Investigators Hone Their Skills at Homicide School

The scattered pile of chewed sunflower seeds did not look like much, but in this case the mess meant a passing grade for a group of crime scene investigators.

“It looks like trash,� said Sgt. Rich Longshore of the sheriff’s homicide unit. “Most people would never believe it, but that small, discarded shell can tell us a lot. It can find a murderer.�

Actually, Longshore left the seeds on the floor himself, hoping detectives would find the valuable DNA evidence during a murder reenactment in La Mirada.

“All evidence is important,� Longshore said. “It can be a simple strand of hair to a drop of blood to a shoe print. In this case, it was a pile of chewed seeds.�

Shadowed by veteran homicide investigators, two dozen law enforcement officers from California and Arizona recently participated in the two-week Homicide and Death Investigation School operated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and Los Angeles Police Department.

The school, in its fifth year, hones the skills of young homicide detectives by teaching the latest in crime scene technology and investigative techniques. Its main purpose is to correct mistakes made during the handling and collection of evidence, Longshore said.

“That’s the way you learn,� he said. “You learn from the mistakes of the past.�

Evidence gathering is one of the most important parts of a criminal investigation, and if not done properly can lead to a defense victory during trial, Longshore said.

LAPD and sheriff’s homicide investigators are required to take the class, but other departments are welcome to participate, Longshore said.

“The experience level here is just incredible,� said Sgt. Richard Garcia of the sheriff’s homicide unit. “You get to see how other agencies work a homicide scene and you can share tips and get feedback.�

Most of the 80-hour program is in a classroom setting at a hotel where investigators learn about forensic science, changes in the law and the difference between good and bad evidence, Longshore said.

The last class met at the Residence Inn in La Mirada, where prosecutors made guest appearances to tell detectives what might be needed to convict a murder suspect, and a forensic specialist taught the proper way to unearth skeletal remains so they can be examined for clues.

Although crime lab experts generally do most of the work with DNA evidence, detectives are taught how to safely discover DNA samples in blood, sweat or saliva, such as from the chewed sunflower seeds.

For many, the lecture portion of the homicide school is just a refresher from college and police academy training--but with an emphasis on murder.

Most look forward to the homicide reenactment, where students deal with bloody mannequins, phony witnesses and pesky news reporters.

Mock Crime Scenes Are Staged at Hotel

During this session, five teams of investigators were sent to mock crime scenes in and around the La Mirada hotel, where they gathered evidence, interviewed witnesses, briefed the media and solved the crime.

All of the crime scenes were based on real-life cases, Longshore said. The students were being closely monitored by veteran LAPD and sheriff’s homicide detectives, who pointed out every mistake or missed piece of evidence.

Anything that looks suspicious at the crime scene is possible evidence, Det. Todd Henderson of the sheriff’s major crimes bureau told his team as they investigated the mock death of a woman in her hotel room.

“If you think it’s going to help your case, take it,� a monitor overseeing the scene advised him. “You can always put it back.�

“I know what I want,� Henderson replied as he examined a phone book for possible fingerprints, and two investigators checked the kitchen, where it appeared there may have been a struggle.

Many students in the class are in their first year as homicide investigators or are in the process of becoming homicide detectives, Longshore said.

Two Arizona detectives enrolled to see how homicides are handled in a larger city. Dets. Gary Fuller and Ivan Kaminsky, who work the robbery-homicide detail for the Chandler Police Department, handle about 10 to 12 homicides a year. By comparison, more than 1,000 homicides a year are investigated by Los Angeles County’s two major law enforcement agencies.

“We have a lot of similarities in technique, they just have higher repetitions,� Kaminsky said.

The two Arizona investigators did quite well, classmates said.

“They’re very bright,� said Sgt. Mike Thatcher of the sheriff’s Century Station. “Their department is smaller than ours, but they really know what they are doing out there.�

Funding for the class is provided by the state Commission on Peace Officer Standards and Training, which was established in 1959 to set minimum selection and training standards for California law enforcement.

Janis Cavanaugh, a professor of administration of justice and forensic science at Rio Hondo College in Whittier, said the program’s hands-on approach is helpful.

“I always thought that this was the best way to teach crime scene investigations,� said Cavanaugh, who has worked as a police officer in El Monte and Whittier.

Rio Hondo’s certificate program requires 536 hours of training in crime scene investigation, fingerprints, police photography, investigative report writing, interrogations and courtroom testimony.

Being successful in the field of crime scene investigations is something that cannot be learned overnight, many investigators said.

“You have to know how to read people,� Garcia said. “You cannot rush to judgment and you have to really pay attention to the most minute details.�

Homicide school is held four times a year. The next class is scheduled in April.

“This is a better environment to make a mistake than out in the field at a real murder investigation,� Longshore said.

“We’ve tried to make it tough, but if they look and listen, they can solve these crimes.�