The grant, included in the science, state, justice, commerce, and related agencies 2006 federal spending bill, will enable UB's thriving forensic studies program to train additional qualified laboratory technicians, whose work leads to the clearing of serious criminal cases. At the same time, this working crime lab--complete with all of the high-tech innovations that have greatly improved law enforcement's crime-solving efforts in recent years--will be available to the Baltimore Police Department.
UB President Robert L. Bogomolny said the new federal dollars will elevate a well-established regional partnership among the University, the Baltimore Police Department and area community colleges, to one of the best in the country. Through articulation agreements, UB partners with area community colleges to provide upper-level courses to area students seeking real-world training in the forensic studies field. Community college graduates find it easy to transfer credits to UB's program and continue on to a four-year degree.
"Students come from all around the region for our program," Bogomolny said. "Most importantly, they know they will be well-prepared for employment in the field after graduation. We're in the business of meeting the region's employment needs and feeding the employer pipeline. That's what we do at UB, and we do it well."
As part of their training, students are required to do an internship at the Baltimore Police Department where they learn first-hand about new technological advancements in forensics. Personnel from the Baltimore City Police Department's crime laboratory and detective division serve as UB faculty, teaching classes, supervising internships and mentoring students. Director Ed Koch has contributed greatly to the development and growth of the forensic studies program, functioning as the liaison between the partnering agencies. Drawing on 30 years of forensics and law enforcement experience, Koch ensures that program coursework remains relevant to the applied operations of law enforcement and crime solving.
Jami Grant, director of the forensic studies program, said the new federal funding will allow the University to develop its forensic crime scene laboratory and offer students a variety of training opportunities in a field that UB has dominated, as the first institution in the state to offer a forensic studies program.
"This newly renovated laboratory will not be just another campus science laboratory. It will be a working laboratory where students jump right into crime scene investigation techniques and evidence analysis," Grant said. "Our program is unlike any other in the state. When our students leave here, they know that the CSI show is purely Hollywood. Students want to experience the real thing, including examination of crime scene samples, photographs, and fingerprints. It's all there."
The UB and city police partnership has improved the city's ability to recruit quality graduates who are prepared for the responsibilities of working in a real crime lab. Right now, there is a shortage of technicians in the field, although the major is growing steadily. While the number of forensic studies majors stood at 17 five years ago, today that number is 52. The more qualified lab workers there are, the more quickly casework can be processed and criminals brought to justice.
