International Forensic Program

IFP Courses: Crime Scene & Evidence Documentation

For International Human Rights Investigators

Tallahassee, Florida
Late April, 2009

(Specific dates TBA - To receive more information, send us your email address here:   

Objective:

This training course is designed primarily for human rights field investigators who might have to document evidence of human rights violations as first responders to a crime scene. This course offers an introduction to the essentials of digital forensic photography and documentation. Alumni of this course will be able to document evidence of human rights violations to maximize the information shared with other experts, and gain an understanding of the necessary considerations involved in collecting court admissible evidence.

Course Description:

The course will span five days of lecture and practical training including examination of several mock scenes. Because digital photographs are now commonly used as evidence, the course will offer basic training on digital image management and digital photography. Photographic documentation methods will be taught through traditional methods of crime scene evidence documentation, such as blood spatter and trajectory, as well as three dimensional spaces photography and sketching.

Necessary Equipment:

• Camera: It is best for each student to bring their own digital camera.  If this is not possible, please notify the IFP prior to the start of class.  A digital SLR camera with a flash is recommended.
• Laptop computer

Instructors:

• Stefan Schmitt is the Director of the International Forensic Program at Physicians for Human Rights. In 1992 Schmitt helped set the foundation for an independent non-governmental forensic anthropology team exhuming and analyzing skeletal remains from mass graves in Guatemala. Prior to joining Physicians for Human Rights, he worked for nine and a half years at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement's Crime Lab Crime Scene Section.
• William ‘Ward’ Schwoob is a Crime Lab Supervisor at the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, supervising the Evidence, Firearm, and Crime Scene Sections. He has 26 years of experience as a Crime Scene Analyst, leading crime scene investigations and providing expert testimony in support of death investigations for the law enforcement community in thirteen north Florida counties.

Location:

The training will take place at the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy, which is located in a rural area 14 miles outside of Tallahassee, Florida.

Cost/Accommodations:

The cost of the course, including lodging and 2 meals a day, is $300. Scholarship opportunities may be available.

• Accommodations will be provided from the evening of Sunday April 20th through the morning of Saturday April 26th.
• Students are required to cover their own transportation to and from the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy outside Tallahassee, Florida.
• Lodging for all students has been arranged at the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy in Tallahassee, Florida. Each student will have an individual room and bathroom.
• An onsite cafeteria will provide two meals a day (breakfast and lunch).
• Dinner is not included and can be purchased at the Academy Cafeteria or at a restaurant in town.

The Crime Scene & Evidence for International Human Rights Investigators course is offered by the International Forensic Program at Physicians for Human Rights, and is made possible through the generous support of the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Academy.

The IFP also offers other forensic training. See more information here.