Workshop 1

From Under to Above: A Look into the Crime Scene Documentation Methods Utilized by the Baltimore Police Department’s Crime Scene Unit 

Just as other major cities, Baltimore City is tasked in dealing with a high crime rate. This, in turn, requires that Crime Scene Technicians are equipped with the best possible tools in order to document a wide variety of crime scenes. 
Attendees will benefit from this training by learning how to utilize a multi-disciplinary approach in documenting crime scenes. This four-hour informational session will introduce participants to a wide-range of crime scenes, the environments encountered by crime scene practitioners, and a discussion concerning specific types of casework (e.g. clandestine graves). Additionally, session participants will learn about the capabilities of small-unmanned aircraft systems (sUAS), more commonly known as drones, and FARO 3D scanners in crime scene documentation. Participants will have an opportunity to observe first-hand operation of a drone and 3D scanner at a pre-selected mock clandestine grave scene during the workshop. 

July 24, 2024  8:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Workshop limited to 20 participants. 

Instructors:

Jennifer Anderson
Jennifer L. Anderson graduated from the University of Alabama at Birmingham with a BS degree in Biology and BA degree in Anthropology.  She went on to complete a MS in Forensic Studies (Medico-Legal Death Investigations and Skeletal Trauma Analysis) from Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers, FL.
Jennifer currently works full-time as a Crime Laboratory Technician Supervisor with over nine years of experience within the Baltimore City Police Department - Crime Scene Unit.  She has processed over 2100 crime scenes and testified in approximately 20 homicide trials.  Jennifer is Certified Senior Crime Scene Analyst via IAI (International Association for Identification). Jennifer has also been an active member of FEMORS (Florida Emergency Mortuary Operations Response System) since 2008.
Additionally, she is a half-time lecturer within the Department of Sociology, Anthropology, and Criminal Justice at Towson University.  She instructs undergraduate students in Advanced Forensic Investigations.

Megan Descalzi, MSFS, CCSA
Megan has been a Crime Laboratory Technician with the Baltimore Police Department’s (BPD) Crime Scene Unit since September 2019. Prior to starting her career, Megan earned her Master of Science in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven, where she completed her thesis utilizing drones with thermal imaging to locate heat signatures of larval aggregations. Since coming to BPD, Megan has worked towards implementing drones into the Crime Scene Unit for scene documentation and is now the Drone Program Coordinator for the unit. Megan is a certified FAA Part 107 Remote Pilot and a IAI Certified Crime Scene Analyst.