| Course: Criminal Investigation | |||
| 1st Nine Weeks | 2nd Nine Weeks | 3rd Nine Weeks | 4th Nine Weeks |
| Unit/Cluster(s): | Unit/Cluster(s): | Unit/Cluster(s): | Unit/Cluster(s): |
Unit 1: Professional Standards and Communication Skills
(1 Week) -explore and discuss employability skills, professional standards, and the importance of teamwork in the field of criminal investigation -resources available through CTSO or other extracurricular organization(s) to further develop leadership, teamwork, and interpersonal skills -research and analyze the field of criminal investigations -characteristics of an effective investigator, and the roles of crime scene investigators and detectives. Unit 2: Criminal Investigative Procedures
(2 Weeks) -criminal investigation procedures and job functions
-preliminary investigations -effectiveness of interrelationships with individuals involved in investigations Unit 3: Documenting Crime Scenes and Writing Reports
(3 Weeks) -proper equipment for crime scene documentation during field investigations -field notes and reports -digital investigative photography during investigations and crime scenes -crime scene injuries, tool marks, fingerprints, tire impressions, footprints, bite marks, and other related evidence -admissibility of photographs in a court of law -written and computerized report writing Unit 4: Creating Crime Scene Sketches
(2 Weeks) -indoor and outdoor crime scene sketches
-individual and team note taking of crime scene
-elements of crime scene sketch -crime scene sketch using coordinates or measurements from fixed points Unit 5: The Fourth Amendment and Legal Searches
(1 Week) -The Fourth Amendment legal searches -exclusionary rule, inevitable discovery exception, and good faith exception -search warrant or consent to search during an investigation | cont. Unit 5: The Fourth Amendment and Legal Searches
(1 Week) -Terry v. Ohio -pat downs, frisks, search incident to an arrest -vehicle inventory Unit 6: Crime Scene Searches
(2 Weeks) -Carrol v. United States, Chambers v. Florida, Chimel v. California, Mapp v. Ohio, Terry v. Ohio, and Weeks v. United States precedents and decisions -building, vehicle, suspect, and deceased person search -systematic search -legal police canine searches Unit 7: Evidence Collection
(3 Weeks) -procedures of collecting evidence -elements of criminal law regarding search and seizure of persons, property, and evidence, -chain-of-custody procedure for evidence discovered in a crime scene -proper techniques for collecting, marking, photographing, packaging, preserving, and transporting physical evidence -use of video and still photography to preserve a simulated crime scene -evidence used in a court of law Unit 8: Processing and Analyzing Trace Evidence
(2 Weeks) -methods of processing and analyzing trace evidence commonly found in a crime -trace evidence process and analysis techniques Unit 9: Fingerprint and Impression Collection
(1 Week) -crime scene collection of fingerprints and impressions
-three major fingerprint patterns of arches, loops, and whorls and their respective subclasses, identify minutiae of fingerprints, including bifurcations, ending ridges, islands, dots, short ridges, and enclosures
-Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS) Fall Common Collaborative Assessment | cont. Unit 9: Fingerprint and Impression Collection
(1 Week) -laboratory procedures for lifting latent prints on nonporous objects Unit 10: Blood Splatter Analysis
(2 Weeks) -crime scene blood splatter analysis -source, direction, and angle of trajectory -method of chemically identifying and locating an invisible blood stain -luminol reagent Unit 11: Toxicology Laboratory Procedures
(2 Weeks) -toxicology laboratory procedures in crime labs -absorption, distribution, and elimination of alcohol -blood alcohol concentration laboratory procedures -proper preservation of blood samples while at a crime scene Unit 12: Serology Laboratory Procedures
(2 Weeks) -serology laboratory procedures -laboratory procedures to determine if stain detected in crime scene is blood -research methodologies used to collect and analyze other body fluids Unit 13: Identifying Drugs
(2 Weeks) -common controlled substances found in crime scene investigations -classification of controlled substances using the schedules under the Controlled Substances Act -identification of controlled substances | Unit 14: Bullet and Tool Mark Impressions
(2 Weeks) -bullet and tool mark impressions -individual characteristics of tool marks -mechanism of modern firearms -composition and method of analysis for gunshot residue and primer residue -characteristics of bullet and cartridge cases -National Integrated Ballistics Information Network Unit 15: Calculating Time and Cause of Death
(2 Weeks) -science behind body decomposition -determining cause of death -process and timeline of rigor mortis -post mortem lividity -entomology in crime scene investigation Unit 16: Physical Evidence and Questioning Techniques (2 Weeks) -physical evidence and its use for questioning -victim, complainant, witness, and suspect -interviewing and interrogating techniques -methods for interviewing adults, juveniles, and children -Miranda Warnings during interviewing and interrogating Unit 17: Creating a Suspect File
(3 Weeks) -building suspect profile
-composite sketch applications such as Identi-Kit
-Modus Operandi -techniques used to create photo line ups, identification, and mug shots Spring Common Collaborative Assessment |
Required Project:
Securing the Scene Activity | Required Project:
Evidence Collection on the Scene of a Crime | Required Project:
Drug Research Project | Required Project:
Interrogation Mock-Up Project |
Additional Activities:
Technological Advances in Law Enforcement (Project Based Learning Activity) | Additional Activities:
Automated Fingerprint Identification System (Project Based Learning Activity) | Additional Activities:
Drug Compound Modification (Project Based Learning Activity) | Additional Activities: |
| Found in the Main Curriculum... | |||
Employability Skills:
Professionalism | Employability Skills:
Job Seeking Skills | Employability Skills:
Self-Management | Employability Skills:
Civic and Social Responsibility |
