The ‘CSI Effect’: Does It Really Exist

The ‘CSI Effect’: Does It Really Exist

Police work includes a range of tasks and assignments that fall outside neighborhood police patrol. There are a number of specialized units that have specific functions within a given police agency. There are Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) teams, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (DARE) for youth teams, and Internal Affairs divisions, to name a few. Crime scene investigations have also become so specialized that it takes several law enforcement professionals to complete the tasks involved in an investigation. At a crime scene, one investigator takes photos, another collects fingerprints, another collects blood evidence, and still another takes witness accounts. Only in the smallest of agencies would you have one person completing multiple tasks. This week, you focus on how the police actually solve crimes and how that differs from what is shown on television.

To prepare for this Discussion:

Review Chapter 5 of your course text, Policing America: Challenges and Best Practices. Focus on the roles and responsibilities of law enforcement professionals as they help investigate and solve crimes.

Review the article, “The ‘CSI Effect’: Does It Really Exist?” Pay attention to the realities of how people’s perceptions are formed from television accounts.

Select an area of law enforcement (for example, forensic science, including DNA analysis; investigative or detective work; or arrest and case preparation) to use for this assignment.

Think about how the CSI effect influences public perceptions of the roles and responsibilities of law enforcement professionals in the area you selected.

Consider how public perceptions differ from the actual roles and responsibilities.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Thursday September 22, 2016 a 350an explanation of how the CSI effect influences public perceptions of the roles and responsibilities of law enforcement professionals in the area you selected. Then explain how public perceptions differ from the actual roles and responsibilities. Be specific and use examples to illustrate your points.