In the movie Seven directed by David Fincher in 1995, two detectives: William Somerset played by Morgan Freeman and David Mills played by Brad Pitt get called to solve a case of various murders representing the seven deadly sins: lust, gluttony, greed, sloth, wrath and envy. The personalities and personal struggles of both detectives begin to develop throughout the process of extensive investigating and high stresses of the case. The main take away from the movie is how the stressors and experiences of a career can begin to take over one’s life. Law enforcement officials who constantly view unpleasant crime scenes are at higher risk of being affected by stress if the ability to cope is not there. “Although some of the cognitive and emotional
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252). Detective Somerset is a prime example of the extensive toll that being in the law enforcement career takes on a person. Throughout the movie, Somerset is portrayed as a victim of hypervigilance as well as a cynical person. His views on certain situations like Mills behavior during the beginning of the movie to his view on crime and his career begin to show his lack of enthusiasm and the cynicism taking over. In the book Emotional Survival for Law enforcement state five traits of an off-duty officer who have been victims of hypervigilance, those traits being tired, isolated, detached, apathetic, and angry (Gilmartin, 2002, p. 46). These traits can be seen throughout Detective Somerset’s behavior and actions while working on the case. For example, Somerset becomes detached and isolated from those around him by keeping to himself. He avoids mentioning his personal life apart from a dinner with Mills wife, when he opens up for the first time …show more content…
Any mistakes, cross contamination, or missing important details can jeopardize solving the case. Chapter five in Criminal Investigation talks about the basic responsibilities investigators have in order to process a crime scene and collect evidence correctly. The chapter mentions five elements important to processing evidence. Those include discovering or recognizing evidence, marking, identifying, and collecting evidence, packaging and preserving evidence, transporting evidence, and protecting, storing, and managing evidence (Cho, Hess, Orthmann, 2016, p. 139-143). Detective Somerset and Detective David Mills both compromised certain elements of their investigation due to lack of awareness and integrity. When arriving to the first crime scene, Mills failed to prevent cross contamination. He began touching items in the house without gloves leaving his finger prints everywhere. He continued to walk through the house without caution to the extent to which he blew his nose and spit inside the crime scene allowing his DNA to contaminate any other viable evidence. “It is important to wear protective gloves and handle the evidence as little as possible, being mindful to use clean containers and watching for cross exchange and
252). Detective Somerset is a prime example of the extensive toll that being in the law enforcement career takes on a person. Throughout the movie, Somerset is portrayed as a victim of hypervigilance as well as a cynical person. His views on certain situations like Mills behavior during the beginning of the movie to his view on crime and his career begin to show his lack of enthusiasm and the cynicism taking over. In the book Emotional Survival for Law enforcement state five traits of an off-duty officer who have been victims of hypervigilance, those traits being tired, isolated, detached, apathetic, and angry (Gilmartin, 2002, p. 46). These traits can be seen throughout Detective Somerset’s behavior and actions while working on the case. For example, Somerset becomes detached and isolated from those around him by keeping to himself. He avoids mentioning his personal life apart from a dinner with Mills wife, when he opens up for the first time …show more content…
Any mistakes, cross contamination, or missing important details can jeopardize solving the case. Chapter five in Criminal Investigation talks about the basic responsibilities investigators have in order to process a crime scene and collect evidence correctly. The chapter mentions five elements important to processing evidence. Those include discovering or recognizing evidence, marking, identifying, and collecting evidence, packaging and preserving evidence, transporting evidence, and protecting, storing, and managing evidence (Cho, Hess, Orthmann, 2016, p. 139-143). Detective Somerset and Detective David Mills both compromised certain elements of their investigation due to lack of awareness and integrity. When arriving to the first crime scene, Mills failed to prevent cross contamination. He began touching items in the house without gloves leaving his finger prints everywhere. He continued to walk through the house without caution to the extent to which he blew his nose and spit inside the crime scene allowing his DNA to contaminate any other viable evidence. “It is important to wear protective gloves and handle the evidence as little as possible, being mindful to use clean containers and watching for cross exchange and