New Course OR Existing Course Instructor(s)/Author(s): Anthony Vleet Hailey Subject Area/Course No.: ADJUS-140 Units: 3 Course Name/Title: Introduction to Criminal Investigation Discipline(s): Administration of Justice/Law Pre-Requisite(s): ADJUS-110 (formerly AJDUS 120) Co-Requisite(s): None Advisories: Eligibility for ENGL-100, ART-072 Catalog Description: This course addresses the techniques, procedures, and ethical issues in the investigation of crime, including organization of the investigative process, crime scene searches, interviewing and interrogating, surveillance, source of information, utility of evidence, scientific analysis of evidence and the role of the investigator in the trial process. Schedule Description: Do you enjoy watching CSI on television? Are you interested in a career that involves crime scene investigation? Then this is the course for you! The Introduction to criminal Investigations course will give you the opportunity to understand the technology and techniques available to interpret a crime scene. Lectures are followed by hands-on exercises that give you a first-hand opportunity to see the cause and effects that create evidentiary elements. You will be presented with various scenarios that will challenge you to apply the lecture material. At the conclusion of the course you will have an understanding of what is considered evidence and how to handle it. You learn what probative value the evidence would have and how the evidence supports your student s theory in reconstructing the crime. Hours/Mode of Instruction: Lecture 54 Lab Composition Activity Total Hours 54 (Total for course) Credit Degree Applicable (DA) Grading Pass/No Pass (P/NP) Repeatability 0 Credit Non-Degree (NDA) Letter (LR) 1 (If Non-Credit desired, contact Dean.) Student Choice (SC) 2 3 Please apply for: LMC General Education Requirement and/or Competency & Graduation Requirement(s): (Please list the proposed area(s) this course meets, or indicate none ) None Transfer to: CSU UC IGETC LDTP Course is Baccalaureate Level: Yes No Page 1 of 11
Signatures: Department Chair Librarian Dean/Sr. Dean Curriculum Committee Chair President/Designee CCCCD Approval (Board or Chancellor's Office) For Curriculum Committee Use only: STAND ALONE COURSE: YES NO FOR OFFICE OF INSTRUCTION ONLY. DO NOT WRITE IN THE SECTION BELOW. Begin in Semester Catalog year 20 /20 Class Max: Dept. Code/Name: T.O.P.s Code: Crossover course 1/ 2: ESL Class: Yes / No DSPS Class: Yes / No Coop Work Exp: Yes / No Class Code A Liberal Arts & Sciences SAM Code A Apprenticeship Remediation Level B Basic Skills B Developmental Preparatory B Advanced Occupational NBS Not Basic Skills C Adult/Secondary Basic Education C Clearly Occupational D Personal Development/Survival D Possibly Occupational E For Substantially Handicapped E* Non-Occupational F Parenting/Family Support F Transfer, Non-Occupational G Community/Civic Development *Additional criteria needed H General and Cultural 1 One level below transfer I Career/Technical Education 2 Two levels below transfer J Workforce Preparation Enhanced 3 Three levels below transfer K Other non-credit enhanced Not eligible for enhanced Course approved by Curriculum Committee as Baccalaureate Level: _Yes / No_ LMC GE or Competency Requirement Approved by the Curriculum Committee: Page 2 of 11
Institutional Student Learning Outcomes General Education SLOs (Recommended by GE Committee) At the completion of the LMC general education program, a student will: 1. Read critically and communicate effectively as a writer and speaker. 2. Understand connections among disciplines and apply interdisciplinary approaches to problem solving. 3. Think critically and creatively 4. Consider the ethical implications inherent in knowledge, decision-making and action. 5. Possess a worldview informed by diverse social, multicultural and global perspectives. (Each of the above student learning outcomes for the general education program has a written explanation with illustrations and examples of its application within courses, as well as specific assessment criteria. Consult the GE program information pages.) Occupational Education SLOs (Recommended by Occupational Education Committee) At the completion of the LMC occupational certificate or degree, a student will: 1. Be academically prepared to obtain an entry-level or a mid-level position in their industry. 2. Apply critical thinking to research, evaluate, analyze and synthesize information. 3. Demonstrate strong communication skills (written and/or oral) and interpersonal skills (Customer service and team work). 4. Appropriately apply industry materials and technology. 5. Demonstrate the skills and knowledge necessary to take and pass certification exams for career advancement in their industry. (Individual certificates or degree programs in occupational education may adopt some or all of these SLOs. Please check all those that apply to this course.) Developmental Education SLOs (Recommended by Developmental Education Committee) At the completion of the LMC Developmental Education Program, a student will: 1. Demonstrate the skills necessary for the first transfer level courses in English and Math or for the English and Math competencies for the Certificate of Achievement. 2. Think critically to construct meaning and solve problems. 3. Read with comprehension. 4. Communicate effectively both in writing and orally. 5. Demonstrate the characteristics, habits, and attitudes of an effective learner. Student Services SLOs 1. LMC students will demonstrate proficiency in the use of college on-line services. 2. LMC students will demonstrate proficiency in self-advocacy. Library and Learning Support Services SLOs LMC students utilizing various Library and Learning Support Services will: 1. Access and effectively utilize available campus Library and Learning Support Services. 2. Apply knowledge learned and competencies gained from using Library and Learning Support Services to academic coursework and assignments. 3. Demonstrate information competency skills needed to meet the research demands of academic course work and life long learning. None of the Above Page 3 of 11
Program-Level Student Learning Outcomes (PSLOs) 1. Students will be prepared to meet the academic requirements to transfer to a CSU Administration of Justice Bachelor s Degree program 2. Demonstrate the skills and knowledge necessary to take and pass local, state, and federal law enforcement entry level examinations or career advancement examinations. 3. Demonstrate excellent communication skills (oral and/or written), critical thinking, ethical decision making and cultural and ethnic sensitivity. Course-Level Student Learning Outcomes (CSLOs): At the end of the course the student will be able to: 1. Comprehend the theories and the evolution in crime scene investigations development. (PSLO #S 1 & 2) 2. Demonstrate accurate investigative strategies by interpretation of the crime scene. (PSLO #S 1 & 2) 3. Prepare accurate documentation of the forensic procedures and techniques used to collect evidence. (PSLO #S 1 & 2) 4. Use clear and concise verbal skills for court presentation regarding evidence collection techniques and reconstructive theories. (PSLO #3) Assessments: Quizzes Research Paper Simulated Crime Scene Textbook Homework Final Moot Court Written Final CSLO 1 X X X X X X X CSLO 2 X X X X X CSLO 3 X X X X CSLO 4 X X X X X Final Crime Scene Analysis CSLO 1: Simulated Crime Scene: Throughout the semester the professor will create a simulated crime scene. Each student will be assigned a role and will be asked to assess the scene for criminal activity and appropriately process and document the evidence according to the standards of evidence preservation. This will allow the professor to assess the student s ability to securing, investigating and documenting the evidence found at the crime scene. CSLO 1: Final Crime Scene Analysis: Each student will be assigned a role and will be asked to assess the scene for criminal activity and appropriately process and document the evidence according to the standards of evidence preservation. The final crime scene analysis will assess the student s working knowledge in the techniques and procedures for forensically processing and documenting a crime scene. CSLO 1, 2, and 4 Final Moot Court: In the Moot Court the student will give testimony regarding physical evidence and witness/suspect statements. The student will be questioned by a mock defense and prosecuting attorney and will have to clearly describe the process in which the evidence was collected, the legality and ethical manner in which witnesses were interviewed and suspects interrogated. The student will be assessed for their ability to present un-perjured testimony, answering directly the specific question asked without providing additional information in a clear and concise manner. Page 4 of 11
CSLO 1, 2, 3, and 4: Quizzes: Quizzes will be given to assess the students knowledge of the sequential process in securing, investigating and documenting the evidence found at the crime scene and explain the chain of custody of secured evidence based on lecture and textbook information; the legal and ethical issues pertaining to interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects in the process of a criminal investigation; the evolution in crime scene investigations and forensic examination including use of new technologies and electronic data bases; and the ethical working relationships between the investigator and prosecutor that includes providing physical evidence and court testimony that allows the prosecutor to present a case in court. This will allow the professor to assess the student s knowledge of each CSLO. CSLO 1, 2, 3 and 4: Research Paper: Students will choose a forensic topic to research. They will identify how the topic relates to the crime scene, the appropriate methods to document and the chain of custody for the evidence, how the topic continues to support the investigation and how it supports the search for truth as well as the prosecutor s case in court. They will discuss current technologies used to support the forensic topic chosen as well as the legal and ethical implications. If there are emerging technologies or issues with the chosen topic they will identify them as well. This research paper allows the professor to assess the student s ability to look at a forensic topic and apply it to each CSLO. Textbook Home work: Students will be given questions from the textbook that will assess the students knowledge of the sequential process in securing, investigating and documenting the evidence found at the crime scene and explain the chain of custody of secured evidence based on lecture and textbook information; the legal and ethical issues pertaining to interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects in the process of a criminal investigation; the evolution in crime scene investigations and forensic examination including use of new technologies and electronic data bases; and the ethical working relationships between the investigator and prosecutor that includes providing physical evidence and court testimony that allows the prosecutor to present a case in court. This will allow the professor to assess the student s knowledge of each CSLO. CSLO 1, 2, 3, and 4 Written Final: The written final will be given to assess the students knowledge of the sequential process in securing, investigating and documenting the evidence found at the crime scene and explain the chain of custody of secured evidence based on lecture and textbook information; the legal and ethical issues pertaining to interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects in the process of a criminal investigation; the evolution in crime scene investigations and forensic examination including use of new technologies and electronic data bases; and the ethical working relationships between the investigator and prosecutor that includes providing physical evidence and court testimony that allows the prosecutor to present a case in court. This will allow the professor to assess the student s knowledge of each CSLO. Method of Evaluation/Grading: A-level student work is characterized by: CSLO 1: Describe and explain the sequential process in securing, investigating and documenting the evidence found at the crime scene and explain the chain of custody of secured evidence Quizzes, Written Final and Homework that are completed with 90% accuracy or above related to the sequential process in securing, investigating and documenting the evidence found at the crime scene and explain the chain of custody of secured evidence. Page 5 of 11
Research Paper that fully identifies how the topic relates to the crime scene completely explains the appropriate methods to document the evidence and accurately describes the chain of custody for the evidence. Simulated Crime Scene that appropriately and accurately processes and documents the evidence according to the standards of evidence preservation. Moot Courts testimony that clearly describes and explains the process in which the evidence was collected and appropriately defends the process of evidence collection. Final Crime Scene Analysis that accurately and completely assesses the scene for criminal activity and appropriately processes and documents the evidence according to the standards of evidence preservation. CSLO 2: Describe the legal and ethical issues pertaining to interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects in the process of a criminal investigation Quizzes, Written Final and Homework that are completed with 90% accuracy or above related to the legal and ethical issues pertaining to interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects in the process of a criminal investigation. Research paper that clearly identifies how the topic continues to support the investigation and insightfully describes the potential legal and ethical implications related to witnesses and suspects. Moot Courts testimony that clearly describes and explains the process of witness interviews and suspect interrogations and can accurately defend the legal and ethical manner in which the process was conducted. CSLO 3: Describe and explain theories regarding the evolution in crime scene investigations and forensic examination including use of new technologies and electronic data bases (PSLO # 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6) Quizzes, Written Final and Homework that are completed with 90% accuracy or above related to the theories regarding the evolution in crime scene investigations and forensic examination including use of new technologies and electronic data bases Research Paper that identifies the current technologies used to support the forensic topic chosen and if there are emerging technologies or issues with the chosen topic they will describe them as well. CSLO 4: Define the ethical working relationships between the investigator and prosecutor that includes providing physical evidence and court testimony that allows the prosecutor to present a case in court. Quizzes, Written Final and Homework that are completed with 90% accuracy or above related to the ethical working relationships between the investigator and prosecutor that includes providing physical evidence and court testimony that allows the prosecutor to present a case in court. Research Paper that clearly and insightfully explains how the forensic topic would support the search for truth as well as the prosecutor s case in court Moot Court performance that provides consistent testimony that is truthful based on the scenario, answers the specific questions directly without providing additional information in a clear and concise manner. Page 6 of 11
C-level work is characterized by: CSLO 1: Describe and explain the sequential process in securing, investigating and documenting the evidence found at the crime scene and explain the chain of custody of secured evidence Quizzes Written Final and Homework that are completed with 70% to 79.9% accuracy or above related to the sequential process in securing, investigating and documenting the evidence found at the crime scene and explain the chain of custody of secured evidence. Research Paper that partially identifies how the topic relates to the crime scene, partially explains the appropriate methods to document the evidence and accurately describes most of the chain of custody for the evidence. Simulated Crime Scene that appropriately processes and documents the evidence according to the standards of evidence preservation. Moot Courts testimony that describes the process in which the evidence was collected and partially defends the process of evidence collection. Final Crime Scene Analysis that accurately assesses most of the scene for criminal activity and appropriately processes and documents most of the evidence according to the standards of evidence preservation. CSLO 2: Describe the legal and ethical issues pertaining to interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects in the process of a criminal investigation Quizzes, Written Final and Homework that are completed with 70% to 79.9% accuracy or above related to the legal and ethical issues pertaining to interviewing witnesses and interrogating suspects in the process of a criminal investigation. Research paper that identifies how the topic continues to support the investigation and describes the potential legal or ethical implications related to witnesses and suspects. Moot Courts testimony that describes the process of witness interviews and suspect interrogations and can defend the legal or ethical manner in which the process was conducted. CSLO 3: Describe and explain theories regarding the evolution in crime scene investigations and forensic examination including use of new technologies and electronic data bases (PSLO # 2, 3, 4, 5, & 6) Quizzes, Written Final and Homework that are completed with 70% to 79.9% accuracy or above related to the theories regarding the evolution in crime scene investigations and forensic examination including use of new technologies and electronic data bases Research Paper that, identifies the current technologies used to support the forensic topic chosen CSLO 4: Define the ethical working relationships between the investigator and prosecutor that includes providing physical evidence and court testimony that allows the prosecutor to present a case in court. Quizzes, Written Final and Homework that are completed with 70& 79.9% accuracy or above related to the ethical working relationships between the investigator and prosecutor that includes providing physical evidence and court testimony that allows the prosecutor to present a case in court. Page 7 of 11
Research Paper describes how the forensic topic would support the search for truth as well as the prosecutor s case in court. Moot Court performance that provides consistent testimony that is truthful based on the scenario, answers the specific questions directly. Projected Grading Structure: Quizzes 10% Simulated Crime Scene 20% Textbook Home Work 10% Research Paper 30% Final Crime Scene Analysis 10% Written Final 10% Moot Court Final 10% A = 90% to 100% B= 80% to 89% C= 70% to 79% D=65% to 69% F=64% & Below CSLOs are weighted: CSLO 1 15% CSLO 2 35% CSLO 3 35% CSLO 4 15% Course Content: I. Criminal Investigator Team A. Lead Investigator B. Crime Scene Investigator C. Investigator Support Team D. Patrol Liaison II. Search Authority A. Warrantless searches B. Searches with warrants C. Investigative leads III. Assessing the Crime Scene A. Outdoor scenes B. Indoor scenes C. Humans as crime scenes D. Identifying evidence within the scene IV. Photography A. Documenting the Scene B. Vantage points of interest C. Evidence documentation D. Photographic images as evidence V. Evidence documentation and preservation Page 8 of 11
A. How to preserve evidence B. Chain of custody C. Evidence testing VI. Mapping the Scene A. Baseline B. Triangulation C. Coordinates D. Polar VII. Mapping the Scene (laboratory) A. Baseline B. Triangulation C. Coordinates D. Polar VIII. DNA A. Court vs. Science B. DNA simplified C. Sources for DNA IX. Trace Evidence A. Blood B. Hair C. Foreign Objects X. Trace Evidence (laboratory) A. Blood B. Hair C. Foreign Objects XI. Fingerprinting (lecture) A. History of fingerprint comparison B. Characteristics of fingerprints C. Processing latent fingerprints D. Why fingerprints are not forensic XII. Fingerprinting (laboratory) A. Black powder B. Bi-chromatic powder C. Magnetic powder D. Mikrosil casting XIII. Autopsy A. Lecture B. Field Trip to CC morgue for autopsy viewing XIV. Interviewing and Interrogation A. Differences B. Facial expressions C. Mirroring D. Legal differences I. Blood Spatter Patterns A. The science of spatter B. Characteristics of blood patterns C. Latent bloodstains Page 9 of 11
II. Blood Spatter Patterns (laboratory) A. Mapping B. Interpretation III. Trajectories A. Identifying trajectories B. Documenting trajectories C. Trajectories impact to an investigation IV. Trajectories (laboratory) A. Mapping B. Interpretation V. Video and surveillance A. Video-PC vs. embedded B. Codecs C. Video-still enhancement D. Legality of being recorded VI. Firearms A. Types of Firearms B. Types of ammunition C. Stippling D. Wounds from firearms VII. Arson A. Area of origin B. Burn patterns C. Recovering bodies VIII. Explosives A. Types of explosives B. Damage reconstruction C. Motives for destruction IX. Property Crimes Investigation A. Residential B. Vehicle C. Property D. Fraud Investigation X. Cyber Crime A. Spy Ware B. Internet Crimes C. Pornography D. Cyber stalking E. Cellular telephones F. Virtual evidence XI. Surveillance Techniques A. Objectives B. Operational plans C. Fixed surveillance D. Electronic surveillance Page 10 of 11
XII. Sexual Crimes Investigations A. Definitions B. Evidence victims C. Evidence suspects XIII. Narcotics and Vice Crimes A. Definitions B. Unique Investigation Techniques XIV. Terrorism A. Religious B. Political C. Regional D. Global XV. Homicide Investigations A. Heat of Passion B. Gang C. Financial Gain D. Cold Case E. Scenarios XVII. Courtroom Testimony A. Rules for testifying B. Ethical report writing C. Dress D. Scenarios XVI. Vitim Witness Interviews A. Stages of Victimology B. Techniques of Interviewing C. Statements Instructional Methods: Lecture Lab Activity Problem-based Learning/Case Studies Collaborative Learning/Peer Review Demonstration/Modeling Role-Playing Discussion Computer Assisted Instruction Other (explain) Textbook(s): Lyman, M. (2011). Criminal Investigation: The Art and the Science. San Francisco: Prentice Hall Page 11 of 11