PSU — A number of college students spent some time on the scene of a crime, Wednesday. Except — it was only a simulation exercise for Pitt State students enrolled in the criminal forensics class.
Instructor Chris Bakke organized the exercise — with the assistance of the university’s police department. It centered around a shooting death investigation.
The task for students was to find out if it was a suicide — or homicide — through utilizing practical methods learned inside the classroom to process the crime scene outside.
“The biggest thing that I like to take away from this class and these practical exercises is the student’s ability to learn the classroom environment, learn that controlled setting and learn through the textbooks and research and science behind it. But then also apply it when they get in these natural exercises — in person — in the natural environment. We have the wind blowing. It’s not as easy to dust prints outside — as it was in the classroom, right? A lot of students were finding that,” said Chris Bakke, PSU Criminal Forensics Course Instructor.
The 17 students will review their findings with Bakke next week. They’ll do two more simulations before the end of the semester.
