Kidnaps And Gunshot Wounds, No Problem For CSI Program Students

By Dani Villa

Chairs were strewn about one room and the outline of a dead body lay like a shadow on the floor in another, but Crime Scene Investigators, students in this summer’s first-time Summer Music and Art (SMART) program through Continuing Education, were busy at work on Friday, July 16, for the program’s finale.

As part of the program, participants engaged in the activities that professional investigators would.

Jen Sweat, 14, said that the class had been “studying fibers, hair, powders, and blood types,” among other things. Each day, the students worked individually and in groups, learning how to analyze the evidence presented at a crime scene.

David Pierce, 13, and Illyssa Garcia, 13, gave an example of the skills taught at the CSI program. They tested several “blood” samples from the crime scene and several suspects. After adding either Anti-A or B serum, chemicals which show what type of blood the sample is, the investigators can determine blood type based on observing if clotting occurs.

“If it gets murky and dark, it’s clotted. Then we know if the blood is either Type A or B, depending on which antiserum was used,” said Illyssa. After matching the blood found at the crime scene with the sample that has the same type, the suspect can be found.

Their application of investigatory techniques culminated in the investigation of two “real” crime scenes for the course. At the first crime scene, the victim was shot; in the other, the victim was kidnapped.

For the second scenario, explained David, “After we received a call, we analyzed the scene, found and marked the evidence, and drew a diagram of the area. Then we took the evidence to our lab stations and after testing it, eliminated suspects.”

The students were very enthusiastic about the course.

“I’ve really enjoyed it,” said David. “This isn’t something we do in [school], so this is new ground for me.”

His fellow camper, Ryan Cassin, 13, agreed. “I really liked crime shows, like NCIS, so I thought that the program would be really fun.”

Laurie Borst, one of the instructors of the CSI program along with Karen Pierce, said that it has been “phenomenal.”

“The kids have been awesome. They really took control of the activities and showed initiative and enthusiasm for the subject,” she said.

There is no second session for this summer, but anyone interested should keep an eye out for the CSI camp next year.