UIS Crime Scene Investigation camp trains next generation of law enforcement

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Several teens from across Central Illinois gathered at the University of Illinois Springfield to participate in the annual Crime Scene Investigation Camp.

The camp is designed to teach students the skills and procedures that investigators follow when a crime is committed. This includes activities like evidence collection, fingerprinting, and forensic interviewing.

Camp leaders said they wanted students to learn the importance of compassion and empathy while working as law enforcement officials.

"The human aspect of it all is really, really important, especially understanding how it is that the system responds when someone is a victim of a crime," said Dr. Betsy Goulet, the Director of the Alliance for Experiential Problem Based Learning at UIS.

Law enforcement leaders who helped with the camp say these types of activities help students develop relationships with campus police and makes sure they have a proper understanding of what they do.

Members of the UIS Police Department accompanied the students through their training to help them learn about laws that were relevant to the job, like the Fourth Amendment. They say these types of experiences can influence their choice to choose this career field after college.

"This is something that they are really interested and that's good to see," said Ross Owens, the Chief of Police at UIS. "Somebody that is invested in their job and has a personal interest in it is always going to do a better job, and that's really what we are trying to find."

Participants say they learned about more than just crime scene investigation. Many of them developed skills that will be useful for the rest of high school, college, and as they enter the workforce.

" I learned how I would help solve a crime and what they would do to solve it," said Elly Haley, a Sophomore in High School. "I also learned problem solving skills that would be used for really any career."

The camp is a collaboration between CAPE, the UIS Alliance for Experiential Problem-Based Learning, the UIS Child Advocacy Studies Program, UIS Police Department and the UIS Criminology/Criminal Justice and Medical Laboratory Science programs.