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Press Release
Central County Occupational Center to Hold Second Annual MetroED Forensic Challenge
Central County Occupational Center will hold its Second Annual MetroED Forensic Challenge on May 29, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 760 Hillsdale Avenue, San Jose. This year's event will feature 27 crime scenes and more than 200 forensic investigation students from six different high schools.
"By observing our student teams, the public will realize that real crime scenes aren't processed like they are on TV's CSI show, CCOC Instructor Gordon Sanford said. "In real life, scenes are processed by teams, not by one or two individuals."
As part of the challenge, student teams of Evidence Collection Technicians (ECT's) will need to establish contamination controls, document critical evidence, collect and preserve evidence, conduct preliminary analysis of the evidence. Scenes are contained in tents and surrounded by crime tape. A representative from the San Jose Police Department will debrief students on the crime scene.
Students from Newark Memorial High School, American High School, Irvington High School, Mission San Jose High School, and Robertson High School will participate along with CCOC students.
Each of the 27 teams, based on their interpretation of the evidence, will make a presentation on why the District Attorney's office should conduct DNA testing on their suspect to confirm the evidence students found at the crime scene. Erin West from the Santa Clara County DA's Sexual Assault Team will judge the students on their presentations. In addition, several criminalists from the DA's office have been invited to serve as field judges.
Each team will then be told if the DA's office would agree to conduct testing or Sanford will explain to the team why the evidence would not convince the DA's office to spend money on further testing. The challenge is part of the student's final assessment of forensic investigation skills for the year.
The Forensic Investigation class is one of Central County Occupational Center's wide variety of career-technical education programs for high school students. Sanford brings more than 30 years experience and teaches the basics of what Forensic Investigation is all about through plenty of hands-on experience during his two three-hour classes each day.
Sanford uses a combination of lectures, hands-on activities, guest speakers and field trips to teach students the nuts and bolts of Forensic Investigation.
During the first semester at CCOC, students learned the fine details of Crime Scene Processing in preparing them for the second semester where they learned about Criminology (evidence/laboratory processing). Sanford said many of the students did not realize that forensic investigation is heavily based on chemistry, math, and science concepts. Students also had the advantage of utilizing the same technology used in the field, such as state-of-the art fingerprinting software.
The demand for trained Forensic Investigation Technical Assistants is high, Sanford said, especially from insurance companies who need to investigate claims for fraud and police departments who would rather use a forensic investigator than a detective.
Sanford adds that by the time students complete the 525 hour certificate program, they will have all the skills they need to work in the field, including a PERK kit assembled throughout the school year and required field and lab operation manuals.
CCOC--a unit of MetroED--provides career-technical education for high school students in six districts: Campbell Union High School District, East Side Union High School District, Los Gatos-Saratoga Joint Union High School District, Milpitas Unified School District, San Jose Unified School District, and Santa Clara Unified School District.
For more information on CCOC or the Forensic Challenge, contact Michelle Alaimo at 408-723-6464.
MetroED is the largest career-oriented educational organization in Santa Clara County, comprised of high school and adult career technical, academic and community programs.
MetroED annually provides more than 30,000 diverse students with the skills to help them be productive, income-earning and tax-paying contributors to Silicon Valley.
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