4/19/2024 9:26:54 AM	AJ 152 Course Outline as of Fall 2013	Inactive Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  AJ 152	Title:  PUBLIC SAFETY COMM
Full Title:  Public Safety Communications
Last Reviewed:4/9/2012

Units		Course Hours per Week			Nbr of Weeks	Course Hours Total
Maximum	3.00	Lecture Scheduled	3.00		17.5 max.	Lecture Scheduled	52.50
Minimum	3.00	Lab Scheduled	0		17.5 min.	Lab Scheduled	0
		Contact DHR	0			Contact DHR	0
		Contact Total	3.00			Contact Total	52.50
		Non-contact DHR	0			Non-contact DHR Total	0

Total Out of Class Hours:  105.00

Total Student Learning Hours: 157.50

Title 5 Category:  AA Degree Applicable
Grading:  Grade Only
Repeatability:  00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP
Also Listed As: 
Formerly:  AJ 52

Catalog Description:

This course deals with all aspects of public safety written communication.  Emphasis is on technical report writing, criminal justice terminology, note taking, interviewing and testifying.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:
Course Completion of AJ 22

Recommended Preparation:
Eligibility for ENGL 100 or ESL 100

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

This course deals with all aspects of public safety written communication.  Emphasis is on technical report writing, criminal justice terminology, note taking, interviewing and testifying.

(Grade Only)
Prerequisites:Course Completion of AJ 22
Recommended:Eligibility for ENGL 100 or ESL 100
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:
Repeatability:00 - Two Repeats if Grade was D, F, NC, or NP

ARTICULATION, MAJOR, and CERTIFICATION INFORMATION

Associate Degree:		Effective:		Inactive:
Area:
CSU GE:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
IGETC:	Transfer Area			Effective:	Inactive:
CSU Transfer:		Effective:		Inactive:
UC Transfer:		Effective:		Inactive:
C-ID:

Certificate/Major Applicable: Certificate Applicable Course

COURSE CONTENT

Outcomes and Objectives:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to:

1. Identify the uses of written communication in the public safety professions.

2. Write reports that conform to accepted professional standards.

3. Extract and organize information from a variety of sources into written and verbal communications for a variety of public safety situations.

4. Complete field notes that include the information needed to complete a crime or incident report.

5. Organize, analyze, and reduce observations and other information to accurate, clear, concise, logically organized reports that are readable and relatively free of mechanical errors.

6. Analyze and write all required elements of a criminal offense based on California statutes and Constitutional protections.

7. Demonstrate the basic techniques of interviewing.

8. Demonstrate the basic techniques of testifying.

Topics and Scope

I. Written Communication

   A. How crime, incident, and arrest reports are used by the criminal justice system

      1. Statistics

      2. Documentation

      3. Minimize liability

   B. What is a report?

      1. Definition of a report

      2. Importance of a good report

         a. Credibility and reputation

         b. Legality

         c. Liability

   C. Other professional written documentations in the criminal justice system

II. Note Taking

   A. Characteristics of field notes

      1. Recording brief notes in the field

      2. Pertinent data identification

      3. Subject to subpoena

   B. Develop permanent field notes

III. Interviews and Testimony

   A. In-field

   B. Investigative setting

   C. Testimonial evidence

   D. Testifying

IV. Writing Crime Reports

   A.  Critical characteristics of a crime report

      1. Factual

      2. Objective

      3. Accurate

      4. Clear

      5. Concise

      6. Use of first person and active voice

   B. Organization and structure of report narratives

      1. Preliminary investigation

      2. Analyze facts and information

      3. Condense into a factually concise, thorough document

      4. Crime elements of California statutes

      5. Writing statements, admissions, and confessions

   C. Defenses asserted by suspect

      1. Miranda advisement issues

      2. Exclusionary Rule issues

      3. Probable Cause

      4. Civil Rights violations

      5. Credibility of victims, witnesses, and officers

   D. Types of reports

      1. Property crimes, including felony and misdemeanor

      2. Violent crimes, including felony and misdemeanor

      3. Sexual assault crimes

      4. Domestic violence crimes

      5. Driving Under the Influence (DUI)

      6. Juvenile delinquency and dependency incidents

         a. Offense report

         b. Missing person or runaway

   E. Writing style used by law enforcement agencies

      1. First person-active

      2. Avoiding police jargon

      3. Chronological order

   F. Basic mechanics

      1. Writing resources

      2. Tools

V. Minimum Standards for an Arrest Report

    A. Elements of a crime

    B. Probable cause to arrest

    C. Lawful search standards

    D. Recovery of evidence

    E. Miranda advisement

Assignments:

1.  8 written reports of 2-4 pages based on paper-based crime scenario analyses

2.  6-8 quizzes on lecture material

3.  Observe, take notes, and write reports on 6-8 interview scenarios

4.  3-5 other written communications commonly used in the criminal justice system

5.  10-20 pages of weekly reading

Methods of Evaluation/Basis of Grade.

Writing: Assessment tools that demonstrate writing skill and/or require students to select, organize and explain ideas in writing.		Writing 35 - 55%
Investigative, criminal, and basic written communications and documentation
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 20 - 30%
Information analysis and organization
Skill Demonstrations: All skill-based and physical demonstrations used for assessment purposes including skill performance exams.		Skill Demonstrations 0 - 0%
None
Exams: All forms of formal testing, other than skill performance exams.		Exams 20 - 40%
Quizzes
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 5 - 10%
Participation in investigative scenarios.

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Report It in Writing (5th). Goodman, Debbie. Prentice Hall, NJ, 2010

Instructor prepared materials

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