1.  What impact, if any, do you feel the media has had on present day criminal investigations? Think about this in terms of televisions shows you watch and movies you have seen. Are they a realistic depiction of what the criminal investigation really is? Have they changed your expectation of how the police do their job? 

2. Comment on the statement “convictions require good report writing.” How important do you feel police reports are in obtaining a conviction in court? 

3.  Thinking about the 4th Amendment to the United States Constitution, what does the 4th Amendment address and why is it important to police officers and investigators investigating cases? Is ‘unreasonableness’ something citizens need to be concerned with? 

4. ‘Everyone’ knows the Miranda Warning. Even young children playing ‘cops and robbers’ can recite the warning when they make an ‘arrest’. What do you see as the future of the Miranda Warning? Do you think the U.S. Supreme Court will change the Miranda requirement in any way? 

5.  Looking at the four Violent Index Crimes included in the Uniform Crime Report (UCR), comment on the official stats for each. Do you feel the numbers are an accurate representation of the number of offenses that occur? Why or why not? 

How serious do you feel gangs and gang-related crime is in the U.S. today? What percentage of violent crime is committed by gangs? Property crime? How are the police going to handle gang issues/problems in the future? If you were a Chief of Police or a Sheriff how would you deal with gangs within your jurisdiction? 

6. Comment on the offense of ‘identity theft’. How serious of an offense do you feel that is? What do you think the penalty should be for someone convicted of identity theft? 

7.  There is a trend underway in the United States today for states to ‘legalize’’, or at least ‘decriminalize’, marijuana. What are your feelings on that? Do you think this will lead to more crime? Is there a benefit (in your opinion) to legalization of any drug? 

8.  How serious do you feel gangs and gang-related crime is in the U.S. today? What percentage of violent crime is committed by gangs? Property crime? How are the police going to handle gang issues/problems in the future? If you were a Chief of Police or a Sheriff how would you deal with gangs within your jurisdiction?