Criminal Investigation ─ An Illustrated Case Study Approach

James Lasley

James Lasley, Ph.D., is Professor of Criminal Justice at California State University, Fullerton, and has held previous faculty appointments at Washington State University, Arizona State University, and The University of Southern California. His previous criminal justice agency experience includes prior work with United States Probation and Parole (Washington, D.C.), The Los Angeles Police Department, and California Commission on Police Officer Standards and Training (P.O.S.T.). He has also worked previously in the criminal justice private sector as a licensed Bail Bond Agent and Bounty Hunter (California) and has provided expert testimony on street gang matters in criminal trials, as well as in hearings conducted by the U.S. Congress. His published works include over 50 books and articles covering

a variety of issues concerning policing, forensic science and investigation, which have been featured in a wide range of practitioner-, trade-, government-, and academic-oriented publications, including Muscle & Fitness Magazine, FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, NIJ (National Institute of Justice) Research in Brief, and Justice Quarterly.

Nikos Guskos

Nikos Guskos is a Criminal Justice professor and lectures at various universities including California State University, Fullerton, where he is currently an Adjunct Professor of Criminal Justice. He holds a Master of Arts degree in Criminal Justice from Chapman University and is founder of the Guskos Institute–a criminal justice consulting firm located in Huntington Beach, CA. His teaching and research areas of expertise, in addition to criminal investigation, include street gangs, financial crimes, and homeland security. He is also presently an active member of law enforcement in Southern California and has several years of field experience in policing, which include patrol and specialized units focusing on gangs, financial crimes, and tactical training. Additionally, he is experienced as a first-responder to death scenes and has assisted in investigating several homicides. Presently, he is assigned to the Homeland Security Division of his department. Previous to his current assignment, he spent five years at the highest soft risk threat target in the Southern

California region area. Responsible for enforcement, investigations and threat assessments. On a national level, he also serves

as a consultant to The National Institute of Justice (NIJ) for research issues concerning policing and criminal investigation and is a proud veteran of the United States Army.

Randy A. Seymour

Retired Sergeant Randy Seymour has over 25 years of law enforcement experience with a large metropolitan Sheriff’s Department. His assignments included Custody, Patrol, Specialized Street Gang Patrol, Patrol Training Officer, and Patrol Sergeant. He also has seven years experience as a Street Gang Detective and more than nine years as a Homicide Investigator. He was the lead investigator in close to 100 homicides including stabbings, shootings, blunt force trauma, strangulation, rape, and poisoning. He assisted in more than 100 additional homicides during his career.

Sergeant Seymour was also the lead investigator in more than 30 deputy- and officer-involved shootings and has assisted in more than 30 additional shootings. He also investigated approximately 50 suicides from gunshot wounds, hangings, overdoses, bleeding to death from self-inflicted cuts, and stepping in front of trains or other vehicles. He also investigated more than 100 suspicious deaths where the cause of death was not initially known.

Sergeant Seymour per