Hosting Agency:                  Natick Police Department

Location of Training:          Frederick C. Conley Public Safety Training Center

                                                20 East Central Street

                                    Natick, MA 01760

Dates:                                    November 3-5, 2010

Registration/Check-in:      Wednesday, November 3, 2010

                                                7:30AM - 4:00PM

Class Hours :                  8:00AM-4:00PM  

Recommended Hotel:       TBA

Directions:                        www.mapquest.com

The goal of this 3 day training program is to acquaint the novice investigator with all facets of death investigation, including the esoteric terminology that is unique to homicide cases. It is also the purpose of the course to bring experienced investigators in touch with modern forensic concepts that will assist in case formulation, suspect identification, arrest and courtroom presentation and prosecution.

Attendees will become familiar with the indicators of suspicious death and learn just how equivocal the death scene can be. They will also become confident in assessing the crime scene and determining what type of action should be taken through the prioritization of viable leads.

The course is designed to enable the investigator to immediately interpret what he or she sees, the moment they walk onto the crime scene, and to derive from that knowledge an analytical approach to the investigation. All areas of the investigative process crucial to the successful conclusion of the case will be examined and discussed thoroughly. 

Actual real-life examples will help the investigator become acquainted with forensic concepts not familiar to the beginner, such as lividity, rigor mortis, algor mortis, decomposition, ante mortem and postmortem trauma, etc. There is a heavy emphasis on wound recognition, modes of death, and what to look for at the autopsy.

Who should attend this course:

This course is intended for detectives newly-assigned to homicide duties, experienced death investigators seeking alternate perspectives, or detectives and uniform personnel desirous of entering the field of death investigations. Crime scene technicians, medical examiner/coroner investigators, supervisors, military investigators, criminal analysts, and prosecuting attorneys would also benefit from the training.

Day One:

• Manner of Death (Natural, Accidental, Suicide & Homicide)
• Equivocal Death
• Infant Death (SIDS & Child Abuse)
• Death by Poisoning
• Asphyxiation / Suffocation / Drowning
• Electrocutions / Lightning Strikes
• Fire Death
• Comprehensive Examination of Suicide
• Autoerotic Death

Day Two:

• Types of Homicide (Murder, manslaughter, Excusable, Justifiable, etc)
• The Homicide Scene (Mincey vs. Arizona, DNA, Blood Spatter, etc.)
• Establishing the Time of Death (Algor Mortis, Livor Mortis & Rigor Mortis)
• Identifying the Victim
• Notifying the Next of Kin
• The Autopsy
• Modes of Death (Blunt Force Trauma, Stabbing, Gunshot Wounds, etc.)
• Dealing with the Media

Day Three:

• Decomposition (Autolysis / Putrefaction, Adipocere & Mummification)
• Skeletal Remains
• In-depth Examination of Gunshot Wounds (Contact, Intermediate & Distant)
• Stabbing / Cutting / Chopping Wounds
• Strangulation / Asphyxiation (Petechia & Hyoid damage)
• Pattern Injuries
• Defensive Wounds
• The Area Canvass
• Courtroom Presentation
• Court Cases

. 

Tuition $ 425 US

Payment: If you wish to pay for this course by means of a credit or debit card, please register for the course first, then return to this page and click on the PayPal icon below and fill in the required information. Thank you.