course focus

Foundations of Law Enforcement is the 1st course in the Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement and Leadership program at Seneca Valley High School. For the first semester, students investigate a broad overview of the stages in the criminal justice process. This is followed by a focus on criminal law and broad local, state, and national crime trends. Finally, the second semester focuses on the roles, operations, and ethics of law enforcement.

This course does not require any prerequisites. Students can take the second course, Law Enforcement & Emergency Preparedness, either simultaneously with this first course or after its completion.

curriculum

• Introduction to Criminal Justice (Q1)

  • Basics of Law & Government

  • Stages of Criminal Justice Process: From Crime to Post-Release

  • Perspectives on Criminal Justice

• Criminal Law (Q2-Q3)

  • Crime Definitions: Criminal Act & Criminal Intent

  • Types of Crime: Property Crimes, Violent Crimes, Public Order Crimes, Drug Crimes, etc.

  • Crime Trends: Data and Statistics

  • Criminal Defenses: Justifications and Excuses

  • Criminology: Nature of Crime and Victimization, Causes of Crime, Theories

• Overview of Law Enforcement (Q3-Q4)

  • Police in Society: History, Organization, and Role

  • Becoming a Police Officer: Qualifications & Training

  • Diversity in Policing: Workplace & Community 

• Law Enforcement Operations (Q4)

  • Patrol

  • Investigations

  • Police-Community Relations

experiential education

• Field trip to the Montgomery College Criminal Justice Career Day

• Law Enforcement professional skills trainings

• Guest Speakers

  • • • MCPD Community Engagement Officer (formerly School Resource Officer), Financial Crimes Detective, Homicide Detective, etc.

      • Various agencies: Gaithersburg Police Department, Montgomery County Police Department, Maryland State Police, etc.

 If you have any questions about the Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement and Leadership (CJLE) program at Seneca Valley, please email Mr. Weisberg at matthew.weisberg@mcpsmd.net.