​Instructors: 
Matthew Steiner & Ed Dingman
Course length:  40 hours

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Practical Shooting Reconstruction

The Practical Shooting Reconstruction course is designed for police officers, detectives, criminalists, forensic scientists, and crime scene investigators who would be tasked to investigate a shooting scene. The course focuses on firearms mechanics; ballistic trajectories; how bullets interact with various surfaces; and practical recognition, documentation, processing, and analysis of shooting scene evidence. Students will review real-world cases, investigate mock scenes, and gain experience with empirical testing and experimentation.

This course includes many hands-on experiments and practical exercises.


Topics Include

• Understanding Internal Ballistics
• Comprehending External Ballistic paths
• Interpreting Terminal Ballistic Damage
• Orientation, sequencing, position, and range of firearm discharge
• Document and reconstruct trajectories
• Location and positioning of victim
• Application of chemical reagents
• Proper use trajectory reconstruction tools and techniques
• Documentation techniques
  • Notes and Reports
  • Diagrams
  • Laser Scanning
  • Photography

COURSE OUTLINE

DAY # 1

1. Introduction
2. Pre-Test
3. Crime Scene Analysis and Reconstruction
4. Three Types of Ballistics
5. Components of Cartridge
6. Ballistic damage at the crime scene

DAY # 2

1. Shooting Reconstruction
2. Identifying and Documenting Firearms and Firearms related evidence
3. Processing Firearms Evidence
4. Firearms Discharges Involving Members of Service
5. Chemical Testing

DAY # 3 RANGE DAY

1. Materials
2. Exercises

 
DAY # 4

1. Mock Scenes

 
DAY # 5

1. Report Writing
2. Courtroom Testimony
3. Case Presentations
4. Test

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*This course has been approved for 40 hours of certification/re-certification training credit in the IAI Crime Scene Certification Board.

Matthew Steiner

Matthew Steiner is a First Grade Detective with the New York City Police Department’s Crime Scene Unit.  He is a twenty-four-year veteran with over nineteen years of experience as a crime scene investigator.  Matthew is the lead instructor for the Crime Scene Unit and an instructor for the National Center for Biomedical Research and Training,teaching their Advanced Forensic Investigations for Hazardous Environments course. 

​Matthew has also been featured as an expert witness for movie, television, online, and print media.  He has a recurring feature with WIRED for their “Technique Critique” series.  Detective Steiner has assisted in crime scene reconstructions and subject matter expert commentary for CBS News, Oxygen, Discovery, E! Entertainment, and Investigation Discovery Networks.

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Ed Dingman

Ed Dingman is a retired 2nd Grade Detective from the NYPD Crime Scene Unit. During his tenure with the NYPD, Ed worked in forensic investigations for 11 years in the Manhattan North Evidence Collection Team and the Crime Scene Unit, investigating over 1300 crime scenes.
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