Case Study Assignment: Michael Brown

According to media reports, police officer Darren Wilson shot and killed 18 year old Michael Brown on August 9, 2014, in Ferguson, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. The disputed circumstances of the shooting of an unarmed man, the resultant protests, and the civil unrest due to racial undertones of the case have received considerable attention in the United States and abroad. In this case study, you will explore how police psychology impacts the future outcome of this case and the likelihood of criminal charges being brought against the officer.

Review the following articles regarding the Michael Brown case:

• "Timeline: Michael Brown shooting in Ferguson, Mo.".

• "Michael Brown shooting: Legal questions loom".

Write a three to five page paper in which you:

1. Determine whether or not after the resolution of this event, the officer in question will need an additional psychological assessment to ensure that his future conduct, if he returns to active duty, is befitting of an officer. Provide a rationale for your response.

2. Explain the fundamental distinction between deductive analytic techniques and inductive analytic techniques. Analyze if the officer in question made his decision to act based on deductive analytic techniques or inductive analytic techniques. Provide a rationale for your response.

3. Argue for or against the theory that a well prepared officer should possess the following characteristics - agreeableness, empathy, listening comprehension, and sociability - in order to perform well as a law enforcement officer. Next, determine if any of these characteristics were present when Officer Wilson encountered Michael Brown. Provide a rationale to support your response.

4. Given the circumstances surrounding this event, consider the following options the officer in question may have had in this case:

1. Wait for back up before engaging the suspect
2. Engage the suspect without a weapon
3. Follow the suspect without engaging him
4. Resolve to allow the suspect to proceed to his destination

Select the option that you believe would have best served the purpose of protecting the officer, the suspect, and the general public in this case. Provide a rationale for your response.

Use at least three quality academic resources in this assignment. Note: Wikipedia and similar type Websites do not qualify as academic resources.

Your assignment must follow these formatting requirements:

• Be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides; citations and references must follow APA or school-specific format. Check with your professor for any additional instructions.

• Include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the professor's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page and the reference page are not included in the required assignment page length.

The specific course learning outcomes associated with this assignment are:

• Demonstrate basic knowledge of the different elements and aspects of forensic psychology.
• Brief and debate historic cases associated with mental health and forensic psychology.
• Use technology and information resources to research issues related to forensic psychology.
• Write clearly and concisely about topics related to forensic psychology using proper writing mechanics and technical style conventions.