Questions and Topics We Can Help You To Answer

Since September 11, 2001, US officials have been diligently working to take measures to prevent such a tragedy from ever happening again.  The FBI has significant responsibility for investigating terrorist movements in the US and apprehending potential terrorists before a tragedy occurs.  But many FBI agents are facing a dilemma they never envisioned---financial difficulties.  For example, one FBI agent, a 34 year old law school graduate and former marine captain assigned to New York City must live more than 40 miles from his office.  He cannot afford to live near his work on a salary of $60,000.  Another agent left his $80,000 year job in Miami to join the FBI, and was assigned to San Diego.  His $58,000 salary does not cover the housing expenses in that area, and thus he lives nearly two hours from his work.  In serious debt, he may not be able to afford being an FBI agent much longer.  

Many fear that these agents - particularly those who live in Boston, New York City, San Francisco, and other high cost of living areas - who are in deep debt, may become vulnerable to corruption - which could threaten national security.  At the heart of the problem is that a new FBI agent starts at a base salary of around $50,000.  After 5 years of service, an agent could make over $70,000.  But that is not enough for the high cost areas.  In Richmond, VA, for example, housing can be 50% less than in the high cost areas.  

A survey of FBI agents revealed that more than 7,700 agents indicate their financial situation is “dangerously unstable”.  Many have had to cash out their retirement accounts.  

Assume that you are the Director of the FBI.  This information has just been given to you.  What would you do?  
1.    Explain your reasoning in a thorough Position Paper.  
2.    Describe the type(s) of control that are portrayed in the case.  Give specific examples.
3.    Would some types of control be more important than others in this situation?  

Submit your paper using the Position Paper Requirements by the date listed in the syllabus.


POSITION PAPER

The Position Paper must meet the following minimum requirements:
1. The term paper must be a minimum of 5 pages in length. The term paper length does not include the title page, table of contents page, or reference page.
2. The term paper must have a title page. The title page must have the title of the term paper, the student's name, the student's address, and the name of the course. 
3. The term paper must have a table of contents. The table of contents must indicate the pages on which each portion or section of the paper begins. This will look like the table of contents of a book.
4. The term paper must have an "abstract." An abstract is a short statement of the central ideas in the term paper. The abstract must be between 25 and 40 words in length.
5. The term paper must have an introduction. The introduction identifies the topic discussed and the issues pertaining thereto. For purposes of this term paper, it is a discussion of the topic, identification of the major issues relating to the topic, and your position on the issue.
6. The "Introduction" section of the term paper might identify many issues relating to the topic. However, after the introduction elaborate only on the major issues identified.  Do not devote major time to minor issues.
7. The term paper must have a conclusion section. It should briefly summarize the issues raised in the term paper, discuss your recommendations, and note how your recommendations are or are not supported by the facts and expert opinion to which you refer in your paper.
8. There must be a reference section of the term paper, using the APA citation format. If you do not know what the APA citation format is, then look at your textbooks and see how these authors cite the works on which they relied to write their documents. If you still are confused, visit the library and ask a reference librarian to show you an APA citation style document. 
9. The term paper must rely upon relevant facts and expert opinion. The term paper must cite at least five sources:  peer-reviewed journal articles, scholarly books (excluding the course textbook), and web-sites.  A variety of sources is needed.  The APA citation format must be used. 
10. The only references you may cite are peer-reviewed, professional journal articles (e.g., articles published in Crime and Delinquency, Police Quarterly, Social Problems, American Psychological Review), law review articles, scholarly books, federal and state case law (i.e., appellate court decisions), state or federal statutes (including references to their legislative history), and government publications (e.g., Uniform Crime Reports, National Institute of Justice publications, U.S. Census data).
THIS MEANS THAT YOU SHOULD  NOT CITE NEWSPAPER OR MAGAZINE ARTICLES!!!  ALSO, DO NOT USE WIKIPEDIA, EVER, FOR ANY REASON IN AN ACADEMIC PAPER.  I WILL FAIL ANY PAPER WITH EVIDENCE OF THE USE OF WIKIPEDIA.
11. Each section of the term paper must have a separate heading and same must correspond to the page numbers noted on the Table of Contents. Placing a heading at the beginning of each section of the paper makes the discussion in the paper easier to follow. Headings also improve the paper's visual presentation. Among the headings your paper should have are: a) Abstract; b) Introduction c) Analysis and defense of your position (including an analysis of theories, concepts and facts); and d) Conclusion.
12. The term paper must use the proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation. If a direct quotation is more than two lines long, make certain you single space and indent it.