Marshall's Crime Scene House is getting recognition by visitors across the country who are here for training classes, as well as positive feedback from students.
The Crime Scene House has brought a lot to the program's courses, including the training session that is taught by law enforcement agencies. Mock crime scenes are set up in a way that gives the trainees hands-on experience in collecting evidence such as DNA, forensic chemistry and digital evidence. The students work on actual crimes that are educational and helpful in solving cases.
Kevin Risk, a graduate from the Forensic Science program and the Crime Scene Investigation Coordinator, said the house brings a tremendous amount of activity to the program.
"Right now we have a FBI training class here with two FBI examiners training people from all over the country. It's basically open to any law enforcement when they need to use it and they contact us," Risk said.
By hosting the law enforcement training courses, the house is getting its name out to people in the forensic science field everywhere. A summer camp for teenagers will be held at the house this week that will be an occasion for potential forensic students to get a head start. They, too, will participate in mock crime scene investigations.
The house has two bathrooms, two living rooms, a dining room and an office that can be set up into mock crime scenes. Another important part of the house is a room dedicated to security where focus is also on watching examiners work on practical tasks. Students also make use of the fingerprint lab and a mock courtroom where they practice being eye witnesses in mock trials.
"The court is a very big part of forensic science and it helps us prepare for trials," Risk said.
The courtroom is set up on the third floor.
Terry Fenger, FSC Director, said that the program is only offered at a Master's level, but there are still opportunities for undergrads who are interested in studying forensic science.
"The University offers a lot in crime scene investigation and they are talking about adding a forensic nursing program so a lot is developing at the undergrad level," Fenger said.
People who come and use the house express how much they like it.
"We have heard that people really enjoy the house. It is a beautiful house with plenty of space, and they like the convenience of the location." Mary Thomasson, Public Information Officer for the forensic department, said.
"The university has received a great deal of recognition nationally for the crime scene house and the benefits it provides for training purposes. The knowledge they gain at Marshall will definitely help them in their future professions. It has been a fantastic learning tool for the students and it is so suitable to set up scenarios," Thomasson added.
Some examples of mock crime scenes that students works with are robberies where there is a murder and basic shooting, with the use of props from fake blood to bullet casing. One scenario was a meth lab that set up in a bathtub, and the purpose was to illustrate the intervention of crime scene investigators as they come upon a similar situation.
The last FBI training session was on the fundamentals of handwriting. Lauren Logan, a forensic document examiner who is currently working in Indianapolis with the Indiana State Police, was one of the trainees on handwriting identification.
"Overall the house is very beneficial. Without experience you won't have any mock. For people going into the field or already in it you can always use more practice," Logan said.
The case the students were studying was a murder. The mirror in the dining room had a threatening message written on it with red lipstick, and there was also handwriting of ten potential suspects in separate places to compare it to the message that said, "The killings have just started. More will die. The Ripper."
The group spent one hour every day for three consecutive days at the house using the forensic facilities, and Logan seemed to enjoy the time she spent working at the crime scene house. "It's been really nice and Marshall has been very accommodating letting us use the house," Logan said.
Be the first to comment on this article!