All CSI Academy instructors are experienced law enforcement professionals and/or have earned their Bachelor’s, Master’s, and/or PhD’s.  All instructors have extensive experience, both private and public, with a current Florida license or certificate in their field.  They are also required to be in compliance with continuing educations and recertifications each year.

Course exercises will be based on real-life cases that the instructors have dealt with over their many years of experience.  Instructor expertise includes forensic examination of blood, forensic entomology, ballistics and wound analysis, fingerprint detection, blood pattern analysis, alternative light source training and how to present evidence in court.

Instructors

Michael C Thompson

  • Education:
    • CJST Standards at the Santa Fe College Police Academy
    • FBI NA Graduate at the FBI National Academy
  • Experience:
    • Special Operations Bureau Lieutenant at the Alachua County Sheriff’s Office
    • Director, Eighth Judicial Circuit Special Investigation Unit
    • FL Licensed Private Investigator
  • Occupational Licenses, Certifications, or Registrations:
    • Florida Police Certification (Retired)
    • Florida Licensed Private Investigator

Anthony B Falsetti

  • Education:
    • PhD Anthropology at the University of Tennessee
  • Experience:
    • Deputy Director, Forensic Science Department of the International Commission on Missing Persons
    • Associate Professor & Co-Director of W.R. Maples Center for Forensic Medicine at the University of Florida
    • Director of C.A. Pound Human Identification Lab
  • Occupational Licenses, Certifications, or Registrations:
    • Diplomate, American Board of Forensic Anthropology

Daniel A Gerard

  • Education:
    • BA Criminal Justice at Saint Leo College
  • Experience:
    • Military Police Investigator in the Army
    • Police Officer at the Gainesville Police Department
    • Deputy Sheriff, Sergeant, Crime Scene Supervisor
  • Occupational Licenses, Certifications, or Registrations:
    • Law Enforcement Certification
    • International Association for Identification
    • Law Enforcement Instructors Certification

Amy M Kinsey

  • Education:
    • MS Forensics at the University of Florida
  • Experience:
    • Victim Advocate at the Alachua County Sheriffs Office
    • Crime Scene Investigator at the Alachua County Sheriffs Office
    • Veterinary Forensic Analyst at the University of Florida
    • Chemist, Forensic Toxicology at the University of Florida
    • Adjunct Instructor, Law Enforcement Academy at Santa Fe College of Institute of Public Safety
  • Occupational Licenses, Certifications, or Registrations:
    • Criminal Justice Instructor, Criminal Justice Standards and Training – Florida Department of Law Enforcement
    • Certified Crime Scene Investigator, International Association for Identification

Derek Schmidt

  • Education:
    • Criminology at Florida State University
    • BA Criminology at Saint Leo University
  • Experience:
    • Corrections Officer at the Lancaster Correctional Institution
    • Evidence/Crime Scene Manager/LPE at the Levy County Sheriffs Office
    • Senior Certified Latent Print Examiner
  • Occupational Licenses, Certifications, or Registrations:
    • International Association for Identification Certified Latent Print Examiner

David J Thomas

  • Education:
    • PhD Forensic Psychology at The Union Institute
  • Experience:
    • Associate Professor, Forensic Studies at the Florida Gulf Coast University
    • Assistant Professor Criminal Justice at St Petersburg College
    • Assistant Professor at SUNY Fredonia
    • Assistant professor, Ran the Criminal Justice Standards and Training Police academy at St Johns River Community College
    • Police Officer Gainesville Police Department
  • Occupational Licenses, Certifications, or Registrations:
    • Licensed Mental Health Counselor
    • Police Officer (Retired)
    • Criminal Justice Standards and Training Instructor Certification

Karen L. Smith

  • Education:
    • M.S. in Pharmacy/Forensic Science, University of Florida
    • B.A. in Criminal Justice, University of North Florida
  • Experience:
    • Detective and Training Coordinator, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Crime Scene Unit
    • Task Force, Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office
    • Adjunct Instructor, Northeast Florida Criminal Justice Training Center
    • Adjunct Instructor, Florida State College Jacksonville
    • Blood Spatter Expert, 4th Judicial Circuit, Jacksonville
  • Occupational Licenses, Certifications, or Registrations:
    • International Association for Identification (National and Florida Divisions)
    • Law Enforcement Officer, CJSTC
    • Certified Instructor, CJSTC

Marc Trahan

  • Education:
    • BA History at the University of Florida
    • Criminal Justice at Santa Fe College
    • State of Florida Police Certification at Santa Fe College Police Academy
  • Experience:
    • Police Officer/Crime Scene Investigator for the City of Gainesville
    • Adjunct Instructor for Police Academy at Santa Fe College
  • Occupational Licenses, Certifications, or Registrations:
    • Criminal Justice Standards and Training Instructor Certification
    • Criminal Justice Standards and Training Police Officer Certification
    • Senior Crime Scene Analyst Certification with the International Association for Identification

Kathleen L New

  • Education:
    • MA English at the University of Florida
  • Experience:
    • Deputy Sheriff, Sergeant, Detective (Homicide, Sex Crimes, Child Abuse, and Computer Pornography including “Innocent Images” and “Traveler Cases”), Internal Affairs, Inspector at the Alachua County Sheriffs Office
    • Police Officer at the Gainesville Police Department
    • Adjunct Professor at Santa Fe College
    • Graduate Research Assistant and Adjunct Instructor at the University of Florida, Secondary School AP and Duel Enrollment Instructor
    • Independent Contractual Case Work for Private Attorneys
  • Occupational Licenses, Certifications, or Registrations:
    • Law Enforcement Certification
    • Innocent Images Certification