Albany Police Department To Hold ‘Crime Scene 101’ Class

Albany P.D. To Hold 'Crime Scene 101' Class

ALBANY, GA – For the first time ever, the Albany Police Department is bringing 20 people behind the caution tape…providing a unique and educational forensic experience.

“So what we want is to be able to educate students on the matter of crime scenes, and what we do as crime scene investigators and crime scene technicians. It’s an ever growing field so I just want to open it up to the community, and just bridge that gap and allow them to learn firsthand,” said Deandra Francis, Crime Scene Technician.

Francis said the ‘Crime Scene 101’ class will be very hands-on, ensuring students a fun, learning experience.

“We most definitely will be looking at pictures, but we’re also going to do experiments, and forensic photography, fingerprinting. We’re going to do sketches and actually do a mock crime scene at the end,” said Francis.

But, also one that depicts the true and harsh reality of a crime scene investigation, not what’s depicted in movies.

“On television there’s a lot of shows that show crime scenes and forensic science. However, a lot of the times, they get instant results from evidence on crime scenes, but that’s not the case. It’s a lot of tedious work, time, we have the technology to help, but it takes time to do what we do. So, I want to show them what we see and do on a day-to-day basis,” said Francis.

Francis said it is very important for students and the community to understand the true reality of crime scene work, because believe it or not, it’s very possible the knowledge will come in handy one day.

“If you eventually get picked as a jury member for court, we want to make sure your perception of what you see on TV does not affect a case. It can really be a big deal because your perception of what you deem to be reality is not true,” said Francis.

To get an eye-opening, real experience, Francis said there are a few things parents and students need to be prepared for…

“Be prepared to see some graphic images. I will ask during the class if students are okay and prepared to see images I will be showing. Also, be prepared and dress casual and comfortable. Those experiments, especially using black powder can get on your clothing, so dress comfortable for sure,” said Francis.

The summit is only open to 14 to 18 year old high school students and will take place in the APD community room April 15th from 10 am to 3 pm.

Applicants in and outside of the Dougherty County School System can apply including those who are home schooled.

Lunch will be served to students, and will be accepted for the program on a first-come, first-serve basis.

Applications can be picked up at the Albany Police Department and must be turned-in by the March 31st deadline.

If you have any questions, you can contact (229) 302-0835 or dfrancis@albanyga.gov.

Copyright 2023 CBS 44 South Georgia. All Rights Reserved.