Amendments

As a law enforcement investigator, it is critical for you to know and understand the components and applications of the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments to the US Constitution and the Miranda case. From the law enforcement officer assigned to patrol an area of his or her jurisdiction to the detective assigned to follow up on homicide cases, each needs to have skills to legally conduct investigations that are admissible in court and eligible for prosecution. It does not serve patrol officers or homicide detectives to develop criminal cases that are not prosecutable.

This assignment directs you to explore and discover the attributes and scope as well as specific legal components of each of the above-mentioned constitutional amendments.

Tasks:

Compose a 5- to 7-page report addressing both Part 1 and 2.

Part 1

Utilizing a minimum of three sources, such as course readings as well as the additional readings, define and discuss the implications of each of the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Fourteenth Amendments as well as the Miranda case law on executing interrogations.

Part 2

It is equally critical that law enforcement investigators understand how the aforementioned constitutional amendments are applicable to real-world situations. This assignment directs you to demonstrate the ability of specific legal components of the listed constitutional amendments to apply the legal doctrine.

Use the following sources to identify at least one specific case and apply at least two of the constitutional provisions to the outcome of the case:

• http://crime.about.com/od/current/a/case_news.htm
• http://www.hg.org/law-articles-criminal-law.asp