csi | Mar. 6th, 2005

I saw the Washington Post's travel section mention the CSI Cruise, so I decided to check it out. Nifty... one can take a vacation and learn some hands-on crime scene investigation techniques on CSI on the High Seas, a ten-day cruise to the Mexico Riviera. Seminars are taught by retired FBI instructors and include these highlights:

Learn how a Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) team manages the collection, documentation and preservation of evidence at a violent crime scene.
Observe and practice how a CSI team documents a crime scene using photography. Bring your camera to practice the skills you will learn.
Observe and practice the techniques a CSI team will use to sketch the details of a crime scene.
Learn how to recognize the eight types of fingerprint patterns. You will roll your own fingerprints and identify the patterns you possess.
Observe how a CSI team locates and lifts invisible (latent) fingerprints on evidence using special powders and forensic light sources. You will develop and lift your own latent fingerprints from simulated evidence.
Watch how blood can be detected at a violent crime scene, even if the perpetrator has cleaned and attempted to conceal the evidence.
Hear how microscopic evidence like DNA, hairs and fibers and other can be used to solve a crime. Collect your own DNA.
Learn how CSI teams collect impression evidence including tire and shoeprint impressions at the crime scene. You may collect your shoeprint.
Hear how your instructors managed the collection of evidence in high profile cases, such a the Unabomber case, the kidnapping and murder of 12 year old Polly Klaas from Petaluma, CA., and the bombing of the Oklahoma City Federal Building. These instructors have participated in many nationally publicized crime scene investigations.

The seminar is limited to 40 participants, and prices start at $1074. Anyone up for a little hands-on vacation?