1. With the large assortment of handguns available to the general public, officer safety when handling firearms found at the scene or on the suspect in a crime is of paramount concern. What steps do you recommend when handling firearms as evidence, and how might the action you have suggested to secure the weapon be challenged by the defense as having jeopardized the credibility of the evidence?
2. Lets face it: ours is a gun culture. Consider for just a moment gun sales following the acquittal of four law enforcement officers in the Rodney King incident and gun sales a year or so ago. Arguably, it could be said those who want guns have guns, and this is possibly the reason for decreased sales. Fast-forward to today: Many states have relaxed concealed weapons carry requirements, and consequently gun sales have once again soared. As a result, based on simple probability theory, the possibility of gun violence increases. To begin the discussion, identify the information available at the scene of a shooting. What can we learn from a gunshot? And what does the type of ammunition used in a shooting tell us about the offender?