Owen Sound Campus Police Foundations students tie for first place in CSI Challenge

March 12, 2015

 

Owen Sound Campus Police Foundations students put their investigative skills to the test, helping to solve a “homicide” in an inter-college competition.

Georgian College tied for first place with Fleming College in the Sheridan College CSI Challenge held March 7 in Brampton. A total of six colleges took part.

Each team was given an identical mock crime scene to investigate – a suspected homicide in the Sheridan College residence.

The student investigators were confronted with a rope in the shower (“body” had been removed) and an apparent suicide note. In a trash can, they found a torn-up note from one roommate to the other. In the note, the deceased threatened to turn in his roommate to their dean if he didn’t admit to their instructor that he had stolen an essay from the deceased and submitted it as his own. Other evidence included beer bottles, shoe prints and fingerprints.

Students spent the day examining and documenting the evidence and building a case against a suspect.

Winning team members were Robert Carr, Tracy Moohs, Joey Wentworth, Daniel Ruttiman, Joshua Hoffele and Timothy Reynen. Forensics instructor Perry Prescott was on hand for consultation.

Catherine Wareham, co-ordinator of the Police Foundations program at the Owen Sound Campus, said her students were well prepared for the event and relished the opportunity to gain some hands-on experience.

“Due to smaller classes and hands-on learning, our students had a couple of advantages:

First, they understood how to gather evidence and how to connect the pieces. Second, during their two years in the program, they have practised team skills so they were able to work together effectively,” Wareham said.

“Going forward from this experience, our Police Foundations graduates will be more attentive to crime scene preservation and have a greater appreciation for the meticulous work done by forensic identification officers.”