SCOPE AND SEQUENCE. Career and Technical Education Criminal Investigation. Course Name:

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1 Course Name: Criminal Investigation Pathway: Law, Public Safety, Corrections, and Security Curriculum Criminal Evidence by Cengage Learning ISBN: Resources: Grading Period Topics Discussed Suggested Activities Curriculum Standards (TEKS) First Criminal Investigation: An Overview Complete a search of the Internet and list five federal agencies or even military agencies that handle criminal investigations. Use a think-pair-share assignment: Split the students into pairs or even triads, and let them come up with their various responses. You may wish to have them list their responses so then you can compare and contrast them to the other groups responses. Ideas for group discussion could include: C 1 (2) A,B,C,D,E (10) A,B,C (3) A,B,C,D,E,F, G,H Second DOCUMENTING THE CRIME SCENE: NOTE Have students search the following Web sites for information on crime scene sketches and photographs: (18) A,B,C,D,E,F (9) A,B,C,D,E,F (14) A,B (11) A,B TAKING, PHOTOGRAPHING AND FBI Crime-scene-investigator.net National Criminal justice Reference Service SKETCHING Then, hold the following discussion: Discuss at least five similarities between the sites. Discuss how photographs and sketches can aid in criminal profiling. Describe the role the FBI and the NJRS provide as a resource for law enforcement. 2. Have students go to the FBI s Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) Web site and review this national fingerprint and criminal history system maintained by the FBI, Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division. Ask students to describe the function of the IAFIS. (The IAFIS provides

2 automated fingerprint search capabilities, latent searching capability, electronic image storage and electronic exchange of fingerprints and responses.) Then have students search local police and sheriff s department s Web sites to see how they integrate with the FBI and IAFIS. Split the class into three large groups. Using the articles found during the web search as inspiration, each group should create a crime scene scenario. After the scenario is created, the group should take notes based upon their created scenario as if they were investigating the crime scene. Have the class split into eight groups, with each group using one of the following methods to sketch the classroom. Set up a small mock crime scene using everyday items in a corner of the room for the scene. Afterward, discuss pros and cons of the different styles. Third WRITING EFFECTIVE REPORTS Class Assignment (4) A,B,C,D,E,F (7) A,B,C,D (5) A,B,C,D,E Have the class watch a TV show or movie of virtually any police drama, and have them create a one-page narrative of what actually occurred during the crime. Afterward, discuss how different it is to watch or hear about a crime and then have to write about it, keeping the elements of the crime in mind. Fourth SEARCHES Class Assignments (6) A,B,C,D,E,F (8) A,B,C,D,E,F, G,H 1. Set up a mock crime scene that allows the students to search for evidence of a crime. If time permits, use an indoor and an outdoor crime scene. The students are to identify the nature of the search pattern they used and why. Tell the students that the crime involves an assault with a knife. If time for a mock crime scene does not exist, then have a class discussion of what the students would do to process the crime scene. 2. Have students research Mapp v. Ohio (1961), and then have them discuss what the police officers did or did not do that warranted the case decision. Split the class into two sides for the discussion, and have one side advocate for the

3 prosecution, and the other for the defense or dissenting view. Fifth FORENSICS/ PHYSICAL EVIDENCE Internet Assignments 1. Ask students to use a search engine to locate the FBI Handbook of Forensic Services. Review the section on Crime Scene Safety and provide a two-page description of the issues raised by the section. 2. Have students explore the auction Web site of Property Room, which takes the burden of unclaimed property off police departments hands. Have students categorize the types of evidence that are being auctioned. Does any of the evidence strike them as beyond what they would expect to be considered as physical evidence in a case? What are the pros and cons of disposing of evidence in this manner? 3. Have students review the following Web sites information on DNA training or their own state s resources on DNA training for law enforcement or for prosecution or defense attorneys: B (13) A, B (15) A,B,C,D,E The DNA Initiative Office of Justice Programs Denver District Attorney s Office Texas Department of Public Safety DNA Training Discuss as a class what police officers and crime scene investigators should know about DNA. 4. Ask students to read the article located at As a class, discuss the history of the FBI crime lab and how technology has evolved over the years. In addition, discuss how technology will affect the FBI s Scientific Crime Detection Laboratory in the future. Sixth DEATH INVESTIGATIONS Internet Assignments C (1) (2) A,B,C,D,E 1. Have students visit the St. Louis (Missouri) (12) A,B,C,D

4 Regional Crime Commission Web site, where individuals can provide anonymous tips regarding unsolved homicides. Ask students to describe how the Web site works and how the police work with this information. Have them also discuss the possible pros and cons of this type of Web site. 2. Have students go to the FBI Web site at and perform a search on the word murder. Ask them to select three cases from the results provided and discuss what they might learn by examining the body of the victim. 3. Using the internet, have students research and locate the website for their local county courthouse (they could also locate a federal court s website). Then, ask the students to locate the docket and see how many cases they can find that involve any degree of murder or manslaughter. Each student should report how many cases are currently awaiting trial in the location they specified. Discuss any reactions as a group. Class Assignments 1. Have students discuss the issues that would confront a homicide investigator in the following cases: A farmer has found a greatly decomposed body in one of his fields. While plowing the field for the first time in two years, he ran over the body and the plow brought the body to the surface. A male, aged 20 to 40, has been found in an alley in the bar area of town. There is no obvious cause of death. The body was found when a janitor came out of a bar at approximately 4:00 A.M. When the officers arrived at the scene they checked for signs of life and canceled the ambulance. At that time, according to the responding officer, the body was warm to the touch, about 90 degrees. Based on what appear to be scuff marks, it is possible that the body was dragged into the alley. A female, aged approximately 15 to 25, (16) A,B,C,D (17) A,B,C,D,E

5 has been found in a fraternity bedroom. The victim is lying on her side on the bed. The responding officers have learned that the fraternity had a party the night before and that she was one of the students at the party. The bedroom is a mess, but this might or might not indicate a struggle, as other rooms in the same hallway are also disordered. However, some of the bed covers are on the floor, which may indicate that something out of the ordinary went on. There is no visible blood in the room. 2. Split the class into five groups and assign one of the following topics for each group: Latest crime rates according to the FBI s Uniform Crime Reporting Handbook Latest crime information according to the FBI s National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) Calculation of homicide figures: FBI s Uniform Crime Reporting Handbook Difference between arrest rates and crime rates: National Institute of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Local state, county or city crime statistics for a matching period (latest crime data if possible) Once the groups have read and discussed their topics, have the groups report on what they have found and highlight and explain the differences between the information sources. Also, they may notice that it can be difficult to locate accurate and recent crime rates for some states, counties or cities. Why is this so? 3. As a class, discuss the various resources that law enforcement has at their disposal when attempting to identify an unknown homicide victim. How can law enforcement improve the likelihood of identifying a Jon/Jane doe?