| Students get realistic taste of crime investigation |
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By: Lisa Marchesoni
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Posted: Sunday, November 2, 2008 6:47 am
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Acting as police officers, about 25 MTSU criminal justice students in a crime scene investigation class responded to a mock call where shots were fired.
Before entering the scene, Murfreesboro Police Maj. Clyde Adkison and Detective Maj. Jim Gage issued a few preliminary warnings.
“Secure the crime scene,” Adkison reminded the students. “Don’t get shot.”
Gage urged the students to keep their eyes open and be alert for evidence in the crime scene.
“If someone jumps out, remember this is a demonstration,” Gage warned. “There might be adversaries. Don’t kill anybody.”
One by one, each student received a play gun and walked through a hallway at MTSU’s Learning Resource Center where police set up a mock crime scene.
Scattered throughout the hallway were an assortment of slugs and shell casings from different caliber weapons, a dummy representing a deceased crime victim, a knife, an unloaded handgun, a toy Volkswagen bus, a honey bun and a candy bar.
In just seconds, the student ran through the hallway to the classroom. Some got a surprise when Detective Sgt. William Sykes jumped out a side door toward them.
Once inside the classroom, Murfreesboro Police spokesman Kyle Evans instructed them to sketch out evidence of the crime scene and the suspect who jumped out at them.
Student Chelsea Edwards was nervous as she sprinted up the hallway trying to avoid stepping on the shell casings evidence. She saw a body at the end of the hall.
As she filled out the forms, Edwards said the class relied on common sense.
Student Stephen Hughes described his tunnel vision as he crept through the hallway.
“I didn’t even think to open the door,” Hughes said as he berated himself. “The guy (Sykes) came in. I got a split second look at him. We shot each other at the same time.”
He described the exercise as intense.
Student April Odom was nervous but did see numerous shell casings. She was sidetracked by the door, believing someone might come inside toward her but no one did.
“I know I could have been hurt (in a real situation),” Odom said.
As she reviewed the exercise, she wondered if she forgot anything.
“I really enjoyed the setup,” Odom said.
Student Mark Francis said he was scared and his heart was racing as he started through the crime scene.
“I was focused on the door and saw the victim,” Francis recalled. “I wasn’t worried about the evidence. I was worried about going home and seeing the wife and kids.”
He’s not married and doesn’t have the children but showed with his comments he played the role well.
“You have to be prepared for anything,” Francis said, explaining he expected someone to come after him through the side door. “I certainly kept my eyes on the door.”
After every student completed the exercise, Gage reviewed the crime scene.
Only two of the students remembered to check the side door, Gage said.
While many of the students remembered the shell casings, only a few noticed the VW. Some saw the honey bun. No one noticed the candy bar or a shell casing standing atop the fire extinguisher.
After the demonstration, Sykes showed the students the Murfreesboro CSI van and its cache of evidence-gathering equipment.
Evans said the exercise was beneficial to the students and a good chance for the police to demonstrate a crime scene.
“This is great because we are partnering with MTSU’s Criminal Justice Department to help train future police officers, detectives, prosecutors, defense attorneys and other criminal justice professionals,” Evans said. “This will help advance the future of the entire criminal justice field.”
Lisa Marchesoni may be reached at 869-0814 or at lmarchesoni@mufreesboropost.com.
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