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Crime Scene Photography Training
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By Kevin Conran – BLM Fire Mitigation/Education Specialist
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Fifteen students representing six fire and law enforcement agencies in eastern Idaho recently completed a 40-hour digital crime scene photography course in Pocatello. The training was conducted by the FBI and was coordinated by the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and hosted by the Pocatello Fire Department. The purpose of the training was to improve the photography skills of area investigators, with an emphasis on photography for fire investigations. To facilitate this goal, the Pocatello Fire Department constructed burn cells which were furnished and burned to create realistic crime scenes for the practical exercises.
Figure 1 – photography students class photo
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| Figure 1 – photography students class photo |
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Agencies represented included the BLM, Pocatello FD, Pocatello PD, Chubbuck FD, Power County Sheriff’s Office and the Fort Hall Tribal Fish & Game. Many of these agencies routinely work together both in terms of fire suppression and also in conducting fire and arson investigations. The training was geared toward student proficiency in the understanding and operation of digital Single Lens Reflex (SLR) cameras and photographic techniques.
The course was expertly instructed by FBI Crime Scene Photographer, Vance Liebelt, who brought a wealth of experience and enthusiasm for photography to the class. The course was extremely “hands on” with most students taking approximately 700-800 photos throughout the week. Exercises included techniques for general photography, use of tripods, macro photography (including photographing tire tracks, footprints, tool marks, fingerprints and other small evidence items), surveillance photography, depth of field, motion photography and “painting with light.” By the end of the course, the students felt more confident in navigating the camera menu items, taking the camera off of the “auto” setting and making educated decisions regarding camera settings and techniques.
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| Figure 2 - Burn Cell |
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Figure 2 - Burn Cell
Other lessons discussed during the course were legal issues associated with the use of digital photography, storing photographs correctly as evidence and preparation of photo logs. On the final full day of the class, the students participated in practical exercises documenting vehicle searches and photographing realistic crime scenes
including the burn cells provided by the Pocatello FD.
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