Spring 2025
Interviewing and Report Writing for Criminal Justice Professions
CJLE 1327 9J1 Interview and Report Writing CREDIT 3 Semester Credit Hours (3 hours lecture, 0 hours lab) MODE OF INSTRUCTION Face-to-Face/Dual Credit PREREQUISITE/CO-REQUISITE: NONE COURSE DESCRIPTION: Instruction and skill development in interviewing, note-taking, and report writing in the criminal justice context. Development of skills to conduct investigations by interviewing witnesses, victims, and suspects properly. Organization of information regarding incidents into effective written reports. COURSE OBJECTIVES: Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to: • Demonstrate techniques for conducting interviews in support of incident investigations; collecting information admissible in court using interview techniques. • Demonstrate appropriate note-taking skills • Create reports that convey all pertinent information INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION Instructor: Mary Franklin Email: mafranklin@lit.edu Office Phone: 409-382-1333 Office Location: CTE Building Rm. 16 Office Hours: 11:31 a.m.- 12:54 p.m. Monday – Friday REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS Report Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals: By Larry S. Miller and John T. Whitehead 6th edition, ISBN# 978-1138288935. ATTENDANCE POLICY Students are expected to attend classes regularly. Regular participation is necessary to pass this course. DROP POLICY If you wish to drop a course, you are responsible for initiating and completing the drop process by the specified drop date as listed on the Academic Calendar. If you stop coming to class and fail to drop the course, you will earn an “F” in the course. Course Calendar Date Topic Readings (Due on this day) Assignments (Due on this day) January 21 - 24 Review Syllabus and Course Introduction: The Importance of Report Writing Textbook: Chapter 1 January 21, 2025 Chapter 1 Assignment January 24, 2025 January 27 - 31 Starting to Write The Face Page and Narrative Textbook: Chapter 2 January 27, 2025 Textbook: Chapter 3 January 29, 2025 Chapter 2 & Chapter 3 Assignment January 31, 2025 February 3 - 7 The Narrative—The Continuation Page and Follow-up Report Textbook: Chapter 4 February 3, 2025 Chapter 4 Assignment February 5, 2025 Chapter 1-4 Exam February 7, 2025 February 10 - 13 Habits that Make for Speedy Writing Textbook: Chapter 5 February 10, 2025 Chapter 5 Assignment February 13, 2025 February 18 - 21 Other Types of Writing Textbook: Chapter 6 February 18, 2025 Chapter 6 Assignment February 21, 2025 February 24 - 28 Reading and Correcting Reports Textbook: Chapter 7 February 24, 2025 Chapter 7 Assignment February 28, 2025 March 3 - 7 Simplified Study of Grammar Textbook: Chapter 8 March 3, 2025 Chapter 8 Assignment March 6, 2025 Exam 2 March 7, 2025 March 10 – 14 Spring Break No class Spring Break No class Spring Break No class March 17 - 21 Avoiding Errors in Sentence Structure Textbook: Chapter 9 March 17, 2025 Chapter 9 Assignment March 21, 2025 March 24 - 28 Punctuation Work Textbook: Chapter 10 March 24, 2025 Chapter 10 Assignment March 28, 2025 March 31 – April 4 Breaking the Spelling Jinx Textbook: Chapter 11 March 25, 2025 Chapter 11 Assignment April 4, 2025 April 7 - 11 Using or Abusing Words Textbook: Chapter 12 April 7, 2025 Chapter 12 Assignment April 10, 2025 Chapter 9 – 12 Exam April 11, 2025 April 14 - 17 Abbreviating and Capitalizing Textbook: Chapter 13 April 14, 2025 Chapter 13 Assignment April 17, 2025 April 21 - 25 Innovations in Criminal Justice Report Writing Textbook: Chapter 14 April 21, 2025 Chapter 14 Assignment April 25, 2025 April 28 – May 2 Innovations in Criminal Justice Report Writing Online Writing Exercise May 2, 2025 May 5 – 9 Course Review and Final Exam Review Course Review and Final Exam Review May 5, 2025 Final Exam May 9, 2025 due by 10:35 a.m. Approved: MF 12/28/2024 COURSE EVALUATION Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: • Assignments 40% • Quiz/Exams 40% • Online Writing Exercise 20% GRADE SCALE • 90 – 100 A • 80 – 89 B • 70 – 79 C • 60 – 69 D • 0 – 59 F TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS The latest technical requirements, including hardware, compatible browsers, operating systems, etc. can be online at https://lit.edu/online-learning/online-learning-minimumcomputer-requirements. A functional broadband internet connection, such as DSL, cable, or WiFi is necessary to maximize the use of online technology and resources. DISABILITIES STATEMENT The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 are federal anti-discrimination statutes that provide comprehensive civil rights for persons with disabilities. LIT provides reasonable accommodations as defined in the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, Section 504 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, to students with a diagnosed disability. The Special Populations Office is located in the Eagles’ Nest Room 129 and helps foster a supportive and inclusive educational environment by maintaining partnerships with faculty and staff, as well as promoting awareness among all members of the Lamar Institute of Technology community. If you believe you have a disability requiring accommodation, please contact the Special Populations Coordinator at (409)-951-5708 or email specialpopulations@lit.edu. You may also visit the online resource at Special Populations - Lamar Institute of Technology (lit.edu). STUDENT CODE OF CONDUCT STATEMENT It is the responsibility of all registered Lamar Institute of Technology students to access, read, understand and abide by all published policies, regulations, and procedures listed in the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook. The LIT Catalog and Student Handbook may be accessed at www.lit.edu. Please note that the online version of the LIT Catalog and Student Handbook supersedes all other versions of the same document. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE STATEMENT Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) recognizes the recent advances in Artificial Intelligence (AI), such as ChatGPT, have changed the landscape of many career disciplines and will impact many students in and out of the classroom. To prepare students for their selected careers, LIT desires to guide students in the ethical use of these technologies and incorporate AI into classroom instruction and assignments appropriately. Appropriate use of these technologies are at the discretion of the instructor. Students are reminded that all submitted work must be their own original work unless otherwise specified. Students should contact their instructor with any questions as to the acceptable use of AI/ChatGPT in their courses. STARFISH LIT utilizes an early alert system called Starfish. Throughout the semester, you may receive emails from Starfish regarding your course grades, attendance, or academic performance. Faculty members record student attendance, raise flags and kudos to express concern or give praise, and you can make an appointment with faculty and staff all through the Starfish home page. You can also login to Blackboard or MyLIT and click on the Starfish link to view academic alerts and detailed information. It is the responsibility of the student to pay attention to these emails and information in Starfish and consider taking the recommended actions. Starfish is used to help you be a successful student at LIT. ADDITIONAL COURSE POLICIES/INFORMATION I DO NOT accept late work. All assignments are due as scheduled. There are a few exceptions but those will be discussed on a case-by-case basis (ex. medical situation such as hospitalization). Preferred means of communication: Email: mafranklin@lit.edu or phone: 409-382-1333. Communication Response Time: Expected response time for communications with instructor is 24- 48 hours (except weekends). Grading Response Time: Assignments should be returned with grades within 1 week. All assignments and tests will be located in Google Classroom.