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Students Work Mock Crime Scene
Thursday, July 12, 2007
- LSUE Public Relations |
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EUNICE – There were no Hummers flying down the street with sirens blaring, no fancy computer models, no dark rooms lit only by the light from a flashlight and no arrest made at the end of the hour.
Instead, for four LSU at Eunice students working a mock crime scene, the job was methodical, not very glamorous, at times quite dull, and more true to life than the popular television show.
The students, part of LSUE’s Crime Scene Management program, were called to the scene of a mock homicide set up in an empty apartment in the university’s Bengal Village. Jodie Witherwax, Adrienne Arabie, Deana Bell and Ryan Martin had to use all the skills learned in their forensics class to collect evidence at the scene.
“This class is typically for the more advanced students in the crime scene management program that are near completion of the program to put all their skills they have learned throughout the program to test,” said Steve Gervais, the program’s interim director and an assistant professor of fire and emergency services at LSUE.
Gervais created a mock crime scene in the apartment using a life-sized dummy and spreading evidence through out, including leaving finger prints on door knobs, on glasses and on the murder weapons.
When the students arrived they had to set up a perimeter and find, photograph, and collect the evidence inside and outside of the apartment.
“It’s better to make mistakes here than on a crime scene out in the real world,” said Ryan Martin of Carencro who was responsible for mapping the apartment and the location of the evidence.
The students were given background information of what to expect when they entered the apartment, and it was then up to them on how to proceed with the investigation and what evidence to collect.
“This is the first scene we’ve done from start to finish,” said Jodie Witherwax of Rayne and team leader at the mock scene. “It really brings into perspective how much is involved. You can repeat the steps over and over in your mind, but until you get the experience, it is totally different.”
Gervais stressed that it was the students’ job to collect and record the evidence from the scene. They were not responsible for solving the crime like on the television show.
Deana Bell, of Lexington, Kentucky, who came to Louisiana specifically for the Crime Scene Management program, hopes to use the experience gained in the mock crime scene to prepare her for a career in the field.
“I’m going to be a civil contractor,” said Bell. “I want to educate other people what to look for and not to contaminate a scene. A lot of first responders don’t know where to step, don’t know what to touch, and don’t know what not to touch. A little knowledge goes a long way.”
For additional information about the Crime Scene Management program at LSUE, contact Gervaise at 337-550-1404. |
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• Sights and Sounds: Mock Crime Scene
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