Key Assignment Draft

Part 1 Law Enforcement:

Now that Mr. Shane White has been sentenced, we now want to focus our attention on the drug dealers supplying Mr. White. Tom Richards and John Smith were named as two of Shane White’s drug dealers during the debriefing of Shane White. We know that Tom Richards lives at 66 ½ 62^nd Street, Brooklyn, NY. We need to build our case so your supervisor has agreed to dispatch surveillance officers to watch his residence.

As we are conducting surveillance of the residence, we notice Tom Richard step out his front door. A car pulls into the driveway and we see what appears to be drug/money exchanges occur. So, one of the surveillance vehicles (you and your partner) decide to follow the car, while another watches the residence.

We notice that the vehicle has a license plate that does not match the vehicle, so we pull the car over without incident. You find out the John Smith is the driver of the vehicle. You ask for consent to search, and he says no. You decide to search the vehicle anyway. Your partner pulls you aside and tells you this could be civil rights violation. You ignore him and continue to conduct the search. You find 1 pound of marijuana stashed in the seat. You seize the drugs and take it to the evidence room for processing.

• Address the following in 400–600 words:
  • Did you have probable cause to stop the vehicle? Research and present specific case law to support your response.
  • Did you have the right to search the vehicle? Research and present specific case law to support your response.
  • Are there any possible ethical concerns that could arise from this case? Explain your answer in detail.
• Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.

Step 2: The Courts

Assume John Smith has decided to enter into a guilty plea. His attorney advised him that entering a guilty plea will reduce his sentence and promised the judge would only sentence him to 6 months in the prison system since he would be eligible for judicial release. John Smith decides to enter the plea of guilty, but was sentenced to the maximum sentence possible. On the record the judge asked if the statement of facts in the case was correct and if anyone promised him anything in exchange for the plea. Mr. Smith stated no and agreed that the statement of facts was true and accurate.

• Address the following in 400–600 words: 
  • What is plea bargaining? Explain.
  • What are 2–3 examples of plea bargaining? Be specific.
  • Create arguments both for and against plea negotiations.
    • What are the advantages and disadvantages of plea bargaining? Explain in detail.
  • Do you agree with plea bargaining practices? Why or why not?
    • Be sure to cite specific case law to support your response.
  • Were there any ethical concerns presented in the example above?
    • Be sure to evaluate the ethics code presented by your state bar association.
• Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.

Part 3: Corrections

John Smith has just been transferred to the department of corrections intake/reception center. He was advised by the classification officer that it would be difficult for him to obtain employment once he was released, and placing him into a reentry program could be beneficial for him. He was genuinely surprised by the classification officer’s statements and decided to take the advice of the intake officer.

• Address the following in 400–600 words: 
  • Assume you are the classification/intake officer. You want to ensure that Mr. Smith succeeds by creating a case plan that fits his needs.
  • Evaluate one prison program that is currently implemented in your state that you think could benefit Mr. Smith. Address the following;
    • Describe the program and discuss how this would benefit Mr. Smith.
    • Be sure to discuss how he would benefit from each stage of the process.
    • Discuss all program components and evaluate the success.
      • That includes evaluating recidivism statistics.
• Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.

Part 4

As we are conducting surveillance of the residence, we notice Tom Richard’s step out his front door. A car pulls into the driveway, and we see what appears to be drug/money exchanges occur. So, one of the surveillance vehicles (you and your partner) decide to follow the car, while another watches the residence.

We notice that the vehicle has a license plate that does not match the vehicle, so we pull the car over without incident. You find out the John Smith is the driver of the vehicle. You ask for consent to search, and he says no. You decide to search the vehicle anyway. Your partner pulls you aside and tells you this could be a civil rights violation. You ignore him and continue to conduct the search. You find 1 pound of marijuana stashed in the seat. You seize the drugs and take it to the evidence room for processing.

Key Assignment

• In addition, address the following in 500–750 words:
  • Did you have probable cause to step the vehicle? Research specific case law to support your response.
  • Did you have the right to search the vehicle? Research specific case law to support your response.
  • Are there any possible ethical concerns that could arise from this case? Explain your answer in detail.
  • Assume there was an ethical issue present. The chief decides to address these ethical concerns by developing new recruitment practices, as well as additional ethics training.
    • What are the pros and cons of recruiting degreed officers? Where should we recruit officers?
  • Conduct library and Internet research that focuses on ethical training.
    • Develop ethical training curriculum that you feel addresses the major ethical concerns.
    • How can we ensure that officers will follow policy? Explain.
    • How will this reduce agency accountability? Explain.
• Be sure to reference all sources using APA style.