California State University Fullerton
Department of Politics, Administration and Criminal Justice
CRJU 315 – The Enforcement Function
S. Williams
Student Portfolio Guidelines
Each student is required to complete a student portfolio with ten of the items listed below.

The portfolio is required to have a cover/title page and a table of contents identifying each item in the portfolio.
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Each item selected is to be one page in length (double-spaced, using 12 point font) with supporting documentation attached .
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Make sure you include the name, date, dept. etc. of those you come in contact with or use in your project.
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Any student failing to turn in a student portfolio will receive an incomplete in the class which will convert to an F if not submitted before the end of the semester.
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Grading will be based on content, unity, spelling, grammar and clarity of work/assignment.
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Proper use of citations (Preferably APA style) and reference pages are a must on items
B10 through B15.

No double dipping! In other words, one essay per. Example: You cannot go on a ride along with a minority officer and complete two essays.
A. Items which must be included in your portfolio:
1.
Interview a law enforcement officer from your local law enforcement agency. Ask them about their typical day and assignments. What special problems do they encounter both on the job and off the job as a law enforcement officer? Etc. Report on your findings.
2.
Look up the Law Enforcement Code of Ethics (http://www.police.ucr.edu/code.html).
Explain what the Code of Ethics means to you. Why is such a document required to be memorized and/or read by law enforcement cadets? Is it possible to follow the Code of
Ethics in its entirety? If you could make changes to the document, what changes would you make and why?
3.
Look up your local police department online. What programs do they offer the residents of your community? Identify the types of crimes reported in your area and their clearance rate (if readily available). What is required to become a police officer in your area? What is the make-up of the department (employees sworn/nonsworn, etc.) In other words, give a general summary of your local law enforcement agency.

CRJU 315 – Policing
S. Williams
Student Portfolio Guidelines cont.
Page 2 of 4
B. Choose from any seven of the following items to complete your portfolio.
1.
Participate in a ride-along with any local law enforcement agency and report on the shift’s events: What type of calls did you receive, How many, etc. Make sure you list the agency and officer’s name (get a business card if possible) including the date and shift you rode along. (Maximum of two ride-alongs may be used.)
2.
Interview a female or minority law enforcement officer. Ask them about any problems they have encountered as a minority or female officer on the job (whether from the public or from the department they work for). What special problems do they encounter both on the job and off the job as a law enforcement officer? Etc. Report on your findings.
(Maximum of two interviews (one of each) may be used)
3.
Participate in a courtroom visit. Document the demeanor of the participants (judge, court clerk, bailiff, jury, attorneys, etc). Identify the case at hand and whether or not a disposition was handed down. Record and summarize your visit.
4.
Tour a police station in your area. Identify the different departments within the station and the amount of staff on duty on each shift. Who is in charge? What community programs are offered to its residents? If you have a complaint, who would you report it to? Are there any custody facilities in the station? Where do they house juveniles brought in for violating the law?
5.
Visit the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Museum at STARS Center in
Whittier. Note the history of law enforcement and the department. Summarize your visit and identify specifics of your visit including the museum’s presentation of material, etc.
Was the information you read and the displays you saw informative? Would you recommend the museum to others?
6.
Interview a District Attorney, Assistant District Attorney or Public Defender. Ask them about their typical day and their caseload. What is the average time spent in their position (longevity)? What is there relationship with law enforcement personnel? Ask them to take you through the process of a case. What can make or break a case? (Make sure you include their name, title, and date of interview).
7.
Identify the application process of a department you are interested in. What steps does an applicant need to take (start to finish) to secure a position within the department/organization. After appointment, what probationary period/s does one go through? Be specific.

CRJU 315 – Policing
S. Williams
Student Portfolio Guidelines cont.
Page 3 of 4
8.
Go to the campus police station and request a copy of last year’s campus crime statistics
(or download the information from the school’s website). Summarize the types of crimes that occur most frequently and what you think the university should do to address these problems (if any). What could the school do differently to reduce crime? Do we need changes? How many sworn officers belong to the department v. non-sworn officers?
Does the number of officers make a difference?
9.
Watch a documentary program about policing, or any other area pertaining to criminal justice (usually found on A&E, Biography, Discovery or the History Channel) and summarize the program. What did you learn about the program? Did you have assumptions before the program began as to the path the commentator was going to take its audience down? Were your assumptions correct? What if anything did you learn from the program that could be beneficial to you in the future?
10.
How have the myths of policing impacted the public’s expectations of police work?
Cite your sources .
11.
Do some police departments still engage in “aggressive preventative patrol”? Can you identify any departments that do? Is the New York City zero-tolerance anticrime program the same thing with just a different name? Find some articles on zero-tolerance and examine the similarities. Cite your sources .
12.
Are community-policing programs effective in improving police-community relations?
Can you find some specific examples? Cite your sources .
13.
How has police professionalism been enhanced in the last 20 years? Cite your sources .
14.
Is there such a thing of racial and ethnic profiling? (You are going to have to research a little here.) If so, what can departments do to stop this type of behavior? If not, why is this issue still on society’s minds? Will we ever be able to get rid of this stigma of law enforcement? Cite your sources .
15.
Using your textbook or outside sources, discuss one of the constitutional rights of an accused and its implementations of those in law enforcement. Cite your sources .

CRJU 315 – Policing
S. Williams
Student Portfolio Guidelines cont.
Page 4 of 4
Student Portfolio Evaluation
(This page goes at the end of your portfolio)
What, if anything, did you learn from this assignment?
Did this assignment change, enhance, renew or open your eyes/opinions to law enforcement and the criminal justice system?
Other comments:
How would you rate your performance on this assignment on a scale of 1 -10; 10 being best? ______
Explain: