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ST. LEO, FL - Scouring a crime scene, looking for clues, dusting for fingerprints—Saint Leo University is offering rising high-school juniors and seniors the opportunity to delve into the world of CSI—crime scene investigation.

The university, north of Tampa, FL, is offering CSI Summer Camp for youths ages 15 to 18 from June 24 to June 29. The camp will provide students a hands-on and behind-the-scenes look at evidence collection, documentation, and preservation as they work a variety of mock crime scenes.

Campers will experience residence hall life during their stay at Saint Leo's lakeside campus, joining their fellow campers for meals, swimming, movies, and a variety of other evening activities.

Saint Leo faculty members with extensive experience in the criminal justice system along with a host of criminalistics experts, will teach and lead participants through on-site demonstrations.

Campers also will take a field trip to the Pasco County Sheriff's Office Forensics Services Section (FSS) to learn about latent prints and blood spatter, tour an evidence locker, and view a vehicle being processed for evidence by forensic experts.

Faculty include:

  • ► Charlotte Braziel, criminal justice instructor, who retired from the FBI after serving 26 years and was senior team leader for the Tampa Evidence Response Team and certified FBI instructor of crime scene management, case management, presentation skills and defensive tactics;
  • ► Joseph Cillo, criminal justice instructor, former defense attorney and an expert on serial killers and mass murderers, as well as the U.S. Supreme Court;
  • ► Karin May, criminal justice instructor, who has more than 20 years of law enforcement experience and is a captain of the reserve unit of the Dade City (FL) Police Department; and,
  • ► Bobby Sullivan, criminal justice instructor, who has more than three decades of policing experience including as a detective sergeant and commander of the narcotics, intelligence, street gang, and counter-terrorism units.

 

 

 

The CSI Summer Camp will provide a realistic look at the hard-work and critical thinking needed to locate, preserve, and analyze evidence. Campers should expect to be involved in casting foot and tire impressions and learning about insects in regard to crime scene decomposition. They also will be taught how to locate and dig up human remains and engage in interviews, interrogations, and presentations of their findings.

"The campers will process three mock crime scenes," said Nikki Heister, special programs manager for Saint Leo's School of Education and Social Services. Participants will process a scene at the university's "crime house," an incident in a field, and examine cars in the parking garage. "The will be collecting evidence, documenting it, photographing and sketching, and presenting to a mock grand jury," Heister said. "It's a very hands-on learning experience."

 

Space is limited and students are accepted on a first come, first served basis.  Total cost for the camp is $2,500, which includes airport transfers, furnished housing, meals, necessary CSI supplies, field trip, evening activities, and souvenirs.  A $500 deposit is due at registration with the balance paid in full on or before April 20. Deposits are nonrefundable.

For more information, go to http://www.totalcamps.com/CSICAMPS/home. Contact Nikki Heister at nikki.heister@saintleo.edu or call (352) 588-8487.

If a participant needs special accommodations, contact Dr. Chris Georgallis, assistant director of the Office of Accessibility Services, at christine.georgallis@saintleo.edu or (352) 588-8464.

Saint Leo University is at 33701 County Road 52, St. Leo, FL 33574. For information about the university, go to www.saintleo.edu.



About Saint Leo University

Saint Leo University (www.saintleo.edu) is a modern Catholic teaching university that is firmly grounded in the liberal arts tradition and the timeless Benedictine wisdom that seeks balanced growth of mind, body, and spirit. The Saint Leo University of today is a private, nonprofit institution that creates hospitable learning communities wherever students want to be or need to be, whether that is a campus classroom, a web-based environment, an employer's worksite, a military base, or an office park. Saint Leo welcomes people of all faiths and of no religious affiliation, and encourages learners of all generations. The university is committed to providing educational opportunities to the nation's armed forces, veterans, and their families. Saint Leo is regionally accredited to award degrees ranging from the associate to the doctorate, and the faculty and staff guide all students to develop their capacities for critical thinking, moral reflection, and lifelong learning and leadership.

The university remains the faithful steward of the beautiful lakeside University Campus in the Tampa Bay region of Florida, where its founding monks created the first Catholic college in the state in 1889. Serving more than 13,000 students, Saint Leo has expanded to downtown Tampa, to other sites in Florida and beyond, and maintains a physical presence in seven states. The university provides highly respected online learning programs to students nationally and internationally. More than 90,000 alumni reside in all 50 states, in Washington, DC, in three U.S. territories, and in 76 countries.

Media Contact: Mary McCoy, University Writer & Media Relations, mary.mccoy02@saintleo.edu, (352) 588-7118 or cell (813) 610-8416