Book Review: Managing the Investigative Unit

Do you agree that solving crime and selecting the very best possible detectives and investigators for your organization are among your most important responsibilities? Are you a supervisor seeking a supervisory investigative assignment, or newly appointed to an Investigation Commander position? Are you a police officer seeking an investigative position within your own police agency? If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, then you need to read Managing the Investigative Unit by Daniel McDevitt and keep it close at hand.

Until now, very little has been written in recent years about effective leadership and management of the investigative unit.

Drawing on current knowledge and his own extensive practical and teaching experience, the author provides a thorough overview of the design and administration of an investigative unit. This book looks at a variety of different areas within the investigative function. While it is innovative throughout, what makes it particularly different from other books on this topic is that it provides unique and innovative approaches to case management and managing confidential source programs. It also lays out a methodology to elicit critical investigative and behavioral traits consistent with potentially successful investigators.

McDevitt leads the reader through a straightforward and well-written tour of the investigative unit from start to finish. The book is well-scripted, easy to read, and all of its concepts are well explained and effortless to follow. …