LSUS criminal justice students get hands-on experience with mock crime scene

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LSUS criminal justice students get hands-on experience with mock crime scene

SHREVEPORT - "Let the evidence tell the story."

That's the advice that Corporal Ty King of the Caddo Parish Sherriff's Office gave LSUS criminal justice students before they processed a mock crime scene Tuesday as part of their academic coursework.

King and fellow Corporal Timothy Johns dipped into their crime scene investigative skills to help students navigate a mock crime scene depicting a murder involving a boyfriend and a girlfriend.

Pairs of students put their classroom knowledge to use in a hands-on environment as they worked through steps like photographing the scene, marking and collecting evidence, examining the body (a dummy), and processing items for fingerprints.

"They've listened to lectures and completed tests and assignments, this gives them a hands-on opportunity to see what processing a crime scene would really be like," said Riley Young, a criminal justice instructor who served more than two decades in Shreveport law enforcement. "This is something we do every year to allow students to apply what they've learned in class."

Because the mock crime scene happened on a college campus, the suspect hid the gun in the same room so as to not draw attention to himself when he theoretically left the scene in an orderly fashion.

Students searched for the murder weapon while marking other items like a shell casing, a cell phone and a Styrofoam cup as evidence.

The sheriffs reiterated to the students to do extensive searching on their first visit to the crime scene because subsequent visits would require a warrant.

"Re-enacting how to process this crime scene was exciting - we performed the same steps we learned about in class," said LSUS student Preston Jefferson, who is a criminal justice major with a concentration in forensic science. "I got interested in this field through TV shows.

"I've always been confident that this field is for me, but this experience makes me even more confident in my choice."

Processing the mock crime scene is part of the junior-level forensic science class in the criminal justice program.

Tuesday's experience let student Khaliyah Jackson know that crime scene processing isn't up her alley.

"This is the first time I've done anything like this, and I think I'm definitely a better fit to work in a law enforcement field like probation and parole," Jackson said. "We've watched videos on these things, but doing it in person is definitely different."

The mock crime scene has occurred every year since Young joined the LSUS faculty in 2011, something he intends to continue as future generations of law enforcement officers come through the program.

King has been involved with assignment since 2013.

"I guide the students through the crime scene and help them ask the right questions if they need some prompting," King said. "This gives students a taste of what processing a crime scene is like.

"It's a relief to teach others about this work and help the next generation."