College of Engineering
College of Arts & Sciences
STUDY OF POLICE OFFICER TESTIMONY IN PRELIMINARY HEARINGS
Sean Craig International Area Studies
Mariah Trisch General Engineering
Dean Daniel M. Filler Earle Mack School of Law
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Police of icers have often been referred to as professional witnesses because they are called to testify in court so often. Judges or juries may view police as more accurate and credible than civilian witnesses due to their expertise and experience. However, the accuracy and credibility of police testimony should not be taken as a given. Some studies have demonstrated that police of icers are more prone to view a citizen as partaking in criminal activity. Extended periods of time may pass between the incident and the court date and as the memory capacity of a human is limited, testimony may be inaccurate. Additionally, police may stretch truth to insure their account of facts complies with the Fourth Amendment. This past year the ACLU brought a class action lawsuit against the City of Philadelphia that alleged that thousands of people are illegally stopped and searched on the streets of Philadelphia. In light of this case, Bailey v. City of Philadelphia, the number and reasons for police stops on the streets of Philadelphia have become prevalent issues. This study seeks to ind whether police testimony provided in hearings re lects repeating patterns. The study focuses on police testimony in preliminary hearings pertaining to alleged drug deals during the summer of 2011. Data was collected from the South West and East Detective Districts through observing courtroom proceedings. Data was organized and trends discovered. Findings resulted from searching for similarities in testimony. Review and organization of data resulted in the discovery of patterns within police testimony; however, reasons these patterns exist cannot be determined without further research.
STAR Scholars Summer Showcase 2011
AUTONOMOUS SPACE ROBOTICS
A main issue in space exploration is the inability to quickly and ef iciently ix problems on satellites while they are in space. In order to make adjustments to damaged satellites, a crew of astronauts must physically approach them, costing signi icant amounts of time and money. A potential solution to this issue is utilizing a team of robots to repair the satellites rather than a costly unit of humans. The robots could be stored in the satellite and deployed when problems arise. However, when robots move on a freely moving satellite, they disturb its movement and ability to communicate. If multiple robots follow particular paths around the satellite, they may be able to counteract one another’s movement, thus allowing it to maintain its original position. In order to determine the relationship between the robots and the satellite’s position, tests were created to simulate a frictionless, space‐like environment. These tests consist of a platform suspended from a ceiling and a platform suspended on an air table, testing the rotational and translational effects, respectively. Several robots were placed on each of the platforms. The one suspended from the ceiling has been successful thus far, exhibiting de initive rotation when robots were onboard. The air table platform, however, struggled to hold the weight of several robots. Tests will soon continue with more powerful air equipment. If these tests accurately demonstrate the effect of moving robots on a freestanding space object, remote satellite repair will become an even greater possibility.
STAR Scholars Summer Showcase 2011
Robert J. Davies, Jr. Mechanical Engineering
Dr. Jin Kang Faculty Mentor Mechanical Engineering & Mechanics
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