KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Members of the 174th entrant officer class are learning how to fingerprint crime scene evidence during this week's training at the KC Regional Police Academy.
During this exclusive series of stories you'll only see on KSHB 41 News, we're following along as entrant officers go through training to become a police officer.
During this week's training, members of the Kansas City, Missouri, crime scene investigation unit are teaching entrant officers the basics of fingerprinting crime scene evidence and processing crime scenes.
Lori Keller, supervisor with the crime scene investigation unit, said while her team handles violent crime scenes, patrol officers are responsible for processing some crime scenes as well, usually property crimes.
As entrant officers like Griffin Kraut are learning, fingerprinting is an art.
"It's difficult, we were sitting there putting the stuff on and it's hard to find prints so it's definitely something that is going to have to be worked on," Kraut said.
Kraut said he's ready to add the skill to his toolbox for when he's officially an officer.
"It's definitely a very unique process, I hadn't really thought of us doing it ourselves on the job, I think there's a lot of things that happen on the job that you don't really think of for police officers," Kraut said.
Keller said this is the first time members of the crime scene investigation unit are teaching entrant officers these skills. Up to this point, an academy instructor taught the lesson.
"We are kind of two different roles, but everybody has the same end goal in mind, which is to do good work and to help Kansas City be safer with science so that's what we're trying to do," Keller said.
During the lessons, entrant officers learn what types of items to fingerprint and what powders and brushes to use on certain surfaces.
Entrant officer Andrew Arellano said he appreciates the academy training, which is always teaching him something new.
He's looking forward to graduation in August and hopes to be an example to others that becoming a police officer may be hard work, but to him it is well worth it.
"Join, if it's a passion of yours and it's something that you've wanted to do your whole life, sign up, apply," Arellano said.
—
