CJUS 420 DB FORUM
you are required to reply to 2 other classmates’ threads. Each reply must be a minimum of 100 words and must cite at least 2 academic sources. Acceptable sources include the textbook, peer-reviewed journal articles, government sources/websites, and professional association websites. In addition to academic support, students must apply a Christian worldview perspective and integrate Biblical scripture support for all posts.
Responding to a classmate’s post requires both the addition of new ideas and analysis. A particular point made by the classmate must be addressed and built upon by your analysis in order to move the conversation forward. Thus, the response post is a rigorous assignment that requires you to build upon initial posts to develop deeper and more thorough discussion of the ideas introduced in the initial posts. As such, reply posts that merely affirm, restate or unprofessionally quarrel with the previous post(s) and fail to make a valuable, substantive contribution to the discussion will receive appropriate point deductions.
replies are due by 10:59 p.m. (CST) on Monday of the same modules/weeks
1ST REPLY
Jesselyn Armstrong DB 1COLLAPSE
DB 1
- Officers are trained to handle emergencies first, before securing the crime scene, even if valuable evidence could be lost or destroyed.
Why is this critical?
Police officers must handle emergency situations first because what if someone has gone into cardiac arrest or something else life threating? According to Hasselqvist-Ax et al. (2019) it says, “In the County of Stockholm, Sweden, a dual dispatch system involving EMS and firefighters was introduced in 2005. Police officers were fully integrated in the OHCA alarm system in 2012.” So, police officers should be trained no matter what city/town, county, state, or country the officer is from it is critical that they learn what to do in an emergency situation such as cardiac arrest. The officer should always have back up too so that way one officer can stay with the victim and the other officer can find the perpetrator. As Christians we should always want to do the right thing first and in the case of cardiac arrest the first thing should be to help the victim no matter what. We don’t want to feel guilty in the future for not doing everything we could have because we were too focused on the least important thing (i.e. protecting the evidence).
- What factors should the responding officer consider when he realizes that he is on a “hot” call– a potentially dangerous situation that is currently unfolding?
When the responding officer realizes he is going into a potentially dangerous situation that is currently unfolding he or she should be what instinct tells them to do. Hess, Orthmann, & Cho (Ch. 1-7d, 2017) says, “Any of these emergencies [dangerous suspect at or near the scene, a gravely injured person, or an environmental hazard] can present a life-threatening situation for the officer and others, and their handling takes priority over other actions and situations.” If the officer arrives at the scene Hess et al. (2017) says the first thing should be to apprehend the suspect. Hess et al. (2017) also says that if the police officer arrives at the scene and there is someone seriously injured then death is probable and helping the victim takes precedence.
- Which one of these factors played the biggest role in your decision-making and why?
Both of these factors play a big role in my decision making equally because no matter if it is an injured person with no suspect in sight or a “hot” call the responding officer should always proceed with caution, have back-up close behind, and do the right thing first – apprehend a shooter or help a victim even if it means evidence gets destroyed.
References
Hasselqvist-Ax, I., Nordberg, P., Svensson, L., Hollenberg, J., & Joelsson-Alm, E. (2019). Experiences among firefighters and police officers of responding to out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in a dual dispatch programme in sweden: An interview study. BMJ Open, 9(11) doi: http://dx.doi.org.ezproxy.liberty.edu/10.1136/bmjopen-2019-030895
Hess, K. M., Orthmann, C. H., & Cho, H. L. (2017). Criminal investigation (11th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.
2ND REPLY
Joshua Sanchez
CJUS 420 – DB Forum 1COLLAPSE
To begin this discussion board thread, let one first examine the question of why it is critical that officers are trained to handle emergencies first before securing the crime scene. There are actually several reasons why an officer must handle emergencies before securing the crime scene. For instance, the crime may still be underway, and therefore, it is the officer’s job to put an end to the crime before anyone else gets hurt. (Hess, Orthmann, and Cho, 2017) Stopping a crime is a much more important and realistic goal than collecting evidence of the crime while it is still ongoing.
Also, an officer may need to provide emergency care to someone in need. (Hess, Orthmann, and Cho, 2017) There could be someone that is bleeding out on the ground, but if an officer simply ignored the person in order to gain evidence, that would not be right. The officer could possibly even be charged with negligence to perform his or her duties. Thus, since humans are made in God’s image, (Genesis 1:27, KJV) they must be taken care of first if emergency care must be provided.
Thirdly, officers must handle emergencies first, for the crime scene could present grave dangers to the officers involved. (Hess, Orthmann, and Cho, 2017) For example, Hess, Orthmann, and Cho stated that, “[o]fficers who injure themselves or someone else on the way to a call may create more serious problems than exist at the crime scene” (Hess, Orthmann, and Cho, 2017, 1-7a The Initial Response, Para. 5). Even though this statement is discussing officer safety in route to a call, the same is true of officer safety at crime scenes. If an officer gets injured at the crime scene because he or she started collecting evidence before ensuring that the scene was safe, then that officer’s injuries does no good to anyone – it only creates more problems. (Hess, Orthmann, and Cho, 2017) Thus, these are three of the main reasons why officers must deal with emergencies before collecting evidence.
Next, this post will discuss several of the factors that the responding officer should consider when he or she realizes that he or she is on a “hot” call. Two of the main factors that a police officer should consider are, where the “hot” call is taking place, and the time of day that the officer is responding to the call. (Van Steden, and Broekhuizen, 2015) These are important aspects to consider, for a neighborhood may be known to not be police friendly, and therefore, the officer may need to call in backup if the situation escalates. (Van Steden, and Broekhuizen, 2015) Also, the time of day that the call is occurring in is a major consideration for the officer, for, “[i]t is likely that officers are more stressed after dark, especially when people are under the influence of alcohol and drugs” (Van Steden, and Broekhuizen, 2015) Thus, these are two of the main factors that an officer must consider when responding to a “hot” call.
Another factor that must be considered is the overall plan that the officer must make to deal with the scene. Hess, Orthmann, and Cho state that, “[w]hile driving to the scene, officers formulate a plan of action based on the type of crime and its location” (2017, 1-7a The Initial Response, Para. 8). This is important, for, “[p]olice officers encounter situations that demand their personal decisions, and they enjoy tremendous independence in choosing from various courses of action in the performance of their duties” (Buvik, 2016, Introduction, Para. 2). The police officer must create a plan to the best of his or her ability before he or she arrives at the scene – even if this plan eventually does not work out. In other words, the officer must consider all of the factors that he or she knows about the situation and must plan accordingly in order to effectively deal with that situation.
Next, the factor that would probably play the biggest role in this student’s decision would be considering all of the facts about the event that are known and formulating a plan before arriving at the scene. This is the biggest factor, for without a plan, major disasters can happen. People can get hurt, and the true criminal may get away. Even the Bible says that, “[w]here there is no vision, the people perish…” (Proverbs 29:18, KJV) Thus, making a plan based off of the known facts, would be the biggest factor for this student.
Lastly, as a side note, whenever an officer responds to a “hot” call, it would be wise for the officer simply to offer a brief prayer to the Lord for help in the situation. This is because the Bible says that, “[h]e shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him” (Psalms 91:15, KJV). Thus, even if the officer can just breathe out a quick prayer of help, this will tremendously aid him or her in dealing with the situation.