During the course of my career with the City of Bethlehem Police Department and the Lehigh County Coroner's Office, I have had several occasions to utilize Bloodstain Pattern Analysis and Shooting Documentation techniques. At first I was not completely sold on the possible capabilities in the aid it could be to the Detectives/Investigators working the investigation. I first tried Bloodstain Pattern Analysis in assault investigations, i.e. hallways, bedrooms etc. It wasn't until I attempted to reconstruct it at a homicide scene and found the "Area of Convergence" and it was consistent with the information and other physical evidence examined in the investigation.  I became sold on the validity and need to further my education and practical application with Bloodstain Pattern Analysis.

Of course I have had only a relatively small number of the courses available, but I found one area that I felt needed to be stressed more at a very basic level; the proper documentation of the Bloodstain Patterns and Shooting defects. It is possible that this was covered, but when learning a new complex task, it very well could have been glossed over.

I was curious and looked at other cases to see how they were documented as well and found the same similar issues in their documentation. As my career progressed and I moved into the Detective Bureau and then Forensic Services Unit, I noticed several investigations handled on a Patrol/First Responder level that could have had much better documentation efforts taken at the onset to the investigation. This was in no way their fault. Outside of the few that have ventured into this specialty, the masses do not comprehend the value this information could bring to their investigation.

As time continued, I had been asked to look at some pending prosecutions and once again found there was very little I could do with the documented Bloodstain Patterns and scene documentation. What it comes down to is, if the evidence is not documented properly at the time the investigation is being conducted, there is very little that can be done with it at a much later date when it becomes needed. In the early stages of a investigation, it is rarely known what information will be needed later as additional information is obtained. This was the start of the thought process for me that a basic Bloodstain Pattern and shooting documentation class could and should be compiled for First Responders. I pulled information from many different sources to include classes I have attended, publishing's from renowned Crime Scene Analysts, and past experiences to put together a two day class for the Basic Bloodstain Pattern and Shooting Documentation, Collection and Preservation. While I was compiling the information for this class, I noticed others beginning to hold similar courses of instruction for apparently the same reasons.

I strongly believe the information in this class is extremely valuable to First Responders and their Supervisors for the primary persons to recognize the significance of the evidence and to deal with the situation appropriately. This is especially valuable for anyone interested in attending a Basic and subsequent Advanced Bloodstain Pattern Analysis classes and\or Shooting Reconstruction class.

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