Educators in Forensic ScienceThe Men in the Middle - ACS Publications

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Downloaded by UNIV OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA on September 28, 2015 | http://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 1, 1975 | doi: 10.1021/bk-1975-0013.ch003

Educators in Forensic Science—The Men in the Middle W. W. McGEE Florida Technological University, Forensic Science Teaching Laboratory, Sanford, Fla. 32771

The need to s t a f f f o r e n s i c l a b o r a t o r i e s with q u a l i f i e d personnel has created a demand for education facilities to prepare f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s . Educators i n c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s i n many p a r t s of the country are responding to t h i s demand. Very q u i c k l y these brave souls d i s c o v e r that being an educator i n for e n s i c s c i e n c e places them directly i n the middle of a controversy i n which the e d u c a t i o n a l needs of the f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e p r o f e s s i o n must be placed i n a frame work p r e s c r i b e d by c o l l e g e or u n i v e r s i ty a d m i n i s t r a t i o n . At t h i s p o i n t , the educator becomes the man i n the middle. To s u r v i v e t h i s controversy, the educator must recogn i z e each problem area and somehow reach a s o l u t i o n acceptable to the p a r t i e s i n v o l v e d . In t h i s paper, an attempt will be made to illustrate the r e l a t i o n s h i p that e x i s t s between education and the f o r e n s i c sciences, to present some of the problems that can be encountered i n e s t a b l i s h i n g a f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e degree program, and to d i s c u s s how these problems were confronted i n e s t a b l i s h i n g a B.S. degree program i n F o r e n s i c Science a t F l o r i d a T e c h n o l o g i c a l U n i v e r s i t y (FTU) i n Orlando, F l o r i d a . The purpose of t h i s paper i s to i d e n t i f y problem areas so t h a t they can be recognized and openly d i s c u s s e d . The s o l u t i o n s proposed represent one p o i n t of view and should not be taken as the final answer to each problem. Background The large i n f l u x of f e d e r a l money i n t o law enforcement,designed to upgade law enforcement and r e l a t e d p r o f e s s i o n s has produced its share of b e n e f i t s as w e l l as disadvantages. The f o r e n s i c science p r o f e s s i o n has r e c e i v e d its share of t h i s double-edged " b e n e f i t " . Grime l a b o r a t o r i e s which (with few exceptions) had been s u b s i s t i n g on handouts from l o c a l or s t a t e revenues suddenly found themselves with the means of upgrading t h e i r facilities to meet the deluge of n a r c o t i c and drug abuse r e l a t e d casework. I t 10

In Forensic Science; Davies, G.; ACS Symposium Series; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1975.


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has been s a i d that "drug abuse" c a l l e d a t t e n t i o n to the need f o r expanded crime l a b o r a t o r y s e r v i c e s to serve the c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e system. I t has been L.E.A.A. that has provided the means to t h i s end. While science w r i t e r s today e x t o l l the v i r t u e s of computer c o n t r o l l e d l a b o r a t o r y instrumentation, knowledgeable l a b cientists recognize the extent to which automated equipment can " f r e e " the s c i e n t i s t from h i s l a b o r a t o r y i n v e s t i g a t i o n s . A s i m i l a r a p p r a i s a l occurred i n the crime l a b o r a t o r y . Grime l a b o r a t o r y d i r e c t o r s soon recognized that no amount of modern equipment could reduce the ever-growing case load i f there were not enough l a b o r a t o r y s c i e n t i s t s to use the equipment. Adequately prepared l a b o r a t o r y s c i e n t i s t s were needed to use the equipment to produce r e s u l t s which could be i n t e r p r e t e d i n a meaningful manner r e l a t i v e to the cases at hand. In other words, we have not as yet found the way to get the "computer" to t e s t i f y under oath on the standi Personnel-adequately prepared personnel-is the s o l u t i o n to the problem. But where to f i n d them? Because there i s a d e f i n i t e shortage of recognized e x p e r t i s e i n t h i s f i e l d , e n t i c i n g establ i s h e d personnel away from p o s i t i o n s i n recognized labs i s not only expensive but l i k e l y to cause hard f e e l i n g s . Education. There are few recognized c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s which graduate adequately prepared personnel s p e c i f i c a l l y f o r the f o r e n s i c s c i ence p r o f e s s i o n . "On-the-job" t r a i n i n g . With no other source to t u r n t o , O.T.J, represented the most d i r e c t s o l u t i o n to the problem. I t s t i l l i s one very acceptable means of preparing personnel. But what about education? Education-educators-college and u n i v e r s i t y administrators have been s e v e r e l y unresponsive to the needs of the f o r e n s i c science p r o f e s s i o n . In the past, f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s have turned to c o l l e g e professors f o r h e l p only to f i n d t h a t there was no " r e a l l i f e " a p p l i c a t i o n f o r the d i s c o v e r y which o f f e r e d so much promise on paper. In those instances where v ^ process could be adapted to a s p e c i f i c f o r e n s i c a p p l i c a t i o n , the work would have to be done w i t h i n the confines of the u n i / e r s i t y . provided the proper working agreement between the two agencies could be reached. That i s . p r o v i d e d the money was a v a i l a b l e , provided a l l patent r i g h t s would become property of the u n i v e r s i t y , provided a l l p u b l i c a t i o n s d e s c r i b i n g the data would show u n i v e r s i ty personnel as the s e n i o r authors, provided, provided, provided \ Combine t h i s overt atmosphere with the experience that most crime l a b a n a l y s t s have had that i s , watching a c o l l e g e p r o f e s s o r make a f o o l of himself as an "expert" f o r the defense, and i t i s no wonder that f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s have looked s u s p i c i o u s l y a t education. The f o r e n s i c science p r o f e s s i o n i s not e n t i r e l y without f a u l t Perhaps, due to the s t a t e of f l u x i n which the p r o f e s s i o n f i n d s i t s e l f , f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s have not been s u f f i c i e n t l y a r t i c u l a t e about the personnel needs of the p r o f e s s i o n . J u s t what the f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t does w i t h i n the confines of the CRIME LABORATORY walls has long been a w e l l guarded mystery; or a t l e a s t i t seems


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t h a t way. The personnel requirements, the background and wealth of experience t h a t c o n s t i t u t e the p r e p a r a t i o n of p o t e n t i a l f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s i s , a t present, poorly understood and not w e l l def i n e d even by f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s . Perhaps i t i s a question of e v o l u t i o n . I t may simply be a question of not having enough time and enough " h i s t o r y " to begin to c o n s i d e r personnel requirements. What ever the reasons, these f a c t o r s are c l e a r : 1. There are few s u c c e s s f u l f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e / c r i m i n a l i s t i c s e d u c a t i o n a l programs a t c o l l e g e s and u n i v e r s i t i e s i n the United S t a t e s . 2. The number of graduates from these programs i s s m a l l . 3» There i s a mutual f e e l i n g of misunderstanding between the two groups i n v o l v e d . 4. There i s a c r i t i c a l shortage of adequately prepared f o rensic scientists. 5.

There w i l l be a shortage

of q u a l i f i e d p r o f e s s i o n a l s f o r

f i v e to ten yearsTrie Problems Being i n the middle of the controversy has provided a degree of perspective concerning the areas of misunderstanding. On the s u r f a c e , i t would seem t h a t the problem areas, the areas of c r i t i c a l q u e s t i o n i n g by educators and f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s , seems l i m i t l e s s . While the number of questions which can be asked i s undoubtedly l i m i t l e s s , there appears to be a r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l number of b a s i c d i f f e r e n c e s which need to be recognized. To i l l u s t r a t e t h i s p o i n t , c o n s i d e r some of the statements made by f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s concerning the p r o f e s s i o n and i t s r e l a t i o n s h i p to education. 1. A degree i n Chemistry i s the only e d u c a t i o n a l p r e r e q u i s i t e t h a t i s needed to prepare f o r work i n the f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e s . Why bother e s t a b l i s h i n g a new degree program? 2. We h i r e chemistry majors because they do the best job f o r us. 3. F o r e n s i c science i s such a broad heterogeneous f i e l d of endeavor r e q u i r i n g such a great d i v e r s i t y of s k i l l s t h a t no one s i n g l e degree program can ever hope to accomplish t h i s task. 4. To be recognized as an expert witness, competent of t e s t i f y i n g to even one s m a l l area of e x p e r t i s e i n f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e , r e q u i r e s a great d e a l of s p e c i a l knowledge. There i s l i t t l e demand today f o r personnel with the gene r a l experience that would r e s u l t from a B.S. degree program. 5. F o r e n s i c science i s a p r o f e s s i o n . Unlike other pure s c i e n t i f i c d i s c i p l i n e s (chemistry or p h y s i c s ) i t has a f u n c t i o n a l code of e t h i c s which must be adhered t o . The j u s t i c e system a c t s as a continuous check on the conduct of the f o r e n s i c science p r o f e s s i o n a l . The only way to l e a r n



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t h i s code i s t o experience i t i n a c t i o n i n the crime l a b oratory . A degree program a t a c o l l e g e o r u n i v e r s i t y cannot hope to d u p l i c a t e t h i s experience. 6. In our l a b we have t o x i c o l o g i s t s , drug chemists, f i r e arms examiners, questionned documents examiners, s e r o l o g i s t s , and trace evidence examiners. J u s t how i n the world are you going t o pack a l l of t h i s i n t o one degree program? What are you going to prepare them f o r ? 7. We do not want degree programs t h a t c l a i m t h a t they a r e producing expert witnesses. The only way you can become an expert i s t o go through a p e r i o d of "on-the-job" t r a i n i n g to g a i n enough confidence i n your work and enough experience i n performing a s p e c i f i c a n a l y s i s t o q u a l i f y bef o r e the c o u r t . No degree program can do t h i s I ! 8. The b i g g e s t problem with many s c i e n t i f i c degree programs i s t h a t they have not kept abreast of developements i n that s c i e n t i f i c f i e l d . Once a degree program i s establ i s h e d , with a l l courses i d e n t i f i e d , how are you going t o keep the program current? 9. A s i n g l e degree program graduating 2 5 students per year could e a s i l y surpass the demand f o r personnel w i t h i n a given l o c a l . F i f t y degree programs of t h i s s i z e would r a p i d l y exceed the personnel needs of the e n t i r e n a t i o n . We want q u a l i t y , not q u a n t i t y ! 10. Research. My advice to you i s have the students take as many hours of r e s e a r c h as p o s s i b l e . That's the only place where they l e a r n t o t h i n k . At the h e a r t of a l l of these statements i s one q u e s t i o n . What c o n s t i t u t e s a degree program i n F o r e n s i c Science and what can be accomplished w i t h i n the s t r u c t u r e of such a program? Today, c o l l e g e and u n i v e r s i t y adm i n i s t r a t o r s tend t o look a t new education programs not i n terms of p r o f e s s i o n a l s e r v i c e but i n terms of the e o n s t r a i n t s i n t o which the new program must f i t . Here a r e a few of the more important c o n s t r a i n t s . 1. There i s a l i m i t t o the number of courses and "hours" which can be r e q u i r e d of a student i n a degree program. Students can "volunteer" t o take a d d i t i o n a l course work but i n a p h y s i c a l sense there i s u s u a l l y a l i m i t t o the time which a student has a v a i l a b l e f o r e x t r a courses. The trend i n education today i s t o make a v a i l a b l e t o s t u dents options which w i l l reduce the t o t a l elapsed time (but u s u a l l y not the number of courses) r e q u i r e d f o r a s p e c i f i c degree. State u n i v e r s i t i e s i n F l o r i d a u s u a l l y l i m i t t h e i r s c i e n c e programs t o 180 q u a r t e r hours. 2. S p e c i a l i z a t i o n w i t h i n a B.S«. degree program which r e q u i r e s input from many s c i e n t i f i c d i s c i p l i n e s i s l i m i t e d . Some measure of s p e c i a l i z a t i o n can be achieved by p r o v i d i n g e l e c t i v e hours w i t h i n the program which students can use t o r e f l e c t i n d i v i d u a l i n t e r e s t s . 3. The c o s t of an e d u c a t i o n a l program i n f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e


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w i l l be one of the g r e a t e s t among s c i e n t i f i c d i s c i p l i n e s taught a t a c o l l e g e or u n i v e r s i t y . In terms of l a b o r a t o r y equipment, instruments, microscopes, s p e c i a l chemic a l s and s o l v e n t s , f u l l t i m e s t a f f , adjunct s t a f f , and p a r t i c u l a r l y i n terms of the r e l a t i v e l y s m a l l number of students that w i l l be involved i n the program, i t w i l l be expensive. S t a f f . F i r s t of a l l , who i s going to teach the courses, even basic i n t r o d u c t o r y courses, w i t h i n the F o r e n s i c S c i ence degree program? Secondly, how do you a t t r a c t them away from t h e i r present jobs, with the present l e v e l of c o l l e g e or u n i v e r s i t y s a l a r i e s ? F i n a l l y , how can one department j u s t i f y the number of i n d i v i d u a l s ( s t a f f s i z e ) that t h e o r e t i c a l l y are r e q u i r e d to present a c r e d i b l e f o r e n s i c science degree program? How can c l a s s e s be s t r u c t u r e d w i t h i n a f o r e n s i c science 5. degree program to meet the needs of the working p r o f e s s i o n a l and the f u l l time student? These are the basic problems to which the educator,the man i n the middle, must f i n d working s o l u t i o n s i f he i s going to have a s u c c e s s f u l f o r e n s i c science degree program. Apparent S o l u t i o n To Some Of The Problems On J u l y 1 9 , 197^ the Board of Regents of the State of F l o r i d a approved the B.S, degree program i n F o r e n s i c Science a t FTU f o r i n i t i a t i o n i n September, 197^-. Development of the degree program and support f a c i l i t y took n e a r l y two years to complete. A s i g n i f i c a n t p o r t i o n of that time was spent t a l k i n g to f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s i n an attempt to a r t i c u l a t e the problems j u s t d e s c r i b e d . Once a r t i c u l a t e d , s p e c i f i c steps were taken to r e s o l v e some of these d i f f i c u l t problems. The s p e c i f i c f e a t u r e s of t h i s degree program as they r e l a t e to these problems are d e s c r i b e d i n the f o l lowing paragraphs. The logo or symbol f o r the program i s shown i n F i g u r e 1. The symbol i s more than an eye-catching design. I t embodies the purpose and i n t e n t of the degree program. The F o r e n s i c Science program a t FTU i s a degree program emphasizing "the s c i e n t i f i c aspects of p h y s i c a l evidence v a l u a t i o n " . In the symbol, education i s shown as the connecting bar between p h y s i c a l evidence and the s c i e n t i f i c techniques which the f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t uses i n h i s v a l u a t i o n process. The j u s t i c e system forms the p i v o t p o i n t i n t h i s conceptualized b a l a n c e - l i k e process. The r o l e t h a t education plays i s c l e a r l y d e f i n e d . Emphasis on p h y s i c a l evidence v a l u a t i o n w i l l provide the g o a l toward which course work i n law, s c i e n c e , and f o r e n s i c science can be aimed. In t h i s way, some of the conf u s i o n r e s u l t i n g from the d i v e r s i t y of courses needed f o r the degree program can be e l i m i n a t e d .



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Science

forensic

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symbol

A t y p i c a l student c u r r i c u l u m i s shown i n Table I . As s t u c t u r e d , the curriculum o f f e r s a number of advantages to s t u dents . The f o l l o w i n g f e a t u r e s h i g h l i g h t the c u r r i c u l u m . 1. The degree has been e s t a b l i s h e d as a p r o f e s s i o n a l degree to be housed i n the College of N a t u r a l Sciences and administered by the Department of Chemistry. 2. Acknowledging c r i t i c a l recommendations from concerned f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s , the degree program w i l l c o n t a i n i n excess of 110 c r e d i t hours of science courses, to i n c l u d e a minimum of ^4 hours of chemistry and 28 hours of s p e c i a l f o r e n s i c science courses. 3. A two-quarter i n t e r n s h i p i n a recognized crime l a b o r a t o r y i s r e q u i r e d of each student. The t y p i c a l student w i l l begin the i n t e r n s h i p i n the summer f o l l o w i n g the j u n i o r year. 4. The student completes, p r i o r t o the i n t e r n s h i p , a r i g o r ous schedule of r e q u i r e d b a s i c course work i n s c i e n c e , law, and p r o f e s s i o n a l courses i n f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e . 5. R e s t r i c t e d e l e c t i v e s provide the student with a measure of f l e x i b i l i t y t o r e f l e c t a s p e c i a l i n t e r e s t (e.g., s e r o l o g i c a l i n d i v i d u a l i z a t i o n of body f l u i d s ) or a s p e c i a l area of f o r e n s i c science (e.g., t o x i c o l o g y ) . How are these f e a t u r e s r e a l i z e d w i t h i n the degree program? P r o f e s s i o n a l i s m i n a degree program can be achieved i n a number of ways. F o r e n s i c science courses can be s t r u c t u r e d t o emphasize the code of e t h i c s which guide the a c t i o n s of the f o r e n s i c science prof e s s i o n a l . Laboratory experiments can be d i r e c t e d toward the prep a r a t i o n of evidence f o r court testimony. F o r e n s i c science and law courses can i n v o l v e moot court testimony. When p o s s i b l e , s t a f f members w i l l be expert witnesses with c o u r t experience. A l -


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Table I T y p i c a l F o r e n s i c Science Curriculum F i r s t Year Biological Science Chemistry Communication Mathematics S o c i a l Science Second Year Chemistry University Studies Restricted Electives Physics T h i r d Year Law & L e g a l Procedure F o r e n s i c Science Restricted Electives S o c i a l Science Statistics Summer F o l l o w i n g T h i r d Year Fourth Year Internship Univers i t y Program English Restricted Electives S o c i a l Science

Spring

Fall

Winter

Biology

Botany

Microbiol.

General

General Analyt.

English Precalc.

General Gen. Lab Speech Calculus

Organic Analyt.

Organic Analyt.

Organic Organic Lab

History

Humanities

Microbiol.

Immunology

Serology

Physics

Physics

Electronics

Law

L e g a l Proced.

For. A n a l . *

Crmnl. I *

Crmnl. I I *

Phys. Chem.

Phys. Chem.

Adv. A n a l y t .

Computer S c i . Social S c i .

Social S c i . Stat. Cooperative Education I n t e r n s h i p

Internship Univ. Prog.

Univ. Prog.

Report W r i t i n g For. S c i . Social S c i .

For. S c i .

T o t a l Quarter Hours 180 R e s t r i c t e d e l e c t i v e s are approved courses i n s c i e n c e , f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e , l e g a l procedure, o r c r i m i n a l j u s t i c e . ^Abbreviations: Crmnl. = C r i m i n a l i s t i c s For. A n a l . = F o r e n s i c A n a l y s i s Techniques



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most by d e f i n i t i o n , a p r o f e s s i o n a l degree program must maintain d i r e c t and open contact with the p r o f e s s i o n . A c t i v e p a r t i c i p a t i o n i n the p r o f e s s i o n by s t a f f members i s an e s s e n t i a l i n g r e d i e n t i n the operation of the degree program. I f nothing e l s e , i t w i l l keep members of the p r o f e s s i o n and the s t a f f on a f i r s t name basis. What about chemistry courses i n the curriculum? The q u e s t i o n of whatconstitutes adequate e d u c a t i o n a l p r e p a r a t i o n f o r the f o r e n s i c science p r o f e s s i o n i s a very c o n t r o v e r s i a l one. Almost without h e s i t a t i o n , when asked what background do you look f o r when you h i r e new personnel, the answer i s a degree i n chemistry. Yet, when pressed, t h i s same i n d i v i d u a l w i l l u s u a l l y admit t h a t there are a few things which were not covered i n a Chemistry Degree t h a t are v a l u a b l e to f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t s . There i s no doubt t h a t a s t r o n g background p r e p a r a t i o n i n Chemistry i s e s s e n t i a l . But does the f o r e n s i c s e r o l o g i s t need the same extensive chemistry background t h a t a drug chemist r e q u i r e s ? Should the t o x i c o l o g i s t take the same schedule of courses which the p o t e n t i a l f i r e - a r m s examiner takes? Is advanced organic chemistry more important t o the s e r o l o g i s t than immunology or serology? Are courses i n d i f f e r e n t i a l and i n t e g r a l c a l c u l u s e s s e n t i a l to the day-to-day tasks of the questioned documents examiner? To r e q u i r e a l l f o r e n s i c s c i ence majors to take the same extensive background i n chemistry (to become chemistry majors) would be e q u i v a l e n t t o d i s p u t i n g the need f o r s u b s p e c i a l t i e s ( f i r e - a r m s , t o x i c o l o g y , e t c . ) w i t h i n the f o r e n s i c science profession. The c u r r i c u l u m shown i n Table One represents a s e l e c t i o n of courses which i s designed f o r 70% of the students. For these students, with l i t t l e or no preconceived knowledge of p r o f e s s i o n a l s u b s p e c i a l t i e s , chemistry courses w i l l be recommended as e l e c t i v e s to provide a s t r o n g background. I t i s conceivable t h a t a f t e r seve r a l years of operation, separate c u r r i c u l a w i l l evolve f o r s t u dents i n drugs a n a l y s i s , f o r e n s i c serology, t o x i c o l o g y , or t r a c e evidence examination. U n t i l t h i s happens, the r e s t r i c t e d e l e c t i v e courses w i t h i n the program should provide the student with a means of i n d i v i d u a l i z i n g or t a i l o r i n g h i s course work. (Restricted e l e c t i v e courses are approved courses i n s c i e n c e , f o r e n s i c science, or law). What i s the program p o s i t i o n with r e s p e c t to the expert w i t ness? Nowhere i n the c u r r i c u l u m does the student get the impress i o n t h a t upon graduation he w i l l a u t o m a t i c a l l y become, with the r e c e i p t of h i s diploma, an expert witness. Recognition as an exp e r t witness i s the f u n c t i o n of the c o u r t and i t i s s t i l l the duty of the f o r e n s i c l a b o r a t o r y to provide the bulk of the p r a c t i c a l experience necessary to q u a l i f y f o r t h i s t i t l e . A f o r e n s i c s c i ence degree program can be designed t o provide the foundation upon which a c t u a l l a b o r a t o r y experience w i l l b u i l d . But i t i s through a c t u a l work experience t h a t the f o r e n s i c l a b r e q u i r e s confidence i n the graduate's a b i l i t y to perform i n the adversary system. What i s the f u n c t i o n of the i n t e r n s h i p w i t h i n the degree program? I t can serve many f u n c t i o n s ; f o r one, i t i s an e f f e c t i v e



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device f o r p r o v i d i n g students of a degree program with a measure of work experience. R e a l i s t i c a l l y , the r e q u i r e d i n t e r n s h i p w i l l serve as a s c r e e n i n g d e v i c e . I f the degree program i s to f i l l the personnel needs of the f o r e n s i c science p r o f e s s i o n w i t h i n the State then the program must produce 5-10 graduates per year. The i n t e r n s h i p should provide a mechanism f o r keeping student enrollment i n l i n e with p r o f e s s i o n needs by exposing them, t h e i r a b i l i t i e s , and a t t i t u d e s t o the f o r e n s i c l a b o r a t o r y personnel. Conversely, the l a b o r a t o r y personnel w i l l expose t h e i r system t o the student. Should there be abreakdown a t t h i s p o i n t , a mechanism e x i s t s f o r ending the r e l a t i o n s h i p . The student can switch t o a chemistry degree a t the end of the t h i r d year without s e v e r e l y handicapping h i m s e l f . I t should be emphasized t h a t an honest a p p r a i s a l of the student p o t e n t i a l a t t h i s p o i n t by the p r o f e s s i o n a l and educator w i l l h e l p assure the q u a l i t y of personnel t h a t the p r o f e s s i o n demands • Concerning the i n t e r n s h i p i t s e l f , students take n e a r l y a l l of t h e i r s c i e n c e , law, and f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e courses p r i o r t o the i n t e r n s h i p . With t h i s background, students should be able t o f u n c t i o n i n the f o r e n s i c l a b o r a t o r y without d i s r u p t i n g normal l a b o r a t o r y operations. The p o t e n t i a l burden that massive student i n t e r n s h i p programs could place on already overtaxed f o r e n s i c l a b o r a t o r y f a c i l i t i e s may discourage some f o r e n s i c l a b o r a t o r y p a r t i c i p a t i o n . Precautions must be taken t o insure a g a i n s t t h i s abuse, s i n c e the student i n t e r n s h i p i s e s s e n t i a l t o the production of q u a l i t y personnel. The problems and r e s p e c t i v e s o l u t i o n s d i s c u s s e d t o t h i s p o i n t have one f e a t u r e i n common. They a l l d e a l with b a s i c tenets which the p r o f e s s i o n holds dear. The proposed s o l u t i o n s represent concessions t o the p r o f e s s i o n which n e a r l y every program should make i n order to be r e l e v a n t . The next problems which w i l l be d i s c u s s e d are those r e l a t e d to the a c t u a l p r e p a r a t i o n of students. Stated simply, these are problems r e l a t i n g to the c o s t of the f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e degree program, the s t a f f i n g of the program, and the s t r u c t u r i n g of b a s i c and advanced courses w i t h i n the degree program. R e s t a t i n g a p o i n t p r e v i o u s l y made, "the c o s t of an educationa l program i n f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e w i l l be one of the g r e a t e s t among the s c i e n t i f i c d i s c i p l i n e s taught a t a c o l l e g e o r u n i v e r s i t y " . College educators contemplating a quick entry i n t o the f i e l d t o make hay while f e d e r a l d o l l a r s are a v a i l a b l e should proceed with c a u t i o n . Unless they are prepared t o annually defend high c o s t f i g u r e s , they should r e c o n s i d e r t h e i r choice and e l e c t to establ i s h low overhead degree programs. Unless they r e c o n s i d e r t h e i r a c t i o n s , they may u n i n t e n t i o n a l l y be doing i r r e p a r a b l e damage t o those degree programs that have r e a l i s t i c a l l y appraised the s i t u a t i o n . They may i n f a c t , be widening the gap d e c r e a s i n g the credibility between the p r o f e s s i o n and educators! Drawing from the experience gained i n s e t t i n g up t h i s degree program, t o d u p l i c a t e the b a s i c l a b o r a t o r y f a c i l i t i e s found i n an



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an average f u l l s e r v i c e crime l a b i n the classroom w i l l c o s t i n the neighborhood of $ 2 5 0 , 0 0 0 . I t should be emphasized that t h i s i s the t o t a l c o s t of s t a r t i n g from s c r a t c h with an empty b u i l d i n g and equipping i t with the basic t o o l s t o do the job. Should there be l a b o r a t o r y rooms a v a i l a b l e f o r use c o n t a i n i n g appropriate l a b benches and stocked with b a s i c glassware and chemicals, the c o s t can be reduced by $ 7 0 - 8 0 , 0 0 0 . Should there be s u f f i c i e n t i n s t r u mentation microscopes (not only number but t y p e ) , UV s p e c t r o photometers , IR spectrophotometers, e l e c t r o p h o r e s i s equipment, gas chromatographs, c e n t r i f u g e s , flame spectrophotometers., and f l u o rescence spectrophotometers to name only the expensive items, the t o t a l c o s t can be reduced by $ 1 0 0 - 1 2 0 , 0 0 0 . I f the l i b r a r y i s up to date and w e l l stocked with new as w e l l as c l a s s i c f o r e n s i c books, s u b s c r i p t i o n s to the numerous f o r e n s i c and r e l a t e d j o u r n a l s and newpapers are p a i d , and the reference c o l l e c t i o n of i n s t r u ment s p e c t r a , h a i r s , f i b e r s , f i r e - a r m s and c a r t r i d g e s , paper and i n k s , e t c . are up-to-date, then the program i s ready f o r the f a c u l t y and s t a f f . The next job w i l l be to j u s t i f y to the administ r a t i o n t h i s major investment i n terms of the 5 students you w i l l graduate each year! F o r t u n a t e l y , the FTU program was able to secure adequate f u n d i n g f o r the i n i t i a l d e s i g n of these f a c i l i t i e s from our LEAA SPA. I t would have been impossible f o r the FTU program to secure t h i s type of f a c i l i t y i n a reasonable time frame without LEAA a s s i s t a n c e . Beyond t h i s i n i t i a l advantage, the FTU program w i l l d i f f e r l i t t l e from other e x i s t i n g programs. At some p o i n t i n time, h o p e f u l l y i n 4 - 5 years, a d m i n i s t r a t o r s of t h i s program must assess i t s accomplishments i n terms of meeting i t s s t a t e d goals, judge i t s r e c o r d a g a i n s t other science programs, and decide i t s f u t u r e ( i f the p r o f e s s i o n does not do t h i s job by then). The f i n a l answer to the s t a f f i n g problem has no easy answer. I d e a l l y , the s t a f f of a t r u l y r e l e v a n t f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e degree program should c o n s i s t of an impressive l i s t of experts capable of p r o v i d i n g i n s t r u c t i o n an almost every s p e c i a l i t y area of f o r e n s i c science. R e a l i s t i c a l l y , from a c o s t standpoint, t h i s i s not poss i b l e , and e d u c a t i o n a l l y i n terms of course design, t h i s i s imp r a c t i c a l . Each expert would f e e l o b l i g e d to teach a course on h i s s p e c i a l i t y and by the time each s p e c i a l i t y was covered a l l the c r e d i t hours f o r the degree program would have been consumed without touching the b a s i c s c i e n c e and law courses. Economically as w e l l as e d u c a t i o n a l l y , a sounder approach to the problem would be to use one or two experts with broad experience to present survey courses which cover the b a s i c concepts of f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e . Such courses would be s t r u c t u r e d much i n the same manner that today's modern general chemistry course i s taught. Basic microscopy, photography, comparative e v a l u a t i o n of h a i r s , p l a n t m a t e r i a l , f i b e r s , and t o o l marks could be d e a l t with i n much the same way t h a t gene r a l chemistry i s taught today. The important d i f f e r e n c e between the two (chemistry and f o r e n s i c s c i e n c e ) would be the p r o f e s s i o n a l emphasis that only the expert f o r e n s i c s c i e n t i s t could give


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t h i s course. Working i n conjunction with t h i s f u l l - t i m e s t a f f , would be a s t a f f of adjunct f a c u l t y which could be c a l l e d on as the demand arose, to o f f e r s p e c i a l i t y courses i n t h e i r areas of e x p e r t i s e . The s u b j e c t m a t e r i a l covered i n these s p e c i a l i t y courses would compliment the m a t e r i a l covered i n the survey courses and would d e a l with problems of immediate i n t e r e s t or concern to the f o r e n s i c science p r o f e s s i o n today. This b i - l e v e l s t r u c t u r i n g of c l a s s e s w i t h i n the program seems to o f f e r more advantages than disadvantages. From an a d m i n i s t r a t i v e standpoint i t g r e a t l y reduces the overhead expense of maint a i n i n g a l a r g e , expensive s t a f f . From the s e r v i c e standpoint, i t o f f e r s the p o t e n t i a l of being able to serve the e d u c a t i o n a l needs of the beginning student and the working p r o f e s s i o n a l . Upperl e v e l speoialitycourses i n f o r e n s i c science, i f properly s t r u c tured, could be" u t i l i z e d by both the f u l l t i m e student and the working p r o f e s s i o n a l to upgrade understanding of a p a r t i c u l a r f o r e n s i c s p e c i a l i t y . In t h i s way, the program would be meeting i t s o b l i g a t i o n to serve the educational needs of the p r o f e s s i o n . Conclusion I t was s t a t e d e a r l i e r t h a t the purpose of t h i s paper was t o i d e n t i f y problem areas that can be expected when t r y i n g to establ i s h a degree program i n F o r e n s i c Science. To some i n d i v i d u a l s the t e n t a t i v e s o l u t i o n s proposed f o r the degree program a t FTU seem obvious and/or naive. I f t h i s i s the case, we ask t h a t you indulge our whims u n t i l the b a s i c aspects of the r e l a t i o n s h i p between the two groups become obvious. To others, the problems r e l a t e d to being the man i n the middle of the controversy may seem overwhelming. The previous d i s c u s s i o n was not intended to dramat i z e the problems• Some observers have c r i t i c i z e d the approach taken a t FTU f o r f o l l o w i n g the d e s i r e s of the f o r e n s i c science p r o f e s s i o n too c l o s e l y . They f e e l t h a t the i n d i v i d u a l i t y and o r i g i n a l i t y the remoteness of the c o l l e g e or u n i v e r s i t y i n s t i t u t i o n has been s a c r i f i c e d . T r y i n g to second-guess a p r o f e s s i o n i n a s t a t e of f l u x always presents t h i s type of problem. R e c a l l i n g t h a t one c r i t i c i s m of s c i e n t i f i c degree programs has been i n a b i l i t y to keep abreast of developments w i t h i n the p r o f e s s i o n , we hope to e s t a b l i s h a working r e l a t i o n s h i p with the p r o f e s s i o n which w i l l r e f l e c t both the d e s i r e to i n t e r a c t with the p r o f e s s i o n and the basic b e l i e f that a degree program i n F o r e n s i c Science can provide q u a l i f i e d personnel to the p r o f e s s i o n . As men i n the middle, educators openly s o l i c i t e the i n v o l v e ment of f o r e n s i c science p r o f e s s i o n a l s and c o l l e g e a d m i n i s t r a t o r s i n the establishment of degree programs i n Forensic Science. Of a d m i n i s t r a t o r s , educators ask that they provide a f l e x i b l e mechanism i n which to r e f l e c t changes i n the degree program as they m a t e r i a l i z e i n the p r o f e s s i o n . Of f o r e n s i c p r o f e s s i o n a l s , educat o r s ask t h a t they a c t i v e l y involve themselves with degree pro-



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grams. Make t h e i r knowledge and e x p e r t i s e a v a i l a b l e i n the c l a s s room. Of both, educators ask patience!I An acceptable s o l u t i o n to the problems can be found. We a t FTU, wish t o thank the Bureau of C r i m i n a l J u s t i c e P l a n ning and A s s i s t a n c e the L.E.A.A. State Planning agency f o r the State of F l o r i d a - a n d the Board of Regents of the State of F l o r i d a f o r a c t i v e l y i n v o l v i n g themselves i n the e s t a b l i s h i n g of the degree program i n F o r e n s i c Science. Without t h e i r r e s p e c t i v e financ i a l and formal involvement t h i s degree program would not have been p o s s i b l e


Educators in Forensic ScienceThe Men in the Middle - ACS Publications

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