PUBLIC SAFETY & SECURITY - Texas Engineering Extension Service

TE
AS
FORENSIC
SCIENCE
ACADEMY
TM
Courtroom Testimony — FSA111*
40 Hours
The 40-hour Courtroom Testimony course provides participants
with an understanding of the basic factors that create effective
courtroom testimony. Course instruction is through lecture and
practical application.
Forensic science academy
Basic Criminal Investigation
— FSA105*
40 Hours
The Basic Criminal Investigator (BCI) course prepares participants
for their transition from a traditional patrol/traffic function to an
investigative position such as detective. The BCI course is also
appropriate for agencies that require officers to perform both
patrol and investigative functions. The course prepares officers to
manage a wide variety of common criminal investigations, from a
response to the initial scene to case preparation and presentation
for prosecution. Emphasis is placed on managing the legal processes
involved in investigations, including preparation of affidavits,
procurement and execution of search and arrest warrants, interview
and interrogation procedures, and rules governing the collection
and preservation of evidence. Additionally, participants will learn
case preparation techniques and unique aspects of special topic
investigations such as narcotics, property crimes, and crimes against
persons.
Topics
• Basic principles of criminal investigation
• Interview and interrogation techniques
• Utilizing informants
• Crime scene investigation
• Subpoenas, warrants and search warrants
• Case preparation
• Narcotics investigations
• Property crime investigations
• Crimes against persons investigations
• Other types of investigation
Audience
Law enforcement, security, private investigators.
Bloodstain Pattern Analysis I
— FSA103*
40 Hours
The Bloodstain Pattern Analysis I course is designed for those who
investigate crime scenes containing blood evidence, such as assaults
and death investigations, as well as those who process bloodstained
evidentiary items. The course provides participants with basic
knowledge of bloodstain pattern analysis, including methods and
skills for the interpretation of bloodstain evidence at crime scenes
and on evidentiary items. Participants will learn to make determinations
such as the relative positions of the victim or suspect, the
nature of the force and object used, and the approximate number of
blows struck. Course instruction is through lecture and case review
with emphasis on experiments and practical application.
Topics
• History of bloodstain pattern analysis
• Utilizing bloodstain pattern analysis at crime scenes
• Measuring bloodstains
• Determining the angle of impact of bloodstains
• Determining point of convergence of bloodstains
• Determining point of origin of bloodstains
• Identification and analysis of bloodstain patterns
• Documenting crime scenes
• Biological hazards in crime scenes
• Chemical processing of crime scenes
• Bloodstain pattern analysis and courtroom testimony
Audience
Law enforcement investigators and noncommissioned personnel assigned to crime
scene investigation and reconstruction.
Topics
• Curriculum vitae/resume writing
• Universal communication skills
• Report preparation
• Testifying in court
Audience
Law enforcement investigators and noncommissioned personnel assigned to crime
scene investigation and reconstruction.
Crime Scene Investigation — FSA106*
40 Hours
The Crime Scene Investigation course provides participants with
information, techniques, and methodologies for conducting
investigations ranging from general crime scene investigations to
death investigations. Course instruction is through lecture and case
review with emphasis on practical application.
Topics
• Crime scene searches and legality
• Preparation for crime scene investigations
• Crime scene documentation
• Collection, packaging, and preservation of evidence
• Fingerprints and fingerprint processing
• DNA evidence
• Electronic evidence
Audience
Newly assigned and current evidence collection personnel responsible for crime
scene investigations.
Death Investigation — FSA110*
40 Hours
The Death Investigation course addresses the procedures for
conducting investigations of various types of death and includes
the investigator’s role throughout the investigative process.
Topics
• Medical examiner and coroner systems
• Types of trauma
• Time of death estimation and post-mortem processes
• Body of evidence
• Investigating specific types of death
• Death investigation procedures
• Child death
• Decedents in a hospital setting
• Autopsy, laboratory, and specialist capabilities
• Stress
Audience
Newly assigned and current evidence collection personnel responsible for crime
scene investigations.
Forensic Entomology — FSA102
40 Hours
The Forensic Entomology course addresses the collection,
preservation, and understanding of entomological evidence
resulting from the insect colonization of victims. Participants will
learn to apply principles of forensic entomology to questions
concerning victim transport, toxicology, and approximate time of
death. Course instruction is through lecture, laboratory exercises,
and field application.
Topics
• Law enforcement application of forensic entomology
• Collecting and preserving entomological evidence
• Insects of forensic importance
• Environments in which bodies decompose
• Environmental factors affecting decomposition by insects
• Collecting specimens from human remains
• Preserving collected specimens
• Rearing specimens collected from human remains
• Chain of custody and shipping issues
Audience
Law enforcement and noncommissioned personnel assigned to crime
scene investigation.
Texas Engineering Extension Service
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