COURSE SYLLABUS
CRJU 3310: POLICE IN AMERICA
3.00 CREDIT HOURS
MONDAY & WEDNESDAYS 5 PM TO 6:15 PM
SPRING SEMESTER, 2011
Instructor: David R. Bores
Email: dbores@woodstockga.gov
Office Hours: By appointment (prior to or following class)
Required Text: POLICING IN AMERICA, 6TH Edition
By Larry K. Gaines & Victor E. Kappeler
Course Description: This course is designed to provide an overview of the role of the
American police in a democratic, free society.
Course Prerequisites: CRJU 1101 or HS 2233
COURSE OBJECTIVES: Students will receive an in depth presentation of
contemporary policing issues related to how the police perform their responsibilities
in a free, democratic society. Specifically the course is designed to accomplish the
following objectives:
To distinguish between the four basic roles of the police;
To outline the authority of the police and the laws governing the ways the
police can interact with the public through questioning, detention and arrest, use of
force, and the search and seizure of property;
To explain how the police are held accountable for their actions through the
various forms of police liability and civil rights protections;
To cover the historical development of the police from the Professional or
Reform Era to the current Community Policing Era and to discuss the various
problems related to how the police maintain public order; and
To present information about the culture of policing, the police use of
discretion, the various forms of police misconduct, and how police deviance can
progress to more serious violations of the law and corruption.
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ATTENDANCE & PARTICIPATION: Students are expected to attend and be on
time for all classes. To gain the most benefit from this course, each student should
participate in class through the expression of ideas and should freely interact with
other students during small group assignments and classroom discussions.
All students are expected to be present for the two course examinations and
final examination. Failure to be present for an examination or a failure to submit
the written term paper on the date and time specified, will result in no credit, with
no opportunity for make-up UNLESS advance written notice is provided. Such
notice must specifically justify the class absence or lateness of the term paper AND
be approved by the instructor PRIOR to the absence or submission of the term
paper. Only documentation concerning personal illness, family tragedy, or
participation in university approved activities such as field trips and extracurricular
events, and/or compliance with valid court orders will be considered.
GRADING POLICIES: Your final grade will be based upon the following:
First examination grade:
25%
Second examination grade:
25%
Term paper grade:
25%
Final examination grade:
25%
Any bonus points received will be added to the final grade earned from the
above.
Final grades will be determined based upon the following scale:
A (90 or more points), B (80 to 89 points), C (70 to 79 points), D (60 to 69
points), F (59 or fewer points)
BONUS POINTS: Each student will have several opportunities to receive bonus
points during the course. These points will be added to the final grade.
Bonus points can be earned by taking unannounced quizzes that will cover either
material contained in the reading assignment for a particular class or previous
material provided during class lectures. Students must be present on the class day
AND at the time when the quiz is given to receive any bonus points. If a student is
not present in class or comes to class AFTER the quiz has been distributed to other
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students, THERE WILL BE NO MAKE-UP OPPURTUNITIES given.
Students cannot lose points for not answering all the questions on a quiz correctly.
Partial credit will be given for incomplete answers.
There will be two possible points for each quiz given during the course and there
will be a minimum of five unannounced quizzes during the course. Thus each
student has the opportunity of having ten (10) points (or one letter grade) added to
their final grade IF they are present when the quizzes are given and IF they answer
all questions correctly. Remember, the points you earn will be added to your final
grade.
WHAT STUDENTS MUST DO TO SUCCEED IN CLASS:
Possess self-discipline and time management skills by preparing in advance
for classroom assignments; for participation in the small group debate project; for
submission of the term paper; and for both the midterm and final examinations;
Have the ability to take good and accurate notes from the information
provided in class. The lecture material is designed to supplement the reading
assignments and to provide the student with additional information not contained in
the text book;
Comply with all verbal and written instructions provided about class
assignments, the special group project, and the term paper;
Strictly adhere to the university’s policies concerning academic integrity to
include the provisions for honesty, plagiarism, cheating, and misconduct; AND
Come to each class on time, prepared to learn and to discuss the assigned
readings in the text book!
LAST DAY TO DROP COURSE without academic penalty is March 14, 2011.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: Every KSU student is responsible for upholding the
provisions of the Student Code of Conduct, as published in the Undergraduate and
Graduate Catalogs. Section II of the Student Code of Conduct addresses the
University’s policy on academic honesty, including provisions regarding plagiarism
and cheating, unauthorized access to University materials, misrepresentation or
falsification of University records or academic work, malicious removal, retention,
or destruction of library materials, malicious/intentional misuse of computer
facilities and/or services, and misuse of student identification cards. Incidents of
alleged academic misconduct will be handled through the established procedures of
the University Judiciary Program, which includes either an “informal” resolution
by a faculty member, resulting in a grade adjustment, or a formal hearing
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procedure, which may subject a student to the Code of Conduct’s minimum one
semester suspension requirement.
CLASS RULES:
Turn off all pagers and cell phones BEFORE you enter the class room;
Be respectful of the opinions of others. Some of our discussions will cover
controversial topics. Students should voice their opinions in a non-personal or
disrespectful manner by allowing your fellow classmates the opportunity to be
heard;
No belligerent, abusive, profane, threatening and/or inappropriate behavior
will be tolerated;
Class lectures will begin promptly at 5 PM. Should you be late for class,
enter the room quietly, without disrupting others, and take your seat with your
group;
Each student is responsible for taking detailed and thorough notes during
class AND is responsible for obtaining a copy of notes missed because of lateness or
absence from class; AND
Sit and participate with your assigned class study group during class room
discussions and assignments.
BASIC EMPLOYMENT EXPECTATIONS IN PUBLIC & PRIVATE SECTOR:
Reporting on time and being prepared for work;
No unauthorized absences;
Completing all assignments on time, in accordance with instructions;
Being able to work cooperatively with others in small teams/groups to
successfully accomplish projects; and
Unquestioned honesty and integrity.
TERM PAPER REQUIREMENTS:
Each student will be required to submit a 5 to 10 page term paper by the date
indicated on the course outline.
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Topics for the term paper will be selected from the attached list OR one that
is proposed by the student with the prior written approval of the instructor. Much
discretion and latitude will be allowed students in selecting a topic; however, all
topics must be related to American policing.
Term papers will be prepared on word processors OR conventional
typewriters and double spaced. Fonts should be Times New Roman or Arial and no
larger than size 12. Each page will be numbered, 8 ½ inches by 11 inches in size.
Margins will be set at 1.25 inches left and right and 1 inch top and bottom.
A selected bibliography of at least eight different publications is required. A
minimum of five of these sources must be referenced in your paper.
The required length of 5 to 10 pages DOES NOT INCLUDE the title page,
table of contents, bibliography, or endnotes. Only the introduction, main body of
your paper, and conclusion will be counted towards the length of the paper.
ENDNOTES will be used to document the ideas of others, their direct quotes,
or the paraphrases of other authors or sources of information. Internal
documentation or footnotes will not be used.
Term papers will include the following parts (NO PLASTIC COVERS)
stapled together:
Title Page (name of student and title of paper)
Table of Contents
Introduction
Main Body
Conclusion (developed from your reaction to, or interpretation of, the
material addressed in your paper)
Bibliography
Endnotes
Students should find this assignment an excellent opportunity for individual
exploration, analysis, and expression of an issue or topic related to American
criminal justice. However, students are responsible to insure that his/her required
resource material is available BEFORE selecting a topic.
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Papers will be graded according to the following factors:
Content of the paper in terms of the logical and organized presentation of
material;
Use of proper grammar, composition, spelling, punctuation, and
capitalization;
Whether your conclusions and opinions are logically based upon an analysis
of the information presented in your paper; and
Compliance with the specific instructions for preparation of the term paper.
Failure to comply with these instructions will result in points being deducted from
your grade.
Finally, term papers will be written according to a form as prescribed by a
nationally recognized and published style manual. The style manual selected WILL
BE THE FIRST SOURCE IDENTIFIED IN YOUR BIBLIOGRAPHY.
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COURSE OUTLINE
DATE
TOPIC
STUDENT ASSIGNMENT
Jan. 10
Getting Organized
None
Jan. 12
Police Authority
Ch. 1
Jan. 17
No Class
Jan. 19
Police Authority
Ch. 7
Jan. 24
Search & Seizure
Ch. 7
Jan. 26
Search & Seizure
“Curtilage: The Expectation of
Privacy”
Jan. 31
Questioning Suspects
Feb. 2
Police Liability
Ch. 10
Feb. 7
Police Liability
Ch. 3
Feb. 9
Police Discretion
Ch. 6
Feb. 14
Police Discretion
Ch. 12
Feb. 16
First Examination
All Previous Material
Feb. 21
Police Culture
Ch. 8
Feb. 23
Police Culture
“Street Justice”
Feb. 28
Police Culture
“The Asshole”
Mar. 2
Police Culture
“Dirty Harry”
Mar. 5 to 11
Spring Break
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Mar. 14
Police Culture
“Militarizing Police”
Mar. 16
Second Examination
ALL MATERIAL SINCE
FIRST EXAM
Mar. 21
Police and Public Order
“Broken Windows” and
“Policing & Fear of Crime”
TERM PAPER TOPICS & BIBLIOGRAPHY DUE
Mar. 23
Police and Public Order
Ch. 11
Mar. 28
Police Roles
Ch. 5
Mar. 30
Police Reform Movement
Ch. 2
“Traffic, Patrol, & Detectives”
April 4
Police and Serious Crime
Ch. 2
“Crime & Policing”
April 6
Community Policing
Handout
April 11
Community Policing
April 13
Intro. To Police Misconduct Ch. 9
April 18
Fundamentals of Ethics
Ch. 9
TERM PAPERS DUE
April 20
Continuum of Compromise “Misconduct, Corruption, &
Abuse of Power”
April 25
Noble-Cause Corruption
May 2
Wrap-Up
May 3 to 9
FINAL EXAM
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“Public Trust: Are We
Loosing It?”
SUGGESTED TERM PAPER TOPICS
Domestic Terrorism in Georgia
International Terrorism Prevention Measures in Georgia
Homeland Security Measures in Georgia
Hate Crimes in Georgia
Truancy Control Measures in Georgia
School Violence Prevention Programs in Georgia
Homelessness and Crime in Georgia
Deinstitutionalization of Mentally Ill People in Georgia
Control of Adult Entertainment in Georgia
Crime Victimization Assistance Programs in Georgia
Youth Gangs in Georgia
Prison Gangs in Georgia
Relationship of Contemporary Entertainment to Violence
Police Unions
Police Officer Drug Testing Programs in Georgia
Sexual Harassment Within the Police
Women in Georgia Police Organizations
Environmental Design Measures for Crime Control
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Domestic Violence in Georgia
Causes of Crime in Georgia
Unique Crime Prevention Methods in Georgia
Date Rape Prevention Measures
TV and Violence
Impact of Divorce on Juvenile Conduct
Causes of Police Corruption in Georgia
Citizen Review Boards in Georgia
Juvenile Predators
Racial or Ethnic Profiling in Georgia
Public Safety Radio Communications Issues in Georgia
Legal Issues in Policing
Police Suicide
Registration of Sexual Offenders in Georgia
Mandatory Use of DNA Evidence in Death Penalty Cases
Use of DNA Evidence in Non-Death Penalty Cases
New Technology in Policing (pick a particular product to research)
School Violence in Georgia
Minority Recruiting in Policing
Police Pursuit Practices
Use of Force
Police Training
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Court House Security Measures in Georgia
Use of Taser Weapons in Georgia
Use of Non-Deadly Force Weapons in Georgia
Use of Front Wheel vs. Rear Wheel Drive Police Vehicles
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