Criminal Justice Scenario
In the scenario listed below there are at least four alleged crimes and at least one possible civil
action. Review the scenario and identify these crimes and civil action.
In a 3 – 4 page paper (excluding title and reference pages), apply principles of criminal law to
criminal justice practice.
Show an understanding of the civil liabilities of criminal justice agencies and practitioners.
Cite case law regarding the possible civil action that could be taken against the police officer,
the department, and the city.
Scenario:
Police Officer Jones, in full uniform, was walking the midnight shift in a high-crime area at
approximately 2:00 AM and is approached by a civilian who told Officer Jones she had been robbed
and beaten by someone wearing a red shirt and white pants. The victim’s shirt was blood soaked
from a severe laceration to her head and lip. She said the perpetrator was wearing a ski mask so she
was unable to determine the gender/sex of the individual, as well as the race/ethnicity. However, she
was able to inform Officer Jones that the perpetrator was approximately 5’8” tall and had a gun. The
perpetrator stole her wallet and was holding it when he/she fled the scene, which was only a minute
or two earlier. Officer Jones called for medical assistance and for backup as well.
While waiting with the victim for medical personnel to arrive, Officer Jones spotted an individual that
partially fit the description about a block away from the scene. Though it was very dark, Officer Jones
observed the white pants and dark shirt. Officer Jones walked toward the individual, leaving the victim
unattended. Medical and backup had not arrived. When Officer Jones was approximately 20 feet
away he identified himself as a police officer and told him in a loud, clear voice, “Stop, Police!
However, the individual refused to comply with Officer Jones’s commands and continued to walk
away from Officer Jones. Officer Jones again shouted. “Stop, Police,” and the individual stopped. As
the individual stopped, he turned and faced Officer Jones, at which point saw a large bulge in the
subject’s right front pocket. The subject, who was now approximately 7 feet from Officer Jones,
refused to keep hands where Officer Jones could see them. The subject reached into his right front
pocket and began to draw his hand out of his right front pocket. Officer Jones drew his weapon and
fired at the individual, hitting him in the left shoulder.
The individual fell to the ground and Officer Jones approached him and called for additional medical
personnel. Officer Jones located a baggie filled with smaller baggies each filled with what appeared to
be Cocaine and a cell phone. The individual was taken to the hospital and was labeled as stable.
Detectives investigating the incident discovered that the person shot was not the perpetrator in the
alleged strong-armed robbery. They also discovered that the victim lied and was actually involved in a
domestic violence incident and did not want her husband to be arrested.
Unit 3 [CJ499: Bachelors Capstone in Criminal Justice ]
Student Checklist: Unit 3 Scenario
Criteria: Ask yourself the following questions. Not Yet Yes
Purpose
Did you identify at least four crimes and one civil action?
Did you state the facts of the case?
Did you analyze the fact pattern?
Did you apply principles of four criminal laws and one civil
liability to criminal justice practice, criminal justice agencies,
and/or criminal justice practitioners?
Did you cite your sources?
Conclusion/Critique
Did you state the findings of the paper concisely?
Did you support or oppose your position with insightful
analysis?
Did you answer all the questions in a substantive manner?
Content
Is your content accurate?
Is your content persuasive?
Is your content comprehensive enough to address the
topic?
Format
Did you prepare your paper as a MS Word Document?
Did you name your file correctly?
Did you use APA format to cite your sources?
Did you check your document for spelling?
Did you check your paper for grammatical errors?
Is your paper the correct length?
Unit 3 [CJ499: Bachelors Capstone in Criminal Justice ]
You may consult the Library, the Internet, the textbook, other course material, and any other outside
resources in supporting your task, using proper citations in APA style.