Spring 2026
Interviewing and Report Writing for Criminal Justice Professions
Approved: TNS 1/13/26 Interview & Report Writing CJLE 1327 9W1 12013 Spring 2026 CREDIT 3 Semester Credit Hours (3 hours lecture, 0 hours lab) MODE OF INSTRUCTION Face to Face 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, and 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: Chuck Barth Email: chuck.barth@woodvilleeagles.org Office Phone: Instructor’s Office Phone # Office Location: WHS room 23 Office Hours: 8:45am- 10:25am REQUIRED TEXTBOOK AND MATERIALS Report Writing for Criminal Justice Professionals: By Larry S. Miller and John T. Whitehead. ISBN 978-1-138-28893-5 ATTENDANCE POLICY WISD Attendance Policy DROP POLICY If you wish to drop a course, you are responsible for initiating and completing the drop process by the specified date as listed in the College Calendar on the Student Success web page. 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 Date) ASSIGNMENTS (Due on this Date) 1/20/2025 Review Syllabus and course introduction: The importance of Report Writing Syllabus & Chapter 1 01/22/2026 1/25/2025 Chapter 1 & syllabus assignment 1/26/2025 Starting to Write Chapter 2 1/28/2025 1/25/2025 Chapter 2 assignment 1/13/2025 The face page & Narrative Chapter 3 01/13/2025 2/1/2026 Chapter 3 assignment 2/2/2025 The Narrative Chapter 4 2/4/2026 2/8/2026 Chapter 4 assignment 2/9/2026 Habits that Make Chapter 5 2/11/2026 2/15/2026 Chapter 5 assignment 2/16/2026 WHS Winter break 2/23/2026 Other types of Writing Chapter 6 2/25/2026 3/1/2026 Chapter 6 assignment 3/2/2026 Reading Chapter 7 3/4/2026 3/8/2026 Chapter 7 assignment 3/9/2026 Simplified study of grammar Chapter 8 3/11/2026 3/15/2026 Chapter 8 assignment 3/16/2026 Avoiding errors in sentence structure Chapter 9 3/18/2026 3/22/2026 Chapter 8 assignment 3/23/2026 Punctuation work Chapter 10 3/25/2026 3/29/2026 Chapter 10 assignment 3/302026 WHS Spring Break 4/5/2026 Breaking the spelling Jinx Chapter 11 4/8/2026 4/12/2026 Chapter 11 Assignment 4/13/2026 Using or abusing words Chapter 12 4/15/2026 4/19/2026 Chapter 12 Assignment 4/20/2026 Abbreviation and Capitalizing Chapter 13 4/22/2026 4/26/2026 Chapter 13 assignment 4/27/2026 Course Review and exam prep 5/4/2026 Final exam COURSE EVALUATION Final grades will be calculated according to the following criteria: • Final Grades will be calculated using the following: Assignments 40% Tests 50% Final Exam 10% GRADE SCALE • 90-100 A • 80-89 B • 70-79 C • 60-69 D • 0-59 F TECHNICAL REQUIREMENTS For the latest technical requirements, including hardware, compatible browsers, operating systems, etc., review the Minimum Computer and Equipment Requirements on the LIT Online Experience page. 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 an 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 is 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 NONE