Post date: Dec 14, 2010 1:51:47 PM
How much authority should the police have?
· Appropriate uses of police force
· Perceptions of the police and their roles
· Civil Liberties & Due Process protections
Topic 1:
Use of police force. Protecting suspects’ right vs. brutality.
When is force allowed… how much? WHY use force at all?
Use of non-lethal force (ie Taser guns)
Case Study: Rodney King beating
Massey v. Utah Highway Patrol
British Police review Taser guidelines
Topic 2:
What is society’s perception of police?
Are there notable differences between gender/age/race/etc?
How does this perception affect police authority?
Guest Speaker: Q/A session Officer Kuhlman
Assignment: Police Call Activity
Student opinion survey (clickers)
Topic 3:
What are my rights when/if I get arrested?
What do I say to the police? What should I NOT say?
If the police don’t read me my rights, is the arrest invalid?
What protects me during police interrogations?
Case Study: Miranda v. Arizona
5th Amendment right
6th Amendment right
Brewer v Williams
Nix v Williams
Assignment: Miranda worksheet (using reading assignment)
Miranda Quiz
Brewer/Nix Graphic Organizer
Topic 4:
When can the police search my property?
What happens if the police ‘break the rules’ in arresting me?
Introduction to the 4th Amendment – Search & Seizure
Weeks v. US
Power point
4 protected areas
3 triggers
Exclusionary rule
Political cartoon
Assignment: Case Briefs for due process cases (admitted or suppressed)
Topic 5:
What about my rights at school?
Can teachers search my backpack? My car? My locker? Cell phone?
Drug testing, breathalyzers, drug dogs searches?
Power point
Case Study: NJ v. TLO
Assignment: Worksheet 1 (chain)
Topic 6:
Police need a warrant most of the time…
Are there times that they don’t need one?
*10 exceptions to the warrant requirement handout*
Case Study: Hicks v. AZ
Katz v. US
Chimmel v. CA
Assignment: Worksheet 2 (comparison sheet on Katz and Chimmel)
Topic 7:
When can the cops search my car?
If I get pulled over for speeding can they search my trunk?
What if my car is in my driveway or garage, does that matter?
Are the passengers of vehicles subject to searches also?
Case Study: Acevedo v. CA
Knowles v. IA
Define curtilage
Assignment: Daily quiz
Topic 8:
Can the police search me without putting me under arrest first?
How ‘suspicious’ does a person need to act before the cops can stop you?
Case Study: Terry v. OH
Wardlow v. IL
Assignment: Worksheet 3
Topic 9:
What is an example of an emergency situation that an officer might choose to search without a warrant due to the nature of the situation?
Discuss exigency
Destruction of evidence
Fleeing suspect
Safety concerns (criminal, bystanders, officers)
Case Study: IA v. Brown
Assignment: Worksheet 4