senior project reflection

1. For my senior project as a whole I am most proud of the contacts that I found for my interviews and service learning. instead of just going to my neighborhood police department i went out and tried to seek people who are higher up.
2.a) P, I met the requirements
   b)AE, I honestly worked extremely hard all year, never missed any of the deadlines, and do feel that i did quality  work.
3. the interviews were my favorite part of senior project as a whole i feel they worked extremely well.
4. Changing my EQ the day before 20 minute presentations, not knowing what was expected for an AE in research checks
5. It gave me my product, which is finding out what to major in and the path to my dream job.

2 hour presentation

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1vJp6bfIEnESnwl-XXACjndN2fkBkI9C4fdtoy8-aAKM/edit?pli=1

Service Learning

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ai_B68EKJ7CHdC1jU3FPeTFZU3dpdmRaWWhGT0FnVHc
I prepared case files by entering referrals into the system for the investigators to look at.

Flor Leon:6269639245

Interpretive:
I really thing the most important thing i gained from this experience would be to see everything in action. Even though it wasnt at a station I did get to see various investigators.

Applied:
It helped my first EQ more than anything because i saw how investigators reacted in a professional environment. For my second EQ, there was a time when an investigator contacted the person who put the evidence report together and I got to see the chain of custody in action which help my first and best answer.

Independent Component 2

Literal:
I, Kennedy Holmes, affirm that I completed my independent component which represents 30.25 hours of work.
Log: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ai_B68EKJ7CHdG1xYTVaQWtpUHV6T1BVYjREbWlrVVE
On crimescene.com,

they give out fake cases every 8 weeks and throughout the 8 weeks you get different pieces of evidence

 and interviews with either witnesses or other detectives

 to try to figure out who the correct suspect is. They posted new things up every other day and it would always be up there for reference.

I also took a mini online course about chain of custody because I realized that it is very important in court when it comes to evidence. You would learn things on a few slides

Then you would get a quiz

and then if you got it right you could move on to other slides.

Interpreted:
This represent 30 hours of work because everyday i would take a significant amount of time reading over and watching the videos that they posted up. Once I was done with that I did have the option to look at the 5 most prior cases that they posted up and see all of the evidence photos and videos as well. I also did the online class that lasted about 2 hours because it went in depth with chain of custody which actually ended up being a significant part of my 3rd answer.
Applied:
Being given different pieces of evidence during the process was very helpful because it not only learned about the specific cases and the evidence pertaining to them but I also learned about how different types of evidence effect cases by importance. Such as a DNA mis match for a suspect being important versus a thread found on the scene or a witness testimonial. This helped my EQ " What is most important for a criminal investigator when collecting evidence leading to a conviction?".

Interview 5

Johanis Quiroz
April 26, 12:38
1.

• Something Art based, or I may do Forensics since that is what my sister did and she has connections but I really want to do art.
• I told her that she will have an extra component because it is Art based and she would have to show whatever she produced during I Fest.

2.

•  I was thinking of doing an art class during the summer, or my Dad was an artist so I would have him mentor and teach me things.
• I don't know if your Dad will count unless he is still a working artist but a class is a really good idea because you can also do that during the year for service learning and both of your independent components.

3.

• I honestly just want to see fun 2 hour presentations that really catch my interest. I am not looking for anything in particular.
• When you watch them, also take notes on what type of information people are presenting so that you know how to approach your EQ, and research

4.

• What do you mean by EQ? and how scary is it really?
• Your Eq is your driving force of your whole project after you pick your topic. You will have answer to this that you find during your research because it is a question, your essential question. It isnt that scary unless you let it all build up, so just remember to turn everything in on time.

Answer 3

EQ: What is most important to a criminal investigator when collecting evidence leading to a conviction?
Answer:
When collecting evidence you cannot for any reason go around the law and protocols.
This is probably the most important thing to remember when you are collecting evidence because if it is not collected properly it will not be used in court no matter how compelling or if it makes the suspect look guilty it has to be thrown out. This is stated in California's and the federal evidence codes.
Sources:
Mary Prang, my 4th interview
Summary of the rules do evidence,has the evidence codes and explains them clearly
Independent component 2, learning about chain of custody and the evidence gathering process by figuring out crimes at crime scene.com.

3 column chart

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ai_B68EKJ7CHdHIyVGplaEV1RWhHSFBNZ1l2VlNpdmc#gid=1

2-Hour Room

I plan to combine my room creativty and my answer 2 activty. I thought id make the room look like some type of crime scene and then my activity would be either a scavenger hunt in the scene or having groups gather dna evidence correctly throughout the crime scene.

Answer 2

 EQ=What is most important to a criminal investigator when collecting evidence leading to a conviction?
Answer= DNA samples are most important to convicting the correct suspect.
Evidence=
caught the green river killer with DNA
Let an innocent man go caught the real " snaggle tooth killer"
can link cases together before a suspect is found
can help you find a suspect if it is their second offense
can be valid proof to convict the right person especially fingerprints ( except finger prints made in blood because if they are wet they smear too easily)
always in the system and never changes
can always be found at any crime scene because DNA can be found through various things
usually used for more violent cases but has recently been used for smaller offenses such as burglaries and have been proven to be more efficient



Source=
http://www.justice.gov/ag/dnapolicybook_solve_crimes.htm
http://www.forensic-evidence.com/site/ID/bitemark_ID.html
http://www.crime-scene-investigator.net/DNAsolvespropertycrimes.pdf

The Product

I applied to the correct major because of my first 2 interviews and an informal interview i had with agent kelly at my service learning.

Fourth Interview Questions

1. Why is evidence collecting important?
2. Is there a way that evidence is not valid in court?
3. Which type of evidence is most common?
4. Which is most convincing?
5. What should you always remember when collecting it?
6. How much do investigators really work with evidence?
7. What type is most accurate in leading to the right suspect?
8. Why must it have a chain of custody?
9. How can evidence be tampered?
10. If I were to set up a crime scene, what is the best way to?
11. How long do typical investigations last?
12. How detailed do scene sketches need to be?
13. Do you really need to know how to photograph?
14. Is there a type of evidence jurys favor more?
15. Contrary to television, how does the fingerprint process really work?
16. What about blood splatter analysis?
17. Gun shot residue tests?
18. Who introduces evidence in court?
19. What is the average amount of pieces of evidence at a scene?
20. What is most important to know about evidence collecting?
    

independent component 2 plan approval

1. Do extra research specifically only reading real life cases and figuring out any connections between them involving the evidence.
2. I was either going to watch 30 episodes of documentaries or 60 pieces of research
3.my eq deals with evidence leading to a conviction and if I know what evidence to look for then this will give me answers.

Independent Component 1

My hours log:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0Ai_B68EKJ7CHdEluYkQxS3k3T2NyYkhwSDlwZHJ6S1E
I went almost every Thursday (11 in total) right after my service learning. I would stay there roughly for about 3 hours at a time which frankly for being at a gun range is fairly long.

Literal:
I, Kennedy Holmes, affirm that I completed my Independent Component which represents 30 hours of work.

I went to Bass Pro Shop in Victoria Gardens. They have a gun range on the top floor. The range has 4 lanes, unlike most ranges though you do have to provide your own guns. Because of being 16, I had to have an adult at all times. The person that I went with is a Sheriff in Orange County and has been for about 8 years. I used her work issued guns every time that I went to shoot.                  











I used 3 guns, my favorite was the XD9 simply because of how smooth the recoil was. The Glock is the most commonly used gun on the force. The recoil at first was harsh, but I soon got used to it. After learning how to position my hands to where I would have the most control, the Glock became easy to use. The Ruger on the other hand was always difficult to use. Unlike the other two guns, the trigger was very long and did not have a "memory". Meaning it did not lock half way after the first shot to make things easier and faster. I had plenty of aim problems with the Ruger because of how long it took to shot because of the long trigger. I would anticipate the recoil causing my hand to turn downward and shoot the floor. I tried to fix this by holding my hands higher than my desired target, which actually worked but still caused me to be off.

XD9

Glock 22 ( 40 caliber)

Ruger LCP 380

Evidence:
I created a slideshow of some of the pictures I took while being there, and of a couple of my targets.

https://picasaweb.google.com/105850293579552336120/GunRange
Interpretive:
The main purpose of doing this was to learn a skill set that agents need. One of the qualifications to even apply for the FBI is to have at least 2 years of experience in certain fields, one being to work at a police station. During your training, and during the duration of the time you work at a station you have to have an excellent shot. The sheriff that I went with said that she still has to go do tests where she shoots and has to hit certain targets. Once you leave the force, this skill does not leave. As an agent this rule also applies during training and the duration that you are working as an agent. I reached the 30 hours ( had closer to 33) by going to the range consistently.

Applied:
My first EQ was : What is the most important skill to have to become a successful criminal investigator? When I set this component up I did have that in mind. Having and practising my aim was a physical skill that investigators use.
My new EQ: What is most important for a criminal investigator in collecting evidence leading to a conviction?
My Independent Component can somehow also relate to this. A common piece of evidence in a violent crime are bullets. While I used these different guns, I became familiar with what size each bullet looked like and what their shells looked like. This can become useful when trying to figure out which type of gun was used in a case. If we determine the type of gun that can be very important evidence that can take part in leading to a conviction.

Presentation 2 Rough Draft

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1VKilCUjHbsyHJg7FQqPjnKaauJZfEvw9PMA-_tH2AEk/edit?pli=1

My presentation draft

Answer 1

1: I believe one of the most important skills you need to become a successful criminal investigator is communication skills. Though it is a vague skill that can work in most job forces, I do believe that it is extremely important for this job specifically.
2: One experience that showed me the importance of this was when i began my service learning, one of the investigators took me to get my finger prints done. He was very personable, and could convey what he wanted to everyone with ease. There was another police officer who was extremely timid and had a hard time getting people to cooperate.
3:My service learning, and interviews. With all three every person has said that communication skills are an asset to making a person successful in the investigation world.

Service Learning

• At the National Insurance Crime Bureau, in their Glendora office.
• Flor Leon is my contact, she is the administrative assisstant to Ralph Lumpkin who is in charge of managing the Southern California region of the company.
• So far, what I do at the office are referrals. We receive claims that fraud occurred, then I put the info of who is being charged for fraud in a file on the computer which is to be sent for further investigation.
• As of 1/12/12 I have 18 hours of service learning

Third Interview Questions

1. What is criminal investigation is your words.
2. There are various departments for criminal investigation, which do you believe is most important and why?
3. What is the hardest part of  being a criminal investigator?
4. Do you think certain personalities work better for this profession? If so which ones.
5. What is the most important skill to have to become a successful criminal investigator?
6. What skill do you think most investigators lack, but shouldn't?
7. What do you define as being a successful criminal investigator?
8. What do you think the best training would be?
9. What do you believe is the best way to become a criminal investigator?
10. Why do you think Criminal investigation is important?