Surveillance Methods & Technology Flashcards
7 cards from real CFI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Surveillance Methods & Technology flashcards as text
A fire investigator wants to capture wide-area coverage of a large industrial fire scene from a fixed position. Which lens type is MOST appropriate?
Answer: Wide-angle lens
Wide-angle lenses capture broad fields of view, making them suitable for documenting expansive industrial scenes from a single camera position.
Which of the following BEST describes the legal standard required before law enforcement can obtain a suspect's historical cell site location information (CSLI)?
Answer: A warrant supported by probable cause, per Carpenter v. United States
The U.S. Supreme Court in Carpenter v. United States (2018) held that accessing seven or more days of historical CSLI requires a warrant based on probable cause.
During fire investigation surveillance, identifying a 'getaway route' from a suspected arson scene is accomplished MOST effectively by:
Answer: Mapping and reviewing cameras along probable egress paths from the scene
Tracing probable escape routes and systematically reviewing surveillance cameras along those corridors can capture the suspect's departure from the scene.
A body-worn camera used by a fire investigator at a scene primarily serves which evidentiary purpose?
Answer: Providing real-time video of scene conditions and witness interactions
Body-worn cameras document scene conditions, evidence collection actions, and witness interviews, creating a contemporaneous video record that supports written reports.
Which type of surveillance is MOST useful for identifying repeat visitors to a suspected arson location in the days before the fire?
Answer: Multi-day review of footage from area cameras covering approach routes
Reviewing multiple days of footage from cameras covering approach routes can reveal reconnaissance behavior or repeated visits by persons of interest.
When a fire investigator encounters a cloud-based surveillance system, what legal mechanism is typically used to obtain stored footage from the service provider?
Answer: Subpoena or search warrant served on the cloud provider
Cloud-stored footage held by a third-party provider is generally obtained through a subpoena or search warrant served on that provider under applicable electronic evidence laws.
The video frame rate of surveillance footage is significant to fire investigators because:
Answer: Lower frame rates may cause key events to be missed between recorded frames
Low frame rates create gaps between captured frames, meaning fast-moving events such as ignition or a person passing through the scene may not be recorded.