Bio

Suzanna K. Taylor Instructor of Criminal Justice since August 2010 University of North Alabama Department of Politics, Justice, and Law In May 2000, I graduated from the University of North Alabama (UNA) with a B.S. degree having majored in Criminal Justice and Sociology with a Psychology minor. After graduating, I started my law enforcement career in August 2000 when I was hired as a police officer with the City of Florence, Lauderdale County, Alabama. I was in the patrol division from August 2000 to May 2002. In May 2002, I was assigned to the Criminal Investigation Division (CID). While in CID, I worked in every major CID division: Property, Juvenile, White Collar, Crime Scene Investigation/Evidence Management, and Persons (Homicide, Robbery, Rape, etc.). While in CID, I was assigned multiple homicide cases, and was involved in the arrest and conviction of several homicide suspects. While I was an investigator, I graduated from Auburn University Montgomery (AUM) in May 2008 with a master’s degree in Justice and Public Safety. Immediately after graduating, I applied to become an adjunct instructor of Criminal Justice at the University of North Alabama. The first course I ever taught was CJ 405 Criminal Investigation. After moving to the City of Huntsville in August 2009, I worked as an adjunct instructor at ITT Technical Institute. Later, in 2010, I was employed as a full-time Background Investigator with KeyPoint Governmental Solutions. While employed, my primary responsibility was to investigate several persons wanting to secure a top-secret clearance from the United States government. I started as a full-time non-tenure track instructor of Criminal Justice at UNA in August 2010. Since starting my employment at UNA full-time in 2008, I have taught the following courses: CJ 250 Introduction to Criminal Justice, CJ 255 Police Organization and Community Relations, CJ 326 Professional Ethics and Legal Liabilities, CJ 390 Substance Abuse, CJ 405 Criminal Investigation, CJ 406 Forensic Investigation, CJ 406L Forensic Investigation Lab, CJ 431 Principles of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis, CJ 431L Principles of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Lab, CJ 432 Crime Scene Reconstruction, CJ 433 Evidence Management, CJ CJ 440W Research Methods, CJ 480 Psychological Dimensions of Criminal Justice practice, CJ 495 Internships, and CJ 499 Independent Research Practicum. My key teaching paradigm is experiential learning by requiring students to complete real hands-on learning assignments, such as the completion of search warrants and improving crime scene processing skills. Throughout my career at UNA, I have always focused my university and public service efforts to law enforcement education and improvement. I do this through multiple independent activities, such as providing continuing education units to patrol officers in the summer 2018, and as the faculty advisor of the Criminal Justice Students’ Association (CJSA).

Research Interests

• Law enforcement and crime scene investigation