Learning Outcomes

The Importance of Ethical Behaviour

Ethics and the Pursuit of a Law Enforcement Career

As Employees in Law Enforcement Agencies

Lesson Summary

This module discusses ethical behaviour, the importance of ethical behaviour, ethics in pursuit of a career in law enforcement, and law enforcement agencies ethics.

Major Ethical Systems

Utilitarian Ethics

Deontology

Virtue Ethics

Ethics of Care and Egoism

Religion or Divine Command Theory

Natural Law & Social Contract Theory

Rawls’ Theory of Justice & Moral Relativism

This module details what an ethical system is, and explains several of the major ethical theories/systems, such as utilitarian ethics, deontology, and egoism.

Ethical Dilemmas & Values

Solving Ethical Dilemmas

This module discusses ethical dilemmas what they are, lists values that are part of ethics and discusses solving ethical dilemmas.

The Ethics of Power and Authority

The Milgram Experiment

Person, Gender, and Cultural Differences in Conformity

Ethical Issues during an Investigation

This module discusses the key ethical issues within law enforcement, such as the ethical use or power and authority of officers, the differences in conformity, officers conditioning investigations, and the ethical issues behind the Milgram experiment.

Autonomy and Accountability

Investigation Models & Offices

This module discusses the accountability of law enforcement officers, for the action and decisions they make and how they are investigated when reported for unlawful or unethical behaviour.

Noble Cause Corruption

Policing Public Demonstrations and Crowd Control

Sex Offender Notification Laws

Ethics of Private Policing

This topic discusses ethical issues that arise for policing, from having a noble cause, corrupted, policing public demonstrations and crowd control, the ethical issues for the community and the offender with sex offender notification laws and the ethics of private police forces.

The Ethics Surrounding Discretion

Discretion and Supervision

Loyalty

Ethical Leadership

Transactional and Transformational Leadership

This module discusses the ethics sounding the polices power of discretion, and the ethics of supervision and how it can affect police officers discretion, the ethical issues with the loyalty in the police force, and transactional and transformational leadership.

Police Subculture

Socialization of Police

Skepticism and Cynicism

Moral Culpability versus Legal Culpability

This module discusses the culture within law enforcement agencies/departments, what the police subculture is, the socialization of new recruits into the subculture and the place of skepticism and cynicism ethical in law enforcement. Lastly the module explains the difference between moral culpability and legal culpability, how what might be legally permissible may not be moral or ethical.

Ethics in Law Enforcement - Assessment

Learn about moral and ethical issues at play in law enforcement regarding criminal justice with this free online course.

Ethics in Law Enforcement

This free online ethical law enforcement training course teaches you about the key ethical issues of law enforcement, such as the ethical use or power and authority of officers, the differences in conformity, officers' conditioning investigations, and the ethical issues behind the Milgram experiment. You will also look into the accountability of law enforcement officers, the culture within law enforcement agencies/departments, and more.

Criminal Investigation as a Thinking Process

Towards Modern-Day Investigation

The Path to Becoming an Investigator

This module introduces you to criminal investigations, giving you an understanding of the fundamentals in investigations including; Criminal investigation as a thinking process, The need to think through the process, Towards modern-day investigation, The path to becoming an investigator, Understanding the investigative mind.

Fundamental Justice and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms

The Role of the Judge, Prosecutor, Defence, and the Burden of Proof

Reasonable Grounds to Believe

The Adversarial System and Statutory Law

Common Law (Case Law)

Actus Reus and Mens Rea

The duty to investigate and the use of discretion

Arrest and Detention

The purpose of this module is to introduce some of the basic legal parameters and concepts of criminal justice within which the criminal investigation process takes place.

The Probative of Evidence, Relevant Evidence, and Direct Evidence

Circumstantial, Inculpatory, Exculpatory and Corroborative Evidence

Disclosure of Evidence

Hearsay Evidence

Search, Seizure and Exclusion of Evidence

In this module you will learn about some of the key definitions and protocols that an investigator should understand to carry out the investigative process, with regards to evidence.

Progression of the Investigative Process

Investigative Responses & Event Classification

Rules of Engagement for an Active Event or an Inactive Event

Response Transition Matrix (RTM)

In this module you will learn about the processes of an investigations and issues that relate to the processes of an investigation.

Avoiding the Three Big Investigative Errors

Recognizing Transition & Implementing Strategic Investigative Response

Describing the Investigation Process Within the System

Utilizing the STAIR Tool to Work Through the Investigative Process

In this module you will learn about the operational processes of an investigations, such as; from a tactical investigative response to a strategic investigative response, the three big investigation errors, and describing an investigation process within the justice system

Beginning With Your End in Mind and Focusing on Results

Scenario #2; Jewellery Store Robbery

Evidence Transfer, Relationships & Timelines

This module will take you through some investigative STAIR scenarios to demonstrate the required investigative awareness required to transition from the tactical investigative response to the strategic investigative response.

Witness Types

Competence and Compellability

Witness Credibility Assessment & Witness/Suspect Dilemma

Other Witness Types

Witness Interviews

This module discusses the many rules of evidence, definitions, and protocols that have developed to govern the way witnesses may testify in court.

Note Taking

Integrity of the Crime Scene

Evidence Management -Part 1

Evidence Management -Part 2

From this module , you will learn the task processes and protocols for several important issues in crime scene management. These include: Note taking, Securing a crime scene, Evidence management and Scaling the investigation to the event

Interviewing – Questioning – Interrogating

Dealing with False Confessions

Interviewing, Questioning, and Interrogating Young Offenders

Ancillary Offence Recognition

This module examines the interviewing, questioning, and interrogation of suspects as information gathering techniques police use to aid them in investigations.

Physical & Fingerprint Matching

Ballistic Analysis

Blood Spatter & DNA Analysis

Forensic Pathology

Forensic Anthropology, Entomology, Odontology, & Engineering

Profiling & Forensic Analysis

This module examines various forensic sciences and the application of forensic sciences as practical tools to assist police in conducting investigations.

Introduction to Criminal Investigation: Processes, Practises and Principles - Assessment

Learn processes, practices, and principles that drive criminal investigation in this free online law course.

Introduction to Criminal Investigation: Processes, Practises and Principles

This course introduces you to the processes, practices and principles that drive criminal investigations. Such investigations are imprecise undertakings that combine unpredictable, dynamic events with incomplete information to guide the process. As there are no precise methodologies, this course lays out the important concepts, laws and processes typically utilized in criminal investigations to train you to adapt them your own context.

900+ Open University Free Certificates

6 Best Penetration Testing Courses in 2025

The Business of Online Education: A Deep Dive Into Udemy’s Financials

Exploring edX’s “Final” Tax Returns: Revenue Surges, Losses Mount, and Contributions Decline

200K Layoffs, $100B Lost: The Tsunami of China’s Regulation on Education

The Business of Online Education: Khan Academy Tax Returns Analysis (2008–2021)