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First Responder News - October 2012 |
Greetings!
Have you been wondering what's been going on and what's coming up at the NFTC? When we first began presenting much needed and sought after training, our form of contact was through training advertisements faxed out through the Northampton County Communications Center. We progressed to an email contact list, but the number of emails and frequency was burdensome to some. With the continued development and expansion of the Northeast Forensic Training Center we started utilizing Constant Contact to deliver monthly updates, First Responder News.
I have been asked several times when certain class are coming up and was surprised to hear colleagues were not aware of the advanced courses scheduled to be "Hosted". These are trainers that were sought out, based on past training experiences.
We also started a Facebook page where different stories, images from training classes are posted, and items of practitioner interest can be found. We have had success with the interest shown by you, but we are asking for help in continuing to spread the word of what we are doing and offering. The more interest, the more we can continue to offer.
Thank you and be safe.
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Upcoming NFTC Classes & Special Program
(Click title for more information.)
Basic Latent Print Processing for Patrol
October 11, 2012
Register Now!
Shooting & Bloodstain Pattern Documentation, Preservation & Collection
October 15-16, 2012
Register Now!
Basic Medicolegal Death Investigation
October 18, 2012
Crime Scene Initial Response - Expanded
October 30, 2012
Register Now!
Basic Crime Scene Photography for the First Responder
November 22, 2012
Register Now!
Crime Scene Initial Response - Expanded
November 27, 2012
Register Now!
Basic Latent Print Processing for Patrol
November 29, 2012
Register Now!
Fall 2012 Schedule
Special Programs
(Special programs are excluded from the subscription program)
November 9, 2012
November 12-16, 2012 |
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Scientific Working Groups
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 Investigative Tips & Techniques:
TELLING A COMPLETE STORY WITH PHOTOGRAPHY
Andrew Kehm, D-ABMDI, Detective/Sergeant (Active) BPD FSU, Program Manager, NFTC
Have you ever reviewed photographs taken during an investigation and wondered; where in context was this? I know what it is, but what was I trying to show when I took this? It's not a good feeling when you have a District Attorney looking at you and you can't provide them with a logical answer other than an obvious line or simply, "I have no idea."in the Archives Section.
One purpose behind documenting a scene with photography is to be able to show a true and accurate view of what you observed at the scene. Honestly, what normally seems to occur is the images are taken in haste for other pending calls for service, pressure from peers to hurry up, or lack of forethought and experience? What's worse is the lack of training and investigative knowledge of a significant number of supervisors to help mentor less experienced individual tasked with this step in documenting items of evidentiary value.
Being able to tell a story through the photographs/images taken is not a difficult skill to develop. The common reoccurring problem I see is the rush to start working a scene without first realizing what you have. This only forces a "Tunnel Vision" effect on the photographer. How do you tell a story before you have an idea as to what you have? Please review the September issue of Investigative Tips & Techniques: The Value in Learning to Read the Scene. Once you have an idea of the circumstances, you can now decide on how you are going to proceed in taking the photographs/images in order to tell the story. Often photographs/images must be taken several times in series.
<READ MORE> |
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 PENNSYLVANIA STATE CORONER'S ASSOCIATION (PSCA) ANNUAL EDUCATIONAL & LEGISLATIVE CONFERENCE: Event Recap
Scott M. Grim, D-ABMDI, Lehigh County Coroner
During the week of September 17th, the Pennsylvania State Coroner's Association (PSCA) held its' Annual Educational and Legislative Conference in Lancaster County. The Conference was hosted by Dr. Stephen G. Diamantoni and his Staff. In short, the conference was a huge success.
Lectures included presentations from several noted speakers; Dr. Wayne Ross, Dr. Ronald Costen and Dr. Richard Scanlon just to name a few. Topics included Child Death Investigations, Elder Abuse, Forensic Anthropology and NamUs - A New and Valuable Tool for Coroners, Medical Examiners and Law Enforcement.
Another interesting topic of discussion was the Coroner's Education Laws and Regulations. Currently, under Law, which was written and enacted in 1978, Coroners, Chief Deputy Coroners and Full Time Deputy Coroners are required to obtain 8 hours of Continuing Education credits annually and attend, complete and pass the Basic Coroner's Education Course. Under the proposed changes, continuing education hours will be increased from 8 to 12 hours annually, and all Coroners, Chief Deputy Coroners and Deputy Coroners will need to attend the Basic Coroner's Education Course.
Also, all Coroners will need to become certified through the American Board of Medicolegal Death Investigators.
The general membership of the PSCA voted and approved the recommended changes to the Education Law. From here, the Association will work with the Legislatures to enact the recommendations. | |
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 IN THE NEWS
Bethlehem police chief leads the way as lehigh valley police explore social media
lehighvalleylive.com
Bethlehem police chief Jason Schiffer can remember the moment he first agonized about a cracking a joke in the vast world of social media.
<READ MORE>
Educational Model for Bloodstain Pattern Analysis Training - Open for Comment
swgstain.org
<Please click here to review>
Police get social media training in Pittsburgh as hostage-takers post to facebook
huffingtonpost.com
Pittsburgh police plan to train their officers to be fluent in social media, joining other departments nationwide, days after a man armed with a hammer and kitchen knife used a hostage's computer to post Facebook messages lamenting his troubles.
<READ MORE>
Sprite bottle fingerprint helps solve armed robbery of Lake Highlands Cash Max Title & Loan
crimeblog.dallasnews.com
Veteran cops like to say the real world of crime fighting is nothing like what you see on those silly "CSI" television programs.
<READ MORE>
Bloody fingerprints on machete lead to arrest in Lake Oswego slaying
oregonlive.com
Bloody fingerprints found on a machete near the home of a slain Lake Oswego high-tech engineer last week led to the arrest of the prime suspect five days later.
<READ MORE> |
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NEW FEATURE: The Student's Corner
Debuting Later this Fall
After being approached by countless Criminal Justice majors with numerous questions, the staff at the Northeast Forensic Training Center are excited about a new idea. We all remember trying to get started and wanting to ask a practitioner questions in the field we were trying to get into. Recently, I read a college research paper and realized there was valuable information contained in the work that would be beneficial for practitioners to also review. We are creating "The Student's Corner" and adding this section to our e-newsletter beginning later this fall.
Professor endorsed research papers can be submitted for potential publication. Practitioners will have an opportunity to review and submit comments, concerns and/or encouragement to the writer. Students will also be able to submit job related questions for potential publication.
All submitted research papers, questions and/or responses will be reviewed for content prior to publication. The NFTC staff holds the right to deny publication of any research paper, comment and/or question that is not deemed appropriate to disseminate.
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