Welcome to the Criminal Justice Department

Criminal Justice has greatly expanded its ability to solve crimes by the adoption of techniques and procedures that recognize the importance of the combined powers of crime scenes, physical evidence, records and witnesses in successful criminal investigation. Today's crimes are most often solved by a system that focuses on teamwork, advanced investigative skills and the ability to process a crime scene properly by identifying, collecting and preserving all relevant physical evidence and information.

Numerous routine and high-profile cases have demonstrated the harsh reality that, despite current crime scene technologies and specialized personnel, the effectiveness of crime scene functions is only as good as the "Top First Response Unit." How to preserve, collect, and process a crime scene is only as good as the system that supports those functions.

First responders should be aware of any transient or conditional evidence that may be present. Subsequent movement or entries into the scene can easily alter many forms of conditional evidence. In Wake Technical Community College's Criminal Justice Department emphasis is on latent evidence: fingerprint classification, identification and chemical development, photography, footwear and tire track identification, and crime scene processing. Additional study areas may include: Juvenile Justice, NC Criminal Law, Constitutional Law, Court Procedure and Evidence, Substance Abuse, Ethics and Community Relations, and Computer Assisted Design programs (CAD) in crime scene technology.

Students may complete an Associates Degree in Applied Science at Wake Technical Community College and may transfer to several four-year colleges or universities.