Degree: Certificate
HEGIS Code: 5503
Curriculum Code: 1933.CST
Campus location: North and City
Business and Public Service Division
Program Description
With the sudden dramatic expansion of the field of crime scene investigation and simultaneous technological changes in criminal investigation, a serious void exists in educational opportunities for students who want to prepare for a career as an evidence collection specialist.
Erie Community College intends to assist in providing police agencies and other criminal justice or investigative organizations that need crime scene technical assistance with qualified investigators.
This program is designed to provide education and training in crime scene technology: collection of evidence, crime scene photography, location and processing fingerprints. The student will learn to compare fingerprints properly and to prepare and present evidence in the courtroom.
The program may include criminal justice students, police officers, security officers, emergency responders or individuals interested in the field of crime scene technology, science or forensics.
The design of the Crime Scene Technology program recognizes that students interested in criminal justice may not be interested in becoming a police officer, but are interested in the field of solving crime with the use of physical evidence. This program has been designed to fulfill this desire by introducing the student to criminal justice with specialized study in the field of crime scene technology.
This is a 31-credit program designed for full-or part-time study. The first half of the curriculum includes composition and occupational communication, introduction to criminal justice and related fields in public safety.
Department Notes
Students entering this program must be physically able to fulfill all requirements. Students are encouraged to consult an adviser in the department regarding program requirements. They must be physically able to perform duties as a crime scene investigator.
Program Competencies
Upon graduation with this certificate the graduate will be able to:
- Display an understanding of criminal justice vocabulary and meaning of terms used frequently
- Demonstrate an understanding of the historical background in the three parts of criminal justice: law enforcement, courts and corrections
- Exhibit an understanding of composition and occupational communication in classroom discussion
- Explain how science can be used to examine evidence and search for answers to the unknown
- Illustrate the proper methods for locating, photographing and collecting evidence at a crime scene
- Exhibit the process for examination of crime scenes for fingerprints, photography and identification of patterns, classification and connectivity to a suspect
- Illustrate the proper method of crime scene measuring and developing a crime scene matrix
- Demonstrate the proper method of presentation of evidence, photographs and charts in the courtroom
- Explain the proper use of a digital camera, flash and close up photography
- Display knowledge of use of the Photoshop software program to print, enlarge and photograph crime scenes and evidence
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