Forensic Investigation (FI)

This course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the methodologies, principles, and practices central to forensic investigations. The course covers the comprehensive forensic process from crime scene management to the collection, preservation, and analysis of physical, biological, and digital evidence. Students will explore various forensic disciplines, including crime scene reconstruction, evidence handling, analysis, and forensic reporting, with a strong emphasis on integrating scientific techniques into legal contexts. This course prepares students for advanced roles in criminal justice system, equipping them with the critical thinking and analytical skills needed for real-world forensic investigations.

The application of managerial and organizational leadership skills involved in forensic investigation, such as human resources, budgetary issues, Inter-agency cooperation, quality control and assurance, certification and accreditation issues, and internal security.

Development of written and oral communication skills in connection with forensic report writing. Focus will be on the necessary elements of a forensic report, including background, data analysis, opinion, and the basis for expert opinions. Students will be required to create an APA formatted forensic report and presentation to be used in court.

In this course, students will develop an understanding of ethical dilemmas confronting criminal justice professionals. Course activities will provide an overview of classical and modern theories of ethics as applied to maintaining law and order in a free society. Specific topics will include the ethical use of force, discretion, and corruption.

An exploration into the requirements to be classified as an expert in the American criminal justice system. Students will perform an in-depth analysis of the Federal Evidence Code to enhance their knowledge of what evidence is and is not admissible in court. Students will develop expert findings and participate in court simulations of expert testimony.

This course will cover advanced criminalistics involved with processing and preserving physical evidence.

This course will introduce the student to the various applications of medicolegal practice. Emphasis will be placed on basic human anatomy, natural disease, and trauma dynamics. Special emphasis will be placed on the forensic autopsy, manner, cause, and methodologies in the identification of human remains. The role of the medicolegal death investigator at the scene of the death will be covered as well.

This course will introduce the student to the various applications of medicolegal practice. Importance will be placed on advanced human anatomy, special dissections, advanced trauma assessment and postmortem photography. Special emphasis will be placed on specific causes of death, body recovery, exhumations, toxicology, as well as peripheral roles within the medicolegal community. The role of the forensic pathologist will be emphasized in this course.

This course introduces students to the growing crime analysis and forensic crime scene mapping field. The course will provide students with the skills necessary for visualizing, analyzing, and managing spatial data for crime forecasting and evidentiary documentation of crime scenes.

This course focuses on the leadership and organizational skills necessary to manage human resources within forensic and investigative environments. The course explores the unique challenges of staffing, training, and leading forensic professionals, emphasizing team dynamics, ethical considerations, and maintaining high standards of professionalism in forensic labs and investigative units. Students will learn strategies for effective recruitment, development, and retention of personnel, along with managing multidisciplinary teams in high-pressure forensic settings in the criminal justice system. This course equips future forensic leaders with the skills to manage both people and processes in complex investigative environments.

This course will cover field techniques when processing various crime scenes. There will be both PowerPoint and hands-on practical exercises in regarding different types of crime scenes including advanced crime scene processing indoors and outdoors, burglary scenes, sexual assault scenes, homicide scenes, suicide scenes, overdose scenes, surface and subsurface skeletal remains, drug related scenes including clandestine lab operations, arson/fire investigations, and mass fatality scenes and also how to process vehicles involved in crime scenes. There will also be some research required during the semester.

This course will cover all aspects of fire and explosive investigations including both accidental and malicious burning of property, and emerging trends in explosives and how to process scenes that involve explosives and the manufacturing of explosives.

This course provides information about the accredited principles of computer forensics from the crime scene to the service requesting entities in the way of obtaining meaningful data by applying data acquisition techniques in the lab while preserving the original digital evidence against to be destroyed.

This course provides information about the accredited principles of mobile forensics from the crime scene to the service requesting entities in the way of obtaining meaningful data by applying both physical and logical data acquisition techniques in the lab while preserving the original digital evidence against to be destroyed.

The term "cold case" will be specifically defined, as well as the explanation of the difference between open and closed cases. This course will explore the concept and investigation of cold cases, with a detailed focus on crimes against persons (i.e., homicide, sexual assault, and crimes against children). Students will examine how current technologies and investigative methodologies are used to increase case solvability. Further, current cold cases will be used to augment the student's understanding of investigative applicability.

This course provides an introduction to statistical methods useful for analyzing the types of data most often encountered in criminal justice research. The course has a practitioner orientation, emphasizing the understanding and use of statistics, but also focuses on how to create them. A variety of widely-used statistical methods will be considered, including descriptive statistics, correlation and regression, hypothesis testing (inferential statistics), and contingency tables. A working knowledge of high school-level algebra is assumed.

In this course, students will develop an understanding of scientific research methods as they apply to the field of Criminal Justice. They will become familiar with methodological practices such as conceptualization, hypothesis development and testing, research design, sampling, and data analysis. Students will also examine ethical issues related to research methods. A major focus of this course will be the practical application of research method within the field of criminal justice. This will include grant applications, management, and evaluation. It will also include techniques through which research methods can be used to effectively identify community issues, develop responses, and measure the effectiveness of corrective actions.

An examination of contemporary issues in forensic investigation. Topics may vary. May be taken for a total of six credit hours.