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Day 1:

I did not really know what to expect from this class when I had signed up for it. All I knew was that is was a requirement for an FCI major and it was a writing class. I can say that one thing that made this class so unique in comparison to all my other class is that Dr. Kyburz has a blog for everything you need in the class. I thought it was a very creative idea and definitely made the class more interesting than just having all the content and assignments on boring blackboard. Blogger was easy to navigate through out and was composed of helpful links, assignments, content, syllabus, class schedule and much more! Not only was Dr.Kyburz using a blog but we all were too! We were able to make our own blogs, posting weekly about things in the news or even what was going on over the weekend. It was a great way to interact with classmates and see their interests as well.

Along the way..:

As the class went by, week by week, we were engaged in so many classroom discussions. We were able to share our views and opinions on current topics. Our book, Just the Facts by Michael Biggs, was a very easy read and made understanding police writing much easier. Just as the title implied, Just the Facts, that is exactly what it is- Facts. The main, detailed report writing facts. We had quizzes along the way that were some what common sense as it came to good and bad report writing with what to do and what not to do. Another favorite part of my class was our Documentary paper. I did my paper on the documentary Cartel Land. This was not the easiest paper I have written and that is because most papers that I have wrote in my life had to do with analysis and this paper was purely FACTS- what was happening in the documentary and not what I was assuming from it. It was a great assignment to fully grasp this understanding of report writing because you want your police reports to be unbiased and straight factual. Little to know opinion or analysis should be in report writing and that was the same for the paper.

Documentary Paper (not revised just added if anyone would like to read)

End of the semester:

It is crazy that I am writing this post as my final entry to our class. This semester blew by but I can definitely say that I not only learned a lot about report writing but I learned a lot about myself. I felt very comfortable in class, being able to share my opinions and thoughts along with hearing others. I was able to express myself through the use of these blog posts. I learned report writing styles through Biggs. I hope to continue to blog and keep in touch with Dr.Kyburz.

I want to give a big thank you Dr.Kyburz for a great semester! Hope to keep in touch!

It Can Happen to Anyone

It is crazy to think that anyone's life can change in a matter of seconds.

During the first week of November Chelsea, an innocent, was shot in a drive by, while riding in a car with friends in Chicago. The bullet ripped through the back of her neck tearing her spinal column area. We still do not know if she is going to recover from this. She's already had the surgery to repair her neck with pins. She is on a breathing machine because she cannot breathe on her own, she is also trached, which is hard because of all things, Chelsea LOVES to sing and aspired to be a singer one day. Chelsea is going to require constant medical attention, feeding tubes, ostomy bags, machinery at this point to breathe for her, therapy, counseling and God only know's what else. Life has completely changed for this young woman.

I know Chelsea from high school, we played softball together. She is a great person and is an AMAZING singer! Whenever she got on stage I had goosebumps, her voice is beautiful.

Now all that can be done is HELP! There has been a GoFundMe page for Chelsea as she is recovering. We all know that surgeries and needs that follow are not cheap!

Anything will be appreciated!

Want to know more? Feel compelled to help?:
-----> https://www.gofundme.com/chelseas-dream?ssid=801105087&pos=3 <------

Christmas and Cops

As I was scrolling through today's news I came across an article that I feel needs to be broadcasted more. Police news now-a-days seems to be negatively reflected upon officers but this one shows the good things that more people need to see. "Some days it's not just about writing tickets and taking people to jail," Centerton police said on Facebook. "Community policing is a major need in this day and age, and we believe even the smallest acts can leave lasting effects!" The Arkansas PD helped a man with special needs hang his Christmas lights so that he could be happy and enjoy his holiday.

Must Watch!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHK41COLq6Y

Anyone Can Run for President

All over social media and the News we have people thinking and saying that they can run for President. "What the hell" are the words from Joe Biden as what the hell why not. It seems like a joke to people now. Someone running our country is a joke now? Kanye West thinks he can run for President as well.

Is this what the world has come to? Taking something this serious as a joke?

Suspect Arrested in Road Rage Shooting of Joe McKnight

Former NFL Jets player, Joe McKnight, was shot 3 times and killed last week in a rode rage incident. It is crazy to think that at any time you can cut someone off- accidentally or on purpose- and people will go to the extremes of taking out a gun and firing it. A 54-yea-old man will most likely never have freedom anymore because he felt that he needed to go to the extreme of shooting someone not only once but 3 times in an incident of road rage. The man was charged with manslaughter. Be careful who you cut off or tease with when driving!

Cop Beaten Brutally, Doesn't Draw Gun for Fear of Media Backlash

The female officer did not draw her gun "because she didn’t want her family or the department to go through the scrutiny the next day on national news". It is crazy that we are basing decisions off of the media and what they are going to say. It is hard for police officers in this generation to differentiate when to use a fire arm and when to use something of less bodily harm. The main rule when using a fire arm as a police officer is if they feel that they are going to experience great bodily harm. In this instance it is great to hear that an officer really thought about all of the consequence to using a firearm. In this instance everyone is still alive and the man was arrested.

Thoughts on 2nd 2016 Presidential Debate

In this debate, many issues on the law arose from the candidates- Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. One of the issues I would like to touch upon is this issue of "locker room banter" on Donald Trumps behalf. Anderson Cooper from CNN questions Mr. Trump on his behavior over the weekend that was caught on tape. This behavior made people around the country question if he is "modeling appropriate and positive behavior for today's youth". Cooper states that there was a recording, meaning there is really no way for Mr.Trump to say that he did not say these things. Mr. Trump describes his manner on "kissing women without consent and grabbing their genitals". This is sexual assault. Not having consent from the other person to engage in sexual activity is a crime. I was very appalled by the fact that Mr.Trump acted as if it was not a big deal. He acted if this was everyday talk for men.  How are we going to have a President control and run our county and "make America great again" if he is not even following the law of our country?

http://paxonbothhouses.blogspot.com/2016/10/should-trump-be-prosecuted-for-sexual.html

 

Group Project and Summary Writing

            The group project was a great way to get to know the different writing elements of law enforcement. It also was very helpful to watch the other groups presentations and learn from them. There are many similarities between report (law enforcement) writing and summary writing. With both you need to be very factual and less analytical. It is very important to document exactly what is being said or exactly what you hear. When it comes to these kinds of writing it is important to be very detailed.

Week 3 Thread
September 16th, 2016

              Today as I was scrolling down social media on my down time, I came across a post that was going viral about a female college student from Kansas State University posing in a Snapchat with a black facial mask on and showing a gang sign with the caption "feels good to finally be a nigga". It has been brought to the schools attention as racist and the college student is now expelled as she was in her senior year. With how controversial social media is now a days you really have to watch what you say. As the student said in an interview that she was just doing it to be funny to her friend group. She has nothing against black people. Do you think the school should have gone as far as there actions went to expel the student from school?
http://abc13.com/education/students-expelled-over-racist-snapchat/1513976/

 Reflection on What Do You Think of the Police by Vice News

               I thought this was a great video. There is a viewpoint from regular civilians on police officers and also their use of force. This video shows all different ethnicity and races of individuals in different states and even different countries. Some people see police officers as the best people out there and others not so much. This can be a good tool in the aspect that there is not just one person in one town but many people from all over the world speaking on how they feel about the police due to what they see in their everyday life.
"I guess white people had to see someone die on camera for it to be a major issue." I mean that isn't true. It got published or brought up by the news which made it a major issue. People die everyday, its life but there are some cases that are more brutal or factual than others. All deaths are bad but there are some that can be used as lessons or teaching tools.
"Police have too many weapons. They should only have a taser, maybe." I think this comment was just ridiculous and would never happen. If the people of society are able to get a Foid card and buy a gun and then get a license to concealed and carry the gun with them; police would be nothing to us. Police officers would not be able to serve and protect properly. A gun in some cases is used as a scare tactic to get the people in the wrong to listen and cooperate with the law.
If police force is used to stop others from harming others or the society as a whole then it is necessary but then comes in the notion of too much force used by police officers and that's when stories get taken to the news.

  Week 2 Sunday, September 11th 2016        
             

  Today, September 11th 2016, marks Fifteen years ago when the United States changed forever. Four airliners crashed into the Twin Towers in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and a field outside Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Killing 2,977 people and among those who died were 343 firefighters, 23 police officers and 37 officers with the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey. Rest in peace to all of the innocent people to die in this attack and God bless the families that lost a loved one.

Not all cops are bad!

Week 1 thread
Friday, September 2nd 2016

               

Black lives matter brings a big controversy to our society. In some aspects I think that some black people take things too far. For instance, on a regular traffic stop they assume the worst and cop an attitude with the police when they are just trying to do their job. This in turn will cause the police to act with authority and beginning to treat them differently. There have been many instances in which the police are headlined negatively for the use of their weapons. There has been proof through videos that they over use their weapons in times when a taxer would do them justice. One of these instances came up in our class discussion on McDonald the video shows the boy with a weapon in his hand walking away from the cops and the weapon is not pointed toward them and then all you see if shots go off. 16 bullets? It took 16 bullets to finally stop shooting someone that was down on the first shot? That is ridiculous to me because police officers these days should be trained to handle circumstances like that in a manor that does not lead to shooting and killing someone that could have just been arrested.

I ended up changing my major from a detective to forensics for the reason that I did not want to go through being a police officer with everything that has been going on in society and I think it is only going to get worse.

www.huffingtonpost.com