Chief of Police, Brian Saterfield, Speaks to Students on Investigation Process

This post is one of several which cover professional speakers the Criminal Justice Program brings into the classroom, allowing students to learn from and connect with experts who currently work in a variety of areas in the criminal justice field. Check out our recap post for a list of speakers the CJ Program hosted during the fall 2015 semester.

This is a continuation of yesterday's post which covers guest speaker Robert Ball, Investigator Coroner for Richland County.  

Recently, Brian Saterfield, Chief of Police in Galion, Ohio, and former detective with the Marion Police Department, spoke to students in Criminal Investigations (CJ 200) and to students in Role of Police in Modern Society (CJ 270). 

Melissa Smith, a senior criminal justice and psychology major, outlines the topics Chief Saterfield discussed with students.

Chief Saterfield addresses students in the
Criminal Investigations class

"In the Criminal Investigations class, we had been learning about different techniques investigators had to use throughout the investigation process. This included documentation, photographing, and even the interview and interrogation process. We then had the opportunity to hear from someone how it actually plays out in the field, thus gaining a better understanding of the importance of the details. Chief Saterfield talked to the class about different cases he has experienced and explained how documentation is very important in order to make sure there are no holes in the case. He also explained that the interview process is important in order to find out the truth.

Chief Saterfield spoke on many relevant topics in the Role of Police in Modern Society class, as well, giving students the opportunity to hear from somebody who rose through the ranks of police work to the very top. Chief Saterfield talked about topics that are discussed in the textbook, such as community policing, police management, the police hiring process, the value of education in police work, and the current trend of militarization of police, to name a few.

The students really enjoyed hearing from him in order to get a better idea of how the information they learned in class relates to the real world."