• This course is organized into weekly modules, open Monday to Saturday.

• To earn points, each student must complete each weekly task (e.g., read chapters, view chapter slideshows, take online quizzes, and post in online discussions) before its module closes.

• In addition to weekly tasks, our course includes exams and writing projects, with individual due dates, which are listed on our course home page.

What you can expect from me:

1. I will treat you with dignity and respect.

2. I will provide a clear, organized course, to promote meaningful learning.

3. I will provide a supportive environment for you to share and discuss ideas with your peers.

4. I will be present and available throughout the course, helping you every step of the way.

5. I will keep this syllabus up to date, reflecting any changes in our course.

What I will expect from you:

1. Treat your classmates and your instructors with dignity and respect.

2. Actively engage in this course, maintaining your access to course materials, checking course announcements each Monday throughout the course, and completing all tasks (e.g., discussions, quizzes, projects) by their due dates.

3. Use relevant college resources to support your success, directing technical issues to SDCCD Online Technical Support (call 844-612-7421), requests for accommodations to DSPS (see Accommodations, below), and questions about course content to me.

4. Each course rule applies equally to each student. To be fair to all, I cannot modify or waive rules for some, thus no student shall be granted any special treatment, e.g., altered exam dates/times, extensions, retakes, reopened exams or discussions, make-up work, extra credit, or any other modification or waiver of any rule, policy or deadline. Any student who misses points in this course due to an emergency (e.g., illness, injury, family or work obligations), may make one request during the course for up to 10 emergency points.

This course is an introduction to the techniques, procedures, and ethical issues in crime scene investigations. Topics include the organization of the investigative process; crime scene searches; interviewing and interrogating; surveillance; sources of information; utility of evidence; scientific analysis of evidence; and the role of the investigator in the case development and trial processes. Students also learn how to collect and preserve physical evidence, gather information, and identify, collect, and preserve fingerprints. This course is intended for students majoring in Administration of Justice or anyone interested in the criminal investigations process.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Describe and explain the sequential stages in a criminal investigation.

2. Identify various investigative techniques used during criminal investigations.

3. Distinguish ethical principles in an investigation and examine how they may play a role in the outcome of a case.

Course Objectives

1. Identify and explain the role of documentation in the criminal investigative process, including sketches and note taking at a crime scene.

2. Recognize, identify, and explain the implications of various types of evidence in a criminal process.

3. Identify critical ethical issues relating to criminal investigation.

4. Describe successive evolutionary stages of the criminal investigative process.

5. Identify and demonstrate preliminary crime scene investigative procedures for first responders.

6. Describe duties related to the basic functions of crime scene management, including management control; evidence search and processing; and general area investigation.

7. Identify the role of forensic examination in a criminal investigative process.

8. Compare and contrast the legalities and strategies of interview and interrogation as applied to victims, witnesses, and suspects.

9. Identify key information sources and data systems available to investigators.

10. Explain the role of the investigator in the judicial process.

11. Differentiate among types of physical evidence and describe how to properly collect and preserve them.

Your course grade is based on points and follows the SDCCD standard grading scheme of A (90-100), B (80-89), C (70-79), D (60-69), F (0-59), with no +/- grades. You may track your progress online. Maximum points available in this course are:

• Discussions: 12 each - original posts due each Fri, replies due each Sat (online course only)

• Quizzes: 10 points each (10 questions in 20 minutes)

• Case Brief: 100 points

• Mock Trial Notebook: 50 points/Mock Trial Performance: 50 points (on-campus, 16-week course only)

• Cumulative Exam(s): 50 points each (50 questions in 90 minutes)

• Professionalism: 10 points

Quizzes are graded immediately. Discussions are graded weekly. Writing projects are graded 1-2 weeks after they are due or submitted. Final course grades are submitted the week after the course ends.

Treat everyone with respect, and stay active, fully engaged, and up to date in the course. Check online course Announcements each Monday morning, complete all participation events by their due dates, and remain active in the course throughout each week. Students who violate the Student Code of Conduct may be removed for 5 instructional days, and any missed assignment(s) or examination(s) that occurred during the removal period cannot be made up. Incidents involving removal of a student from class will be reported to campus administration. The Student Code of Conduct can be found in Board of Trustees Policy, BP 3100, Student Rights, Responsibilities, Campus Safety and Administrative Due Process.

Students who miss the first participation event (e.g., class session, discussion, quiz, exam) or fail to complete three or more participation events before the withdrawal deadline will be dropped from the course. Students who remain in the course past the withdrawal deadline will receive an evaluative grade (A-F). If you decide to drop the course, it is your responsibility to officially drop the course.

Students are expected to be honest and ethical at all times. Students who attempt to participate in cheating, plagiarism, or other academic misconduct will receive a grade of zero on each item involved, a deduction of at least 10 points from their overall score and referral to administration for possible disciplinary action. See Administrative Procedure 3100.2, 3100.3, Student Disciplinary Procedures. Cheating is the act of obtaining or attempting to obtain credit for work via dishonest, deceptive, or fraudulent means. This includes submitting for credit work that anyone, including you, have previously submitted for credit in any course. Plagiarism is the act of incorporating ideas, words, or specific substance of another, and submitting it as your own work, without properly quoting and citing the source, per APA citation rules.

Every effort has been made to make this course accessible to all students, including students with disabilities. Students who require academic accommodations should immediately contact Disability Support Programs and Services (DSPS) (Room K-204 on the Miramar campus, call 619-388-7312 or 858-536-7212; or email miradsps@sdccd.edu). Please ask DSPS to immediately forward your DSPS-authorized accommodations to your professors, so that they may be implemented. For absences due to pregnancy or related conditions, including recovery from childbirth, students who notify the instructor in a timely manner shall be afforded the opportunity to establish alternative arrangements.

SDCCD Board of Trustees Policy BP 3410 prohibits discrimination in accordance with state and federal laws. The San Diego Community College District is committed to equal opportunity in educational programs, employment, and all access to institutional programs and activities, without regard to national origin, religion, age, gender, gender identity, gender expression, race or ethnicity, color, medical condition, genetic information, ancestry, sexual orientation, marital status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, military or veteran status, or because he/she is perceived to have one or more of the foregoing characteristics, or based on association with a person or group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. No qualified student with a disability shall, by reason of such disability, be excluded from participation in or be denied the benefits of the services, programs or activities of the district or be subjected to discrimination by it. Students wishing to file complaints based upon discrimination should contact the campus Site Compliance Officer (SCO), Lou Ascione, at lascione@sdccd.edu, (619) 388-7873, Rm. H-101A. Appeals may be made to the District EEO Compliance Manager at the District Administrative Office, 3375 Camino del Rio South, San Diego, CA 92108.

In an emergency on campus, call 911 or 619-388-6405 (Campus Police Dispatch). Note evacuation routes, and if you need evacuation assistance, notify your instructor as soon as possible. If you have a conflict with any staff or student, first contact the instructor to resolve the conflict. If you still need help, please contact the department chair. If you still need help, please contact the dean.