight. An officer may be a fact…
Read article · 10 min readPolice Surveillance Laws in Canada: A Plain-Language Guide
People searching for police surveillance laws in Canada may be trying to understand why officers followed someone, obtained camera footage, used a tracking device or recorded communications. “Surveillance” covers many techniques, and Canadian…
Read article · 9 min readProduction Orders Investigation Canada: A Plain-Language Guide
If you learn that police obtained records about you from a bank, telecommunications company, online platform or another organization, you may encounter the phrase production orders investigation Canada. A production order is a court order that…
Read article · 10 min readSearch Warrants in Canada: A Plain-Language Guide
People searching for information about search warrants in Canada should understand that a warrant is judicial authorization for a defined investigative step. It is not a finding that anyone is guilty, and it does not guarantee that police will…
Read article · 9 min readTunnel Vision and Wrongful Convictions Canada: Understanding the Risk
The phrase tunnel vision and wrongful convictions Canada refers to a risk recognized in Canadian commissions of inquiry and government reports. Tunnel vision can develop when police, prosecutors or others become overly focused on one person or…
Read article · 10 min read