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**Building Trust & Legitimacy between Police and Students through Experiential Learning:            Forensic Science & Investigation Day**
 March 2019 | Volume 12 | Issue 2

 On Saturday, April 21, 2018, Delaware State University (DSU)—a  historically Black University (HBCU)—hosted the first Forensic Science &  Investigation Day in attempts to build a bridge between high school and university  students, and police and to promote student interest in science, technology, engineering,  and math (STEM) positions within police departments. This interdisciplinary  event was hosted by Dr. Krystal R. Hans, the DSU Forensic Biology Program  Director and Advisor of the Forensic Student Association, and Dr. Kylie  Parrotta, Associate Professor of Sociology & Criminal Justice and Advisor of  the DSU collegiate chapter of the National Organization of Black Law Enforcement  Executives (NOBLE).

 More than 70 students attended, representing various  universities and high schools including DSU as well as Delaware Technical  Community College, Dover High School, Caesar Rodney High School, and DSU’s  Early College High School. A variety of forensic scientists and law enforcement  agencies from across Delaware were in attendance to give lectures and provide  recruitment information and hands-on workshops and demonstrations.

 Participating agencies included the New  Castle County Police Department, Evidence Detection Unit; Delaware State Police; Drug  Enforcement Administration Mid-Atlantic Laboratory; Wilmington  Police Department, Canine Unit; Dover Police Department, Crime Scene  Investigation Unit; Institute for Linguistic Evidence;  and the Armed  Forces DNA & Identification Laboratory.

 Members of the Mid-Atlantic Drug Enforcement Agency’s (DEA)  Lab gave a presentation in the morning on clandestine laboratories, including  an overview of safety equipment and procedures used for conducting  investigations. Vicky Eichhorn presented on the Armed Forces DNA &  Identification Lab, providing an overview for students on how soldiers’ remains  from various wars are sent to the base to be identified. Dr. Carole Chaski from  Linguistic Evidence discussed various casework in which she used forensic  linguistics software to help agencies identify crime suspects. Cpl. Jerrian  Cumberbatch and Cpl. Andrea Laws came from New Castle County Police Department  and spoke to students about the hiring process, specialized units, and the use  of rapid DNA instrumentation. Fifty-five percent of student participants rated  these lectures as very engaging and 24 percent rated them extremely engaging. 

 Before moving on to the hands-on stations, executive board  members of the Forensic Science Association and of the collegiate chapter of  NOBLE spoke to students about the importance of getting involved in  extracurricular activities to network and locate internship and employment  opportunities after graduation. During lunch, local police agencies set up  recruitment booths so students could ask questions about the hiring process,  including the background checks and physical requirements and what life on the  job is like. 

Nine stations were set up in science classrooms and  laboratories to provide students with hands-on, experiential learning  opportunities. Students were able to interact one-on-one with Laboratory  Director Rashida Weathers (DEA), Supervisory Chemist Kiana Nurideen (DEA), and  Forensic Chemist Rajaa Mesfioui (DEA) at their station to identify substances  using Portable infrared (IR) Spectroscopy and to see the various suits that  agents wear to protect themselves in the field. A college student said, “The  DEA Clandestine Lab workshop was my favorite because talking with them helped  me learn so much about the agency and their mobile IR device was extremely  interesting to me.” In a very engaging session, Detective Jimmy Wood and Detective  Jeffrey Gott from the Dover Police Department taught students how to observe  and collect fingerprint evidence and use magnetic fingerprint powder to process  latent prints. Sr. Cpl. Jose Cintron and Sr. Cpl. Andrew Conine from the Wilmington  Police Department brought XO and Kai from the Canine Unit. Students learned  about how dogs are trained to assist in investigations to find drugs and  explosive materials and to help apprehend suspects. This was one high school  student’s favorite session. They said, “I liked the canine demonstration. I was  introduced to a different side of policing. Not only were the officers friendly  but so were their canines. I learned more about policing but I also learned  about police dogs and how valuable they are.” 

 At Cpl. Clay Echevarria’s (Delaware State Police) station,  students were exposed to the ways CellBrite Touch Mobile Data Acquisition Technology  is used to access data on cellphones. Students were very excited to try to  solve the crime at the crime scene station that New Castle County Police  Department set up. Ret. Det. Paul Mergenthaler, Sgt. Tom Orzechowski, and Ret.  Det. Kevin Murphy had students apply what they had learned from the Dover Police  Department’s fingerprint station and the Forensic Student Association’s  stations on blood spatter to look for and mark evidence at their crime scene. 

 Workshops hosted by DSU students included Forensic DNA,  Forensic Entomology, and Blood Spatter Analysis. At the DNA station lead by  Kiara McFadden and Nathaniel Smith, students learned how to extract and isolate  DNA from their own cells. Megan Thompson and Alleeah Reed demonstrated blood  spatter patterns often found at crime scenes and chemical tests for blood  evidence and explained how weapons can influence the patterns observed. At the  forensic entomology station, Ahjalah Demby and Erika Mendoza taught students  how to collect insect evidence from remains and displayed various insects often  found at crime scenes, and participants made their own maggot art using live  insects.

 We encourage other universities to partner with law  enforcement agencies to expose students to the myriad ways forensic science is  used to solve crimes. Student responses to the event were overwhelmingly  positive. One student said, “Events such as this one are perfect networking and  learning opportunities for anyone who is interested in the field.” Student  participants walked away more interested in the field and confident in their  abilities to complete STEM degrees and to secure jobs. For example, one student  said, “Participating in Science & Investigation Day made me want to pursue  a forensics degree,” and another said, “[FSID] has further cemented my love for  forensics.” Our Forensic Science & Investigation Day not only was a  bridge-gapping event but also served as a potential way for agencies to  diversify their entry-level recruitment efforts. 

Krystal R. Hans, PhD        Director of Forensic Biology, Delaware State University

Kylie Parrotta, PhD          Associate Professor of Sociology & Criminal Justice, Delaware State University                    

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The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

The Community Policing Dispatch is the e-newsletter of the COPS Office. 

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