12/26/2024 11:32:19 PM	AJ 54B Course Outline as of Fall 2019	Changed Course
CATALOG INFORMATION
Discipline and Nbr:  AJ 54B	Title:  BASIC CRIMINAL INVEST
Full Title:  Basic Criminal Investigation
Last Reviewed:12/13/2021

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		6 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 51A

Catalog Description:

This course examines the techniques, procedures, and ethical issues in the investigation of crime, including organization of the investigative process, crime scene searches, interviewing and interrogating, surveillance, information sources, evidence utility, scientific analysis of evidence, and the role of the investigator in the criminal trial process.

Prerequisites/Corequisites:
Course Completion of AJ 54A

Recommended Preparation:
Course Completion of AJ 55 and Eligibility for ENGL 100 or ESL 100

Limits on Enrollment:

Schedule of Classes Information
Description:

This course examines the techniques, procedures, and ethical issues in the investigation of crime, including organization of the investigative process, crime scene searches, interviewing and interrogating, surveillance, information sources, evidence utility, scientific analysis of evidence, and the role of the investigator in the criminal trial process.

(Grade Only)
Prerequisites:Course Completion of AJ 54A
Recommended:Course Completion of AJ 55 and Eligibility for ENGL 100 or ESL 100
Limits on Enrollment:
Transfer Credit:CSU;
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:	Transferable	Effective:	Fall 1981	Inactive:
UC Transfer:		Effective:		Inactive:
C-ID:
CID Descriptor: AJ 140	Criminal Investigation	SRJC Equivalent Course(s): AJ57

Certificate/Major Applicable: Both Certificate and Major Applicable

COURSE CONTENT

Student Learning Outcomes:
At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

1.  Describe the stages, procedures, and use of resources for criminal investigations.

2.  Analyze and apply essential elements of a crime to all aspects of the investigation.

3.  Explain and apply evidentiary value, methods of evidence examination, and the evidentiary chain of custody.

4.  Explain methods of investigative documentation from the initial response to the final report.

5.  Explain the legal aspects, constitutional safeguards, and ethical considerations applicable to all aspects of the investigative process.

6.  Analyze the preparation and presentation of all types of evidence in the pretrial and trial processes.

 

Objectives:

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

1.  Describe the stages and procedures of a criminal investigation.

2.  Identify and explain the ethical considerations associated with criminal investigations.

3.  Describe the roles, duties, and legal aspects related to investigators and crime scene management.

4.  Describe the essential elements of a crime and apply them to aspects of the investigation including evidence collection, interviewing, and interrogation.

5.  Identify, recognize, and describe how to determine evidentiary value and utility of an item or statement.

6.  Explain and demonstrate methods of documentation in the investigative process.

7.  Explain the legal aspects and constitutional safeguards applicable to searches, interrogations, interviews, and identifications.

8.  Recognize and describe appropriate evidentiary chain of custody from collection to trial.

9.   Identify and describe methods of evidence examination and the role of forensic examination.

10. Explain the legal aspects of surveillance techniques.

11. Identify key investigative resources.

12. Describe the stages of the court process pertaining to investigations and evidence.

13. Identify methods of preparation for trial and presentation of evidence at trial.

Topics and Scope

I.  Introduction to Preliminary Investigation

    A. Investigative process

    B. Initial response

    C. Prioritizing actions and events

    D. Protecting the crime scene

    E. Locating and identifying witnesses

    F. Documenting crime scene conditions and events

    G. Roles and responsibilities of the investigative team

    H. Ethical considerations and challenges

    I. Determining the crime based on the essential elements of a crime: actus reus, mens rea, and attendant circumstances

 

II.  Documentation

    A. Note taking

    B. Photography

    C. Diagrams

    D. Writing the report including all supplemental documentation

  

III.  Investigative and Legal Aspects of Searches

    A. Fourth Amendment procedures and safeguards

    B. Exclusionary Rule and exceptions

    C. Crime scene searches with and without a warrant

    D. Crime scene search warrants

    E. Administrative, probation, and parole searches

    F. Search patterns

    G. Follow-up during an investigation

 

IV.  Physical Evidence and Forensics

    A. Determining evidentiary value and utility

    B. Investigative equipment

    C. Contamination issues and prevention

    D. Chain of custody

    E. Evidence examination including fingerprints, DNA, bodily fluids, hairs, fibers, tool marks, weapons, and digital evidence

    F. Laboratories

 

V.  Information and Intelligence

    A. Surveillance types and devices

    B. Legal aspects of surveillance

    C. Electronic information sources and databases

    D. Other agency resources including federal and state levels

 

VI.  Investigative and Legal Aspects of Interviews, Interrogations, and Identifications

    A. Fifth Amendment procedures and safeguards

    B. Sixth Amendment procedures and safeguards

    C. Interviews including planning, rapport building, and documentation

    D. Interrogations including planning, rapport building, and documentation

    E. Constitutional rights including admonition, assertion, and waiver

    F. Identifications including lineups and photographic

     G. Determining the value and utility of witness and informant statements

 

VII.  Court Process and Presentation of Evidence

    A. Pretrial and trial process

    B. Role of the investigator

    C. Preparing and presenting testimony

    D. Preparing and presenting evidence

Assignments:

1. Reading (10 - 20 pages weekly)

2. Written assignments analyzing statutes, case studies, and investigative procedures such as searches, evidentiary value, forensics, interrogations, and interviews (4-8 assignments)

3. Group research project and presentation of the project on such topics as case analysis or an investigative procedure

4. Midterms (1 - 2) and final exam

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 20 - 40%
Written homework and research project
Problem solving: Assessment tools, other than exams, that demonstrate competence in computational or non-computational problem solving skills.		Problem Solving 15 - 20%
Research project presentation
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 40 - 60%
Objective exams: midterms (1 - 2) and final exam
Other: Includes any assessment tools that do not logically fit into the above categories.		Other Category 0 - 0%
None

Representative Textbooks and Materials:

Criminal Investigation. 11th ed. Hess, Karen and Orthmann, Christine and Cho, Henry. Cengage. 2017

Instructor prepared materials

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