This is a program that increases coordination, accountability, and leadership capacity among the teams responsible for the criminal investigation of homicides in Bogotá, Colombia.
The protocol was implemented as a pilot for two weeks in December 2015 and began to be officially implemented on January 20, 2016, until December 4, 2016.
The main change was the introduction of “homicide squads,” consisting of a prosecutor, three or four technical crime scene investigators (CSIs) and two detectives. These teams investigated multiple homicide cases together, from the time they were assigned a case through the arraignment hearings, and their creation was intended to change the investigative process by improving the relationship and fostering cooperation among these professionals, teams, and agencies.
Through this, the new investigation protocol sought to improve the quality of criminal investigations and their judicial outcomes, countering the disconnect between the initial crime scene investigation, pretrial investigative actions, and the trial itself.