CJ 3055 - Legal Issues in Policing

3 cr. 3 hr. Day course offered annually.

This course will enable the student to read, analyze and apply legal issues that might arise in the course of duties of a police office in Massachusetts. These topics include those related to the 1st, 4th, 5th, 6th, 8th, and 14th amendments to the United States Constitution and the corresponding provisions in the Massachusetts Constitution. The student will learn about all levels of search and seizure, probable cause to arrest with and without a warrant, searching with and without a warrant, automobile searches, custodial interrogation and Miranda warnings, right to counsel, rights of suspects in identification procedures, due process, speedy trial, and cruel and unusual punishment. Legal research and writing are essential to this course and the student will become adept at using Lexis-Nexis and United States Law Week. At the conclusion of this course, students will be expected to understand the amendments of the Constitutions, analyze and evaluate how the Massachusetts and federal courts have interpreted these amendments, and understand how police behavior is governed by these court decisions. Most importantly, students will be expected to apply these principles in real-world situations in research and writing assignments.

Note: Note: Course required for students in the Police Academy Certification Concentration. Open to other Criminal Justice majors as elective. Prerequisite(s): CJ 1000