Theses and Dissertations

Date of Award

2008

Document Type

Dissertation - NSU Access Only

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Abraham S. Fischler College of Education and School of Criminal Justice

Advisor

Joan Mathis

Committee Member

Jared Bucker

Committee Member

Maryellen Maher

Keywords

Adult Learning/Criminal Investigations/Program Implementation/Training

Abstract

The problem addressed by this applied dissertation was that although many police detectives assigned to investigate sex crimes at the subject police agency exhibited exceptional investigative abilities, there was no formalized program to ensure that detectives were knowledgeable of the most current and best investigative practices. The purpose of this study was to develop and implement a successful in-service curriculum in three specific areas of sex crimes investigations: (a) conducting consistently thorough crime scene investigations, (b) conducting systematic victim interviews, and (c) preparing anecdotal investigative reports.

Five research questions were examined: 1. How effective would a structured training curriculum be for learning the necessary forensic crime scene techniques for lead detectives in sex crimes investigations? 2. How effective would a structured training curriculum be for detectives to learn the necessary skills to conduct a victim-centered, nonjudgmental, and systematic victim interview? 3. What is the correlation between participating in a set of mandated training sessions and writing consistent, anecdotal, and thorough sex crimes investigation reports? 4. How useful do detectives find the training? 5. How much would detectives benefit from in-service training that requires follow-up practice to meet skill requirements established for standardization of efficacy?

The researcher used a mixed method research design, using both quantitative and qualitative data. A competency-based model using fundamental adult learning principles and benchmark standards was developed. With guidance and approval from the steering committee, the instructional design included lectures, group discussions, real work examples, and evaluations. It was found that a structured investigative training program, followed up with periodic instructive feedback, was effective in improving the performance of detectives.

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