The course numbering system used by CSI Academy, LLC is based on the following: The first 3 letters refer to the program, and the numbers are the course number. CSI101 is a CSI Course, number 101.

A clock hour is defined as 50 minutes of class time and a 10 minute break.

 

Crime Scene Investigation Basic Training Program
40 clock hours / 1 Week Course

 PROGRAM OBJECTIVE

This 1 week program is designed for individuals who want to learn an overview of the techniques of forensic investigation.  This program is also ideal for individuals in law enforcement looking to enhance their crime scene skills, or for individuals who wish to do volunteer work in crime scene investigation.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION

This introductory program is an overview of the basics of crime scene investigation. Students will gain a working knowledge and understanding of how to properly approach a crime scene and to complete basic evidence gathering and documentation of the crime scene.

COURSES
Course Number Course Title Clock Hours
CSI140 Introduction to Crime Scene Investigation 40 clock hours
Course Description »
This class is designed for students who have no background in crime scene investigation and who will gain a basic understanding of the requirements of this field. Students will learn how to approach and properly document crime scenes, will be given an introduction into crime scene photography, will learn basic fingerprinting techniques, will learn casting of footprints and tire tracks, use of alternate light sources, demonstration of other available crime scene investigation equipment, and an actual field training exercise to demonstrate the skills learned.

Crime Scene Investigation Intensive Training Program
300 clock hours / 7 Week Course

PROGRAM OBJECTIVE:

The 7 week program is designed for the individual seeking a career in Crime Scene Investigation. The courses are designed to provide the student with the skills and competence to work minor and major crimes scenes, utilizing current industry standards, techniques and procedures.

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION:

This intensive program prepares students for employment in the field of crime scene investigation. Individuals who want to work full time in law enforcement will be encouraged to become a certified law enforcement officer.

COURSES
Course Number Course Title Clock Hours
CSI101 Introduction to the history of CSI 1 clock hour
Course Description »
The student will gain an overview of crime scene investigation, including the history of crime scene investigation in lecture form.
CSI201 Introduction to Crime Scene Equipment 8 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will be shown a variety of crime scene equipment and will be taught the purpose and use of each piece of equipment. The instructor will demonstrate all the equipment. The student will then have the opportunity to handle and try out different pieces of equipment so they have a basic familiarity with the equipment. In the Lab portion the student will have the opportunity to handle and use the equipment. The Lab will be followed by a critique of the student’s use of the equipment followed by a question and answer period.
CSI202 Crime Scene Safety 2 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn how to use safety equipment and containment suits, and will become familiar with the biological and physical dangers in processing a crime scene.
CSI301 Crime Scene Ethics 2 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn the ethical responsibilities required for crime scene investigators and will explore and present ethical issues confronting crime scene investigation for resolution.
CSI302 Documentation of a Crime Scene 9 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn how to initially approach a crime scene, proper techniques for entering and exiting the crime scene, documentation of persons entering and exiting, basic skills of being a scribe at a crime scene, crime scene sketching, including triangulation, placement of evidence markers, and the need to document and photograph all aspects. The student will then enter simulated crime scenes where they will be given the opportunity to produce their own drawings and select an approach to the evidence collecting techniques within the crime scene. That will be followed by a review of the drawings and decisions made by the student followed by a question and answer period.
CSI401 Crime Scene Photography 22 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will have lectures that review Crime Scene documentation concepts which include basic camera concepts, formatting a proper image, lighting techniques, terminology, common settings for digital cameras and its nomenclature. The student will learn how to download the images for presentation and will be taught how to use the camera and the effects of photographic image depending upon their purpose. The student will learn the effects for changing shutter speed, use of lightings and filters, and photographing with alternative light sources. The student will also learn the legal standards for admissibility of photographs in court. The students will be divided into teams and will engage in the practical exercise of photographing four simulated crime scenes, both indoors and outdoors, and in light and darkness.
CSI501 Fingerprints 45 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn the skills and current industry standard techniques necessary for the detection, development, collection and preservation of fingerprint evidence. The student will learn a variety of collection techniques by using a variety of materials, including Super Glue applications, small particle reagent, various methods for processing the adhesive side of tape, chemical methods and mechanical methods for the processing of latent prints. The students will be broken into small groups where each will be given the opportunity to process fingerprints at simulated crime scenes wherein they will need to locate, identify, collect and preserve the prints. The student will also be asked to use the photography techniques to take photographs of said prints. The student will learn the basics of the science of fingerprints, including recognition and classification of arch, loop, whorl patterns, etc.
CSI601 Casting Techniques 8 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn various techniques for taking casting impressions of footprints, hand prints, tire tracks and tool pry marks. The student will be taught the different materials available for castings, and ways to improvise while at a simulated/real life crime scene. The lab will involve the student casting various prints in three different types of soil as well as casting underwater. The student will then compare the quality of their castings with the tool impressions, footprint and/or tire tracks.
CSI701 Alternative Light Sources 3 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will be introduced to the various types of light sources, and learn various techniques to use them and preserve said evidence. The student will then be taken to various crime scenes where he/she will be able to practice using alternative light sources.
CSI702 Alternative Light Source Photography 5 clock hours
Course Description »
Students will learn how to photograph latent fingerprints, impressions and biological fluids using alternate light sources.
CSI801 Basic Interrogation Techniques for Crime Scene Investigators 8 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn the basic interrogation techniques to be able to transmit the important information developed at a crime scene to a detective who will have the opportunity to question a suspect. The student will learn to formulate the questions for the investigators and will learn basic interrogation techniques. The student will then have the opportunity to practice formulating questions to confront the suspect during the interrogation exercise.
CSI901 Forensic Entomology 9 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn the basics of forensic entomology, when forensic entomology will be relevant and an overview of beetles, larvae, flies and other insects that can be expected at a crime scene. The student will have the opportunity in the lab setting to actually look at decomposing animal remains and will be able to look at exemplars of the various insects involved.
CSI1001 Blood Evidence 45 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn a basic understanding of the properties of blood, the various phases of blood impact, recognition of low velocity, medium velocity and high velocity blood spatter, direction that the blood droplet was traveling when it impacts surfaces, the art of convergence using lines and strings and angle calculation methods. The student will have the opportunity to examine exemplars of different blood stain pattern evidence. The lab will have the student dropping blood at different angles, calculating both angle and direction. The student will also have the opportunity to create blood spatter patterns in the lab using various objects to create the spatter. The student will then use their photography training to document the blood stain and utilize his/her documentation techniques to measure and list the places and patterns of the evidence.
CSI1101 Ballistics and Wound Analysis 16 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn the different types of calibers of bullets and the patterns that they leave in various objects, including the human body. The student will learn about basic wound analysis, so as to determine entry and exit wounds, the abraded margins, and interpreting those results from an autopsy report. The Lab will consist of the opportunity to demonstrate various calibers of weapons and their trajectory for an on-site examination of the patterns created through various materials, including doors, sheetrock walls, and automobiles.
CSI1201 Sexual Assault Crime Scenes 9 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn the special considerations of a crime scene involving a sexual assault. The student should be able to draw upon some of the skills that he/she has learned in prior weeks, including the importance of alternate light sources to collect biological materials, the swabbing and preserving of biological evidence, establishing and maintaining a chain of custody for said evidence and the importance of information taken from the crime victim. The student will have the opportunity in the lab to identify, preserve and collect pseudo biological materials and analyze victim statements for clues in the detection and collection of evidence.
CSI1202 Death Investigations 45 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn the latest scientific and technological techniques in the field of death investigations. These techniques include locating and recovering DNA, trace evidence, establishing time of death, reviewing autopsy reports, and dealing with buried or decomposed remains.
CSI1301 Report and Affidavit Writing 6 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn to write accurate and detailed reports documenting his/her activities within the crime scene. The student will also learn how to properly prepare affidavits that may be used in securing search warrants and arrest warrants. The student will then be required to write five separate reports and five separate affidavits based on preselected case studies.
CSI1401 Evidence and Courtroom Presentation 12 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will learn the basic rules of evidence for the introduction of crime scene evidence in a courtroom. The student will learn the proper foundations that are necessary to admit a piece of evidence and the required proof regarding chain of custody. The student will then learn how to be prepared to answer questions on direct examination where the student explains each action taken and each piece of evidence collected and submitted. The student will then learn how to defend his/her opinions through cross-examination.
CSI1501 Practical Application of Crime Scene Skills 45 clock hours
Course Description »
The student will receive an overview and review of the past five weeks in preparation for the students being broken into groups of five and being dispatched to numerous simulated crime scenes. Each group will first approach a residential burglary, a business burglary, a sex crime scene, a murder by stabbing, and a murder by shooting. After the students have processed each crime scene, they will be required to present their evidence list, as well as their findings. The students will have to process a crime scene involving both inside and outside scenes as well as in light and dark conditions. The students will then be required to prepare an affidavit, and then present the evidence under questioning in a simulated courtroom.