The Rise of Big Data Policing: Surveillance, Race, and the Future of Law Enforcement

By Andrew Guthrie Ferguson.

Call Number: HV 8141 .F47 2017

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Winner of the 2018 Law & Legal Studies PROSE Award. “In this first book on big data policing, Ferguson offers an examination of how new technologies will alter the who, where, when and how we police.  These new technologies … offer data-driven methods to improve police accountability and to remedy the underlying socio-economic risk factors that encourage crime. The Rise of Big Data Policing is a must read for anyone concerned with how technology will revolutionize law enforcement and its potential threat to the security, privacy, and constitutional rights of citizens” (Publisher). The author thoroughly considers the pros and cons of data-driven policing for law enforcement and security personnel as well as the communities they serve. The book includes extensive bibliographical notes and an index.

Profiling and Criminal Justice in America: A Reference Handbook, second edition. Contemporary World Issues: Criminal Justice

By Jeff Bumgarner

Call Number: HV 9950 .B86 2015

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“Addressing this highly controversial topic holistically, the book considers questions such as whether the criminal justice system in the United States unfairly targets minorities, how the rights of minorities can be protected while enabling law enforcement to use every resource available, and whether justification for profiling techniques exists. This work will serve students at the high school and college level as well as general readers who are interested in criminal justice issues and issues relating to equality and fairness before the bar of justice.” Section 1 provides a brief philosophical background and history of profiling as a peacekeeping technique, focusing on American historical contexts, with common profile types. Sections 2 and 3 cover problems, controversies, and solutions with perspectives essays from stakeholders on all sides. Section 4 is an encyclopedia of people who have influenced profiling theory and practice. Section 5 is an annotated bibliography of government documents including key Supreme Court case decisions. Section 6 Resources is an extensive annotated bibliography of other research sources. A Chronology, Glossary, and Index complete the book.

Forensic Toxicology: Medico-Legal Case Studies

By Kalipatnapu N. Rao.

Call Number: RA 1228 .R36 2012

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This book “demonstrates how the science of forensic toxicology acts as a bridge between medicine and law. Tracking the progression of toxicology findings from the laboratory to the courtroom, it prepares practicing toxicologists to write reports and testify at depositions and in court” using actual case studies. Rao explains the organization of clinical laboratories, with sections on accreditation, quality control, and method validation. Situations that toxicologists most often confront are discussed in detail, along with some unusual and rare cases useful for in-class discussion. The book is written in remarkably accessible language and is very clearly organized to pack a great deal of information into short chapters. Each chapter has full references, and the cumulative index is extensive.

Practical Bomb Scene Investigation, Third edition. Practical Aspects of Criminal and Forensic Investigations Series

By James T. Thurman

Call Number: HV 8097 .B62 T47 2017

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Focused on the forensic examination of explosions, this book provides step-by-step procedures for managing and processing a bomb scene. It is written in accessible language and extensively illustrated with photographs, diagrams, and charts. Chapters cover explosion theory and dynamics, identification of explosives, device components, collection of evidence, WMDs, and military ordnance. Discussion of work in the forensic laboratory includes “reading the bomber’s signature” with DNA evidence, latent prints, tool marks, and other analytical perspectives. The final chapter is on managing tactical postblast investigations – in scenes that are not secure. Each chapter includes a summary, review questions, and bibliography. There is a cumulative index, glossary, and 17 appendices.

Active Shooter: Preparing for and Responding to a Growing Threat

By Kevin T. Doss and C. David Shepherd

Call Number: HV 6529 .D67 2015

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Authors Doss and Shepherd “have mined their extensive experience in government and private security to provide the tools necessary to identify potential violent individuals, along with the responses needed to save lives, reduce corporate liability, and recover from an active shooter event.” This books covers all stages, with checklists for better screening in the hiring process to prevent such events, blueprints for planning the corporate response during an event, communication structures with first responders, and managing employees, media coverage, and customers in the aftermath of an event. It is aimed at the private sector but will be useful for anyone with responsibility for providing or overseeing the security of a workplace. Each chapter has references, and there is a cumulative index. Appendices deal with the psychological profiles and classification of murderers, case studies of active shooter events, and discussion exercises for training teams.

Crime Scene Investigations Series

We have 12 new or updated books in this series from Greenhaven Press. These are short topic overviews written at a high-school level, useful for anyone seeking a quick introduction and summary. All draw on real-life cases and interviews with the victims, detectives, and technicians involved, as well as outside experts. They are thoroughly illustrated and include statistics. Each book uses scholarly references and has a bibliography for further reading.

Our new titles (with call numbers) are:

The Homicide Detective (HV 8079 .H6 A46 2009) View in IvyCat

Cold Cases (HV 6515 .S759 2011) View in IvyCat

Identity Theft in the 21st Century (HV 6675 .M263 2018) View in IvyCat

DNA Evidence: The Proof is in the Genes (RA 1057.55 .J46 2018) View in IvyCat

Undercover Operations: Investigating Crimes from the Inside (HV 8080 .U5 M396 2018) View in IvyCat

Drug Trafficking: A Global Criminal Trade (HV 5801 .H687 2018) View in IvyCat

Tracking Serial Killers (HV 8079 .H6 Y35 2018) View in IvyCat

Criminal Profiling: Searching for Suspects (HV 8073.5 .H66 2018) View in IvyCat

Clues in Corpses: A Closer Look at Body Farms (GN 69.8 .W38 2018) View in IvyCat

Ballistics: The Science of Weapons at Work (HV 8077 .S28 2018) View in IvyCat

Missing Persons: What Happens When Someone Disappears (HV 6762 .A3 V56 2018) View in IvyCat

Cybercrime: Using Computers as Weapons (HV 6773 .S395 2017) View in IvyCat