Hi all! I'm trying to plot out a murder mystery set in the 1930s. What I mostly know of police procedure is what I've seen from crime shows set in mordern day. I know police procedure in the 30s would be a lot different, and that real life doesn't exactly equate to TV shows. Problem is, I don't know where to look to begin my research- so if someone knew what direction to point me in, that would be lovely!
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Not a word of a lie, those books actually invented a lot of the police procedure as we know it today (up to and including keeping the area sterile). The technology between Sherlock Holmes and the 30s is actually probably not that different.
I'd start with how Holmes influenced, and what type of inventions were being used at the time. That gives you an idea of the tools and attitudes around murder investigation.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Police doesn't exactly have a how-things-worked-in-the-1930's section, but it has a lot on what kind of practices came about when, so you could deduct from that. My dad happened to look at the screen when I was skimming the 'weapons' section and laughed at me.
Depending on what area of procedure you're looking at, you'll have to tailor your search.
If it's to do with child abuse, rape or DVAW then you could delve into some cultural stuff. The rights of women and children have completely transformed since the 30s, so there are many crimes that may not have been reported, taken as seriously or followed up as meticulously as they would today.
1930's was the great depression, so that would have had an effect not only on the types of crimes and the priorities of the police, but also their available resources.
You could research criminals from that time and what happened with their arrests and trials and such. Bonnie and Clyde come to mind, but there are a fair few infamous robbers and raiders.
Also 1930's is a while back, but you can probably find a few biographies and if you dig deep enough there might be some personal accounts of criminal trials. It think I saw something similar to that in my library so I'll keep an eye out next time I'm there.
Police, having come around in the late 1800s as an actual force for good, were still laced with corruption, often lacking in organisation, and didn't have the same records they have today - by a long shot. Investigations were also often handled quite violently; intimidation was a big method.
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