About the Lab

The laboratory was designed to represent a typical (small) residence complete with a kitchen, bedroom, family room and other rooms as designated by moving partitions, donated furniture, fixtures, and personal items.

The professors for these classes have devised systems whereby each student is able and required to investigate a “crime scene” while going through the course. Professors typically recreate a scene from their experiences and have the students learn how to work that scene. By moving some partitions, an instructor can replicate an interview room complete with video recording in order to teach interviewing and interrogating witnesses/suspects apart from using the entire lab. The convenience of being able to quickly and easily modify the lab by moving partitions and furniture allows groups of students to go though the lab while changing the scenarios.

Practical Uses of the Lab

Throughout the semester, the Advanced Criminal Investigations class may go through multiple scenes ranging in difficulty. This class is typically required to initiate investigations ranging from trespassing to an unattended death. These students may work on a crime scene file containing physical evidence logs, investigator’s notes, crime scene rough sketches, final “to scale” drawings, witness statements, suspect statements and waiver of rights, laboratory “reports” on submitted evidence, and other paperwork need to file a case. Their case is then presented to the professor who acts as the district attorney. The case then goes to a mock trial where the students testify as to their investigation based on evidence obtained from the crime scene (laboratory). The scene and process is as close to the real experience as possible.

Students who are not actually working in the lab can view and hear the students who are inside the lab by means of four cameras mounted within the lab. In this manner, students can learn through others’ experiences even while not actually present in the lab. Any event may be recorded and watched later to help reinforce the students’ learning and point out best practices or mistakes. As well, any mock interviews or interrogations can be videoed for educational purposes.

The lab has been generously equipped with items to investigate most crime scenes and detect evidence. Equipment ranges from cameras to take crime scene photos and evidence bags to collect and tag evidence to the more specialized equipment like a portable fingerprint fuming chamber and blood splatter kits. There is enough equipment to properly investigate almost any scene to a high standard of quality.

Professors with decades of practical experience teach the classes and laboratory — some professors are even current, local law enforcement. The lab, the equipment, and the practical, hands-on experience that students get while in the lab classes lead to an unforgettable experience.

Beyond The Lab

As not all crimes are committed inside a perfectly temperature-controlled room, the lab is equipped to “go mobile.”

The instructors routinely stage mock crime scenes near the Alpine building. The same types of scenes (suspicious death, robbery, missing person) are investigated but with added elements, often things taken for granted that “rookie” detectives or investigators just learning their craft sometimes do not take into account like wind and weather that make crime scene investigation more challenging. For this and other reasons, the faculty tries to stage at least one mock crime scene during the semester. It’s not as easy as TV programs like CSI would lead one to believe.