Who May Attend: This course is open to those employed in law enforcement.
Location: Milpitas - Holiday Inn/Suites, 1100 Cadillac Ct., Milpitas, CA 95035 (408) 240-8000
I.A.I. Approved: Course is approved for 24 hours of educational credit towards initial IAI Forensic Photography & Imaging certification or recertification.
Certified: California POST Plan IV
College Credit: 0.5 Semester Unit
Cost: $460.00
Presenter: "The Academy" - South Bay Regional Public Safety Training Center
To Reserve a Seat: Call "The Academy" (408) 229-4299
Course Flyer: The Academy's Course Flyer
Course Description: This training course provides the student with extensive knowledge and practical experience pertinent to crime scene and forensic photography of physical evidence and latent prints found or developed on evidence. Also, equipment and procedures pertinent to crime scene and forensic photography and the detection and preservation of physical evidence will be covered in this course. Additional major topics included in this course are the proper selection of cameras, lenses, tripods, films, filters, specialized lighting techniques and high energy forensic lights. The student will be equipped with essential skills and knowledge in regards to…
- Select camera settings to properly expose digital film
- Demonstrate the ability to use Program, Aperture Priority, Shutter Priority, and Manual Modes on modern digital cameras
- Demonstrate the use of available light and electronic flash to properly expose digital film
- Explain and demonstratehow lens aperture settings may be used to increase or decrease depth-of-field
- Explain and demonstrate how to properly photograph a crime scene and individual evidence
- Demonstrate the ability to operate digital cameras in general photography, crime scene, and macro (close-up) photography
- Explain the importance of documenting every photograph taken at a crime scene via photographic logs, sketches, evidence recovery logs, latent print lift logs, and identification tags
- Demonstrate the techniques of "painting" a scene with light
- Demonstrate the use of lasers to illustrate bullet trajectories
- Demonstrate the techniques to photograph fluorescent latent prints with forensic light sources
- Demonstrate the operation and utility of the UV-IR camera to visualize and photographically capture hidden evidence
- Explain the four major vantage points of crime scene photography
- Explain the requirements to present digital photographic evidence in a court of law
A three ring binder containing copies of presentations, reference material and job aids is included. Certificates of completion will awarded upon conclusion of the course.
Students are REQUIRED to bring their own personal or departmental digital camera (preferably DSLR cameras), lenses (normal, macro, & zoom), owner’s manuals, tripods, memory cards, electronic flash attachments, flashlights, extra batteries, battery chargers, photographic scales, and equipment manuals. Other items to bring but are not required are remote shutter release cords, off-camera flash sync cords, lens filters, and if possible any other crime scene photographic equipment and supplies issued by their department for use at crime scenes. It is also highly recommended that each student familiarize themselves with the operation and settings of their camera before the start of this course.
(Note: Forensic iPhones and Smart Phones may be used in this course if that is what your department uses at crime scenes.)
Instructor: FBI Special Agent Mike Stapleton, M.A. (Retired)
E-mail Mike Stapleton for more information.