This discussion will center on the issues surrounding the use of physical evidence in the identification of a potential suspect and the legal and ethical obligations that surround official public statements by police. On July 27, 1996 a pipe bomb exploded in Centennial Park in Atlanta, Georgia. Two people were killed and 111 injured. The Olympic Games were underway. Richard Jewell was a security guard assigned to the park. Prior to the explosion, Jewell had observed an unattended backpack and notified an agent of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. Jewell was aiding in evacuating the area when the bomb exploded. Originally praised for his heroic efforts, Jewell came under suspicion of having planted the bomb himself in order to then perform heroic acts. Jewell was publically acquitted two years later when serial bomber Eric Rudolph was arrested for multiple anti-abortion and anti-gay motivated bombings after being on the run for five years. This discussion will focus on evaluating accepted methodologies employed in contemporary crime scene management and how this process aids or hinders the investigation. It will include an analysis of commonly accepted forensic techniques and contemporary specialized techniques and the role they play in the exoneration or culpability of suspects. It will also examine judicial expectations and requirements relative to the admittance of evidence collected by forensic crime scene investigators. Create an initial post of a minimum of 250 words in length. Using a minimum of two scholarly and/or professional sources from the Ashford University Library or another scholarly source of information, address the following: Evaluate the circumstances that contributed to the early suspicions directed at Richard Jewell and the public disclosure of his identity. Discuss how the misidentification of Richard Jewell as the suspect may have impacted the failure to identify Eric Rudolph sooner and, perhaps, disrupt his bombing crime spree. Evaluate the impact this case has on how citizens and potential jurors view investigations, news reports, and the identification of suspects. Analyze how policies of law enforcement agencies have been influenced by this event and evaluate the effectiveness of these policies. Guided Response: Review several of your colleagues’ posts and respond to at least two of your peers by 11:59 p.m. on Day 7 of the week. You are encouraged to post your required replies earlier in the week to promote more meaningful and interactive discourse in this discussion forum.
