​Instructor: Nikki Wagar, CLPE, CCSA 
Course length: 32 hours

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Crime scenes involving bloodshed are often complex environments with vast opportunities to locate and preserve valuable evidence. This four-day Bloody Crime Scenes: From A to Z course is designed to provide crime scene investigators with the tools necessary to approach such scenes, systematically and methodically, to collect the most valuable blood evidence. Some crime scenes will present apparent blood evidence, while other crime scenes may be more complex and require search or enhancement techniques. Various chemical presumptive and enhancement techniques, along with proper documentation and preservation methods must be employed at crime scenes involving bloodshed to ensure thorough investigations are performed.

This course will focus on processing bloody crime scenes, from A to Z. Course instruction will cover bloodstain pattern recognition, detection, documentation, and preservation methods. Bloodstain search techniques will be employed to locate latent bloodstains within crime scenes and on items of potential evidentiary significance. Students will be introduced to various presumptive blood testing techniques, as well as specialized chemical processing utilized to locate minute or cleaned up bloodstains. Friction ridge and footwear impressions deposited in blood are additional forms of evidence frequently located within bloody crime scenes. Multiple blood enhancement techniques will be employed to establish methods to develop impressions deposited in blood and capture comparison quality photographs to allow for future examinations.

Practical exercises will be utilized throughout the course to enhance the learning experience. All practical activities throughout the training are designed to provide participants with a foundation to better approach bloody crime scenes and support sound decision making throughout the crime scene processing phase. Students will utilize photography techniques, bloodstain descriptors, notes and sketching, as well as chemical processes to better document and describe their crime scene investigation techniques. By providing students with the opportunity to create bloodstain impressions and bloodstain patterns, each participant will learn how to recognize, describe, enhance, and collect valuable blood evidence. At the culmination of this training, students will be well equipped to approach bloody crime scenes with knowledge and essential tools.

Chemicals used in this course include, but are not limited to the following:

• Leucocrystal Violet (LCV)
• Amido Black
• Bluestar® Forensic
• Phenolphthalein
• Hemident
• Hexagon OBTI
• Tetramethylbenzidine (TMB)
• Orthotolidine (o-Tolidine)

Schedule:

DAY 1

• Introductions and Class Survey
• Brief Historical Perspective, Objectives, and Principles of Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
• Blood Characteristics
• Bloodstain Pattern Recognition and Descriptors for the Non-examiner
• Bloodstain Measurements and Documentation Procedures
• Crime Scene Documentation, Notes, Sketches, Roadmapping, Photography Techniques
• Case Studies
• Practical Exercises (distance, substrate texture, creating stains, roadmapping, photography)

DAY 2

• Review of Day 1 with Questions and Answers
• Presumptive Blood Testing Techniques and Procedures
• Grid Searching Evidentiary Items
• Cleaned Crime Scenes
• Bluestar Latent Blood Searching Techniques, Procedures, and False Positives
• Bluestar Photography Techniques
• Case Studies
• Practical Exercises (presumptive testing procedures, testing potential false positives, grid search of dark item, mock crime scene documentation (notes, sketch, measurements, descriptors, testing), creating bloodstain patterns and applying cleaning methods to bloodstained substrates)

 DAY 3

• Review of Day 2 with Questions and Answers
• Chemical Enhancement Techniques
• Comparison Quality Photography of Impression Evidence
• Brief Overview of Footwear and Friction Ridge Detail Specialties
• Case Studies
• Practical Exercises (creating impression evidence depletion series for enhancement procedures, processing cleaned scenes with various specialized chemical procedures, and documenting with photography and notes)

DAY 4

• Review of Day 3 with Questions and Answers
• Report Writing and Bloodstain Descriptors Discussion
• Case Studies
• Practical Exercises (chemical enhancement of impression evidence, examination quality photography techniques, class presentations on utilized techniques and lessons learned from previous practical exercises, experimentation if time allows)
• Post-course Survey, Certificates, Wrap-up

Nikki Wagar, CLPE, CCSA

Holding a master’s degree in Forensic Science, a bachelor’s degree in Physical Anthropology, and a certificate in Forensic Identification, Nikki Wagar is a Certified Latent Print Examiner and Certified Crime Scene Analyst through the International Association for Identification (IAI) and has been practicing both specialties for over 12 years.

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