Area High Schools Take Part in Crime Scene Competition

Students from high schools throughout New Jersey came out to Caldwell College on March 20, 2010 to participate in the Fourth Annual Crime Scene Competition. Following a lecture on “Domestic Violence and Evidence-Based Prosecutions” by Debra Cannella, J.D. of the Essex County Prosecutor’s Office, student forensic teams were sent around campus to process staged crime scenes involving possible heavy metal poisonings. Students worked in the science labs analyzing liquids for possible traces of poison, deciding whether marijuana (simulated) was present at the crime scenes, lifting and analyzing fingerprints, and creating computerized composite sketches of potential perpetrators based on witness interviews.

“Our crime scene competition is a wonderful opportunity for high school students to practice crime processing skills and lab techniques learned in their high school science and forensic classes,” said Dr. Rosann Bar, Professor of Sociology and Criminal Justice at Caldwell College. “It is an overwhelmingly popular event that is both fun and educational.”

At the conclusion of their investigations, the teams had to determine whether each death was a murder or natural occurrence. Local law enforcement officers, including many Caldwell College alumni, judged the students’ work. They awarded top honors to Mount St. Dominic High School in Caldwell.

Second place went to Cedar Grove High School, and Wayne Valley High School placed third.

Honorable Mention honors went to West Essex High School, Saddle Brook High School, Red Bank Catholic High School, Union City High School, Immaculate Conception High School in Montclair, and Immaculate Conception High School in Lodi.

The event was sponsored by Caldwell College’s Department of Sociology/Criminal Justice, which offers an Interdisciplinary Certificate Program in Criminal Forensics.