CJS 222 - Investigation and Criminalistics

4 credit hours - Three hours of lecture and two hours of laboratory weekly; one term.
Explore principles of criminal investigation, emphasizing evidence collection, interrogation techniques, and processing physical evidence. Learn to collect various types of evidence from crime scenes, conduct crime scene processing (including searching, photographing, sketching, and collecting physical evidence), label and prepare evidence for shipment to crime laboratories, record and lift fingerprints (including latent prints), and gather handwriting samples and conduct interviews with witnesses, suspects, and victims in simulated crime scenarios. Lab fee $20.

Prerequisite(s): CJS 111 or permission of institute director.

Location(s) Typically Offered: Arnold Main Campus (MC) and Online (OL)

Term(s) Typically Offered: Fall and spring

Course Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Demonstrate skills necessary to collect various types of evidence that would be located at a crime scene investigated by the police.
Demonstrate an understanding of crime scene processing to include proper searching, photographing, sketching and collecting physical evidence discovered at a simulated crime scene.
Label, collect and prepare evidence for shipment to a crime laboratory as well as determine the appropriate laboratory analysis which can be accomplished by a crime lab.
Properly record a complete set of fingerprints and lift latent fingerprints from simulated evidence.
Demonstrate the process for collecting handwriting samples from suspects as well as interviewing witnesses, suspects and victims in simulated crime scene scenarios.