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Re: Destruction of notes and data
Posted by:
Jim Mazerat (IP Logged)
Date: February 18, 2007 12:39PM
Stuart:
That is great, but do you see where I am coming from when I ask how long an investigator is expected to keep his or her notes. There has been one suggestion that stated until the time where a suit can no longer be filed. In Louisiana that is one year but a lot longer in other states. Actually, the investigator may not be from the state where the investigation took place so it should be based on where the investigation took place and not where the investigator is located.
As to the question about destroying the original hand written notes, I believe an answer to this question would be the same as when it comes to testing a hypothesis. One can never prove a hypothesis is correct but only disprove the hypothesis. Just the fact one fails to disprove the hypothesis does not mean the hypothesis reached is correct.
What if each investigator has the availability to conduct their own investigation independently, is it then necessary for the investigator to maintain his or her field notes?
I am not disagreeing with the idea, but believe this is a more complex question than it has been made out to be.