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Canyon College

COURSE SYLLABUS: Technology Issues in Criminology and Criminal Justice

Course Title: Department: Instructor:

CJ535 - Technology Issues in Criminology and Criminal Justice Criminal Justice Chris Harding, F.L.E.T.C., B.S., A.S. E-Mail - Vita

Course Scope

Successful law enforcement today and in the future will depend largely on the agencies’ ability to incorporate high tech tools into the hands of highly skilled officers. The effective use of technology will improve cost effectiveness, efficiency, and safety of our officers. CJ 535 will explore the history, development, and deployment of technology by law enforcement agencies today. We will identify some specific technologies and investigate the successes and limitations of each. We will also research the future technologies that will be available soon.

In addition to exploring the text, the student will choose one of four advanced technologies used in forensics today. The student will use this time to further differentiate their experience and gain some advanced skills in the field of law enforcement.

The forensic courses you may choose from are the following:

• Advanced Forensic Investigative Techniques Estimating Time and Location of Death Knowing all the possible ways to correctly determine the time of death can be critical to the success of any death investigation. The accuracy of this determination can make it possible to identify and eliminate suspects in a homicide.
• Advanced Forensic Investigative Techniques Identifying the Perpetrator The goal of most police work is to identify the perpetrator. This entails witness interviews, collection of crime scene evidence, and following the leads derived from these sources.
• Basic Death Investigations Introduction to basic death Investigation begins to explore basic death investigation, some different causes of death (drowning, fires, gunshots, etc.), and basic body handling. You will learn how to conduct an investigation of death resulting from criminal activity.
• Medicolegal Investigation of Death To complete a death investigation successfully requires both medical and legal knowledge, hence the process is known as the (medico legal investigation of death.)

Course Objectives

At the conclusion of this course, the student will be able to explain and discuss:

• The use of computers and the World Wide Web in criminal justice education and training.
• The use of computers and software in data collection, management and analysis.
• The use of computers in creating a "paperless" reporting and data storage system.
• The use of video as an assessment device in officer selection.
• The use of computers and the internet as a public relations tool.
• Criminal activities that use computers and the Internet as a basis for their crimes.

In addition to mastering the course objectives, the student will earn an advanced forensic certificate during independent forensic study phase.

Required Text and materials: Online Bookstore

Text
Moriarty and Carter, (1998) Criminal Justice Technology in the 21st Century. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas Publisher, ISBN #: 0398069034

Certificate Course

Enrollment in forensic certificate course costs $43.00 and is offered at www.universalclass.com. All materials are included via the internet when you register for the class. The student will choose one of the following courses:

1. Advanced Forensic Investigative Techniques Estimating Time and Location of Death

2. Advanced Forensic Investigative Techniques Identifying the Perpetrator

3. Basic Death Investigations

4. Medicolegal Investigation of Death

Course Progress

The student will complete the text course work within the first 6 weeks and complete the certificate course within the next two weeks. The time allotted for the completion of CJ535 is 8 weeks.

Method for Evaluation

1. Study Questions
   
   Students will develop test questions for the previously completed chapters.
   
   Students will develop 3 questions per chapter. One question will be in true/false format, the second in fill-in-the- blank and the third question as a multiple choice question. Your questions must be original and may be seen on future tests. Successful completion of this assignment is worth 25 points/assignment or a total of 50 points.
   
   Week #3 assignment:
   
   Develop questions for chapters: 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 (Total of 15 questions)
   
   Week #4 assignment:
   
   Develop questions for chapters: 6, 7, 8, 9 and 11 (Total of 15 questions)

2. Quiz
   
   There is one multiple-choice quiz consisting of 10 questions. The quiz will cover the material presented in the reading assignments. Correctly answering all the questions will earn the student 50 points.

3. Mid Term Exam
   
   The mid-term exam will be structured to cover material from the first half of the course. Students may earn a score of up to 100 points for the mid-term exam by answering all questions correctly.

4. Final Exam
   
   The final exam will be structured to cover all material from the second half of the course. Students may earn a score of up to 100 points for the final exam by answering all questions correctly.

5. Certificate Course
   
   The Forensic Certificate Course is designed to give the student the opportunity to earn real world forensic experience. Upon completion of this certificate, the student will receive a grade. The student can receive 100 points toward this project.

6. Final Paper
   
   The final paper is to be in APA format and the body of the paper is to be between 8 and 12 pages. The body of the paper does not include the title page, table of contents, appendix or references. The final paper will be based on a 100-point scale. This is to be of high quality, free of spelling and grammatical errors, and of original work. Plagiarism will be dealt with harshly.
   
   I want you to research and investigate specific future technologies that may have law enforcement ramifications. It should be a comprehensive examination of each of the technologies that you have chosen. You should be prepared to explain the implications and consequences of the technology both tactically and financially. At the conclusion of each of your investigated technologies, I want you to make a management decision to either invest in the technology or not and explain your position.
   
   The final paper will be scored on the following scale:
   
   All final papers will start out with a score of 100 points. Points will be deducted for deficiencies in several categories. These categories and the maximum number of points to be deducted in these categories are as follows:

Category Paper Length Organization & Quality Spelling Grammar Proper Use of Citations in the Paper per APA Complete & Proper list of References per APA Timeliness - Submitted On or Prior to Due Date

Maximum Number of Points to be Deducted 10 pts. 20 pts. - 5 points per page +/- target length 20 pts. 10 pts. - 2 points per unique spelling error 10 pts. - 2 points per unique grammatical error 10 pts. - 2 points for each violation 25 pts. - If submitted one day after due date.

Course Schedule and Assignments

Week 1: Read Chapters 1 and 2
Week 2: Read Chapters 3, 4, 5 (Take 1st quiz)
Week 3: Read Chapters 6, 7, 8 (Study Questions)
Week 4: Read Chapters 9 and 10 (Take Midterm)
Week 5: Read Chapters 11 and 12 (Study Questions)
Week 6: Read Chapters 13 and 14 (Take Final)
Week 7: Enroll and complete one of the listed forensic certificate courses
Week 8: Complete chosen forensic certificate course and submit research paper.

Weekly Topics

• Week 1: Course Introduction and Computers in Criminal Justice
• Week 2: Computers and Criminal Justice Education and Training
• Week 3: Software and Data Collection
• Week 4: Paperwork Reduction video assessment
• Week 5: Automation and Cyber crime
• Week 6: Computer Applications on an International Scale
• Week 7: Forensic Certificate Internship
• Week 8: Forensic Certificate Internship

Final Grade Calculation

A students final grade is calculated by dividing the students earned points/500 points

PROFESSOR BIOGRAPHY

Christopher Harding currently operates as a sworn Federal Air Marshal. In this position Agent Harding functions as a team leader for national and international missions. This position provides tactical air security to counter terrorist threats and to promote security confidence in the airline industry. In this capacity, he is also collects, evaluates, and reports terrorist related intelligence.

Chris Harding began his career as a commissioned officer of the U.S. Army. In addition to his military background, he was also a sworn US Border Patrol Agent stationed along the Mexican and American Border. Agent Harding has made drug seizures worth millions of dollars in controlled substance forfeitures. In addition to his law enforcement duties, Agent Harding was also certified as a law instructor at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Facility (FLETC).

Chris Harding’s educational background consists of a B.S. degree from the University of New York at Buffalo in Environmental Science with a minor in Nuclear Medicine Technology. He also earned an A.S. in Biological Technology from the University of New York at Morrisville. He is currently seeking an M.A. degree from Canyon College, INC in Criminology.

Chris Harding has been involved with instructing online courses since 2000 such as Immigration Law and Procedures, Law Enforcement: Breaking the Technological Barrier, Professional Security Management, Managing the Emergency Response and Terrorism and Threat Assessment.