La Roche University Center for Lifelong Learning | The Great Forensic Outdoors: Outdoor Crime Scenes and How We Process Them

The Great Forensic Outdoors: Outdoor Crime Scenes and How We Process Them

Lifelong Learning | FULL (Membership Required)

Location

9000 Babcock Blvd Pittsburgh, PA 15237 United States

Room

HAC 111

Date

7/11/2024-8/8/2024

Time

6:00 PM-7:30 PM EDT on Th

iCalendar

Download iCalendar

Wait List

Program Description

The Adventures in Lifelong Learning (ALL) course titled “The Great Forensic Outdoors: Outdoor Crime Scenes and How We Process Them” consists of five (5) 1.5 hour classes in which we will explore the role of various disciplines in the recovery of evidence from outdoor crime scenes. Each week we will address the application of different disciplines such as archaeology, entomology, botany, and geology to the recognition, collection, and documentation of crime scene evidence. To do that, retired FBI Special Agent and Evidence Response Team member Mike Hochrein will lecture and present case histories relative to each topic. Attendees will also be shown different types of equipment and technology used in the examination of outdoor scenes.

The examination and processing of outdoor scenes can be very different from that of indoor scenes. The determination of what constitutes the scene, the exposure of evidence to the elements, the methods used to conceal evidence, and the transfer of environmental matter from the scene are typically not presented in indoor, or sheltered, crime scenes. Therefore, they require the joint investigative efforts of law enforcement and experts in the various disciplines. This course is an example of what would be presented to law enforcement officers to make them aware of the scientists and specialists who could help them in their investigations; and to alert them to the types of environmental evidence which could affect their cases.

Instructor(s)

Michael Hochrein

Michael J. Hochrein is an adjunct faculty for the Department of Justice, Law, and Security of La Roche University and a consultant for HD Forensics, Erie, Pennsylvania. He retired from the Federal Bureau of Investigation in 2017 after more than 29 years as a Special Agent. In his capacity as a Special Agent, he participated in the investigations of matters ranging from violent crimes, financial and government fraud, as well as child pornography. Former Agent Hochrein was a member of the F.B.I.’s Evidence Response Team (ERT) Program since its initiation in the mid1990s. As a certified police instructor in various topics related to the collection of evidence and management of crime scenes, Mike developed and conducted training for local, state, and federal law enforcement as well as medico-legal practitioners and academic audiences ranging from high school to graduate school. Former Agent Hochrein was a contributor to the F.B.I.’s Evidence Response Team Field Reference Guide. He is also the author or co-author of several peer reviewed articles on topics of forensic archaeology and forensic geotaphonomy. In addition, Mike continues to compile, and update, an extensive bibliography for many aspects of crime scene investigation. He maintains memberships in American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the International Association for Identification, and the International Homicide Investigators Association.