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This six day-sixty hour course is intense. The days are long, often running ten to twelve hours in duration. This program is intended to set a strong foundation of knowledge
in the fundamental basics of scene investigation and the collection and preservation of evidence.
The course is also designed to further develop the students investigative skills by exposing them to realistic case scenarios covering the full spectrum of scene investigations.
A major objective of this program is to introduce the student to the concepts involved with the reconstruction of criminal activities through interpretation of the crime scene and the
evidence.
Subject Matter Includes:
- Scene Processing: approach, resource development, documentation, collection, preservation, interpretation, and critical observations. This includes a basic introduction (hands on) to fingerprinting,
casting, photography (still and video), measurements, sketching, collection of blood, trace and firearms evidence, and other basic skills.
- Evidence Knowledge: proper methods of handling, transporting and storing of evidence to maximize laboratory findings. Expectations of evidence, degrees of certainty, and identification versus
elimination of subjects are also emphasized.
- Evidence Interpretation: explaining the effects of time and environmental surroundings. correlating and interpreting the information conveyed by the evidence at the scene, autopsy reports,
interrogations, and lab reports, and dispelling myths regarding evidence interpretation. Integrating reconstruction with scene processing and active interview or interrogation techniques.
- Specialized Talents: collection techniques for and interpretation bloodstains, bite marks, ricochets, drive-by shooting evidence, fingerprints from bodies, and numerous tricks and tips will increase
investigator effectiveness.
- Developing Skills: each participant will process approximately six crime scenes to demonstrate the skills and abilities acquired in this course.
Course Outline:
DAY 1
- Introduction
- Instructor evaluation of participant knowledge and skills
- The fundamentals of the scene
- The approach to the scene
- Documentation methods at the scene
- The scene as part of the field interview and canvasing
- Scene processing exercise
- Briefing and critique
DAY 2
- Simplifying the measurement and recording process
- Collection techniques at the crime scene
- Photograpgy and videography
- Roles and authority at the scene
- The coroner and medical personnel
- Scene assignments to exercise subject material discussed
DAY 3
- Vehicle shootings (range activity)
- Glass, metal and bouncing bullets
- Integration of weapons handling and the crime scene processing
- Firearm evidence at the crime scene, including the best techniques for collection of discharge patterns
- Latent fingerprints, including prints off of victims flesh
DAY 4
- Trace, and the concept of mapping
- Volatiles
- Sexual assualt and autopsy evidence
- Bloodstains reconstruction
- Scene assignments to exercise subject material
- Questioned documents
- Briefings
DAY 5
- Evidence recognition
- Casting of evidence
- Field conclusions regarding evidence
- Field exercise
- Upon completion of the scenes, each team presents findings to the remainder of the class. At the conclusion of the exercise, students will be asked to identify critical evidence concepts as they create a
sequence of the crime events, and to reconstruct the activities of the perpetrator.
DAY 6
- Autopsy and wound morphology
- The exhumation
- Reconstruction theory
- How to reconstruct the crime actions
- Examples of reconstructions
- Scene assignments
- Briefing, final exam and closure
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