Students gain practical experience with law enforcement professionals at annual CSI exercise

Liberty University Helms School of Government, in partnership with several Virginia law enforcement agencies, hosted its annual Pig on the Mountain crime scene investigation exercise on Friday at Hydaway Outdoor Center. The all-day event provided the group of about 80 students, many of which are in the criminal justice program, with the opportunity to gain real-life experience outside the classroom through different crime scene simulations.

Participating agencies included the Amherst County, Bedford County, Campbell County and Chesterfield County Sheriff’s Offices, Lynchburg Police Department, Virginia State Police, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Pig cadavers were used for several of the simulations to help imitate human remains found at crime scenes.

The event began with morning presentations by agency representatives and were followed by simulations that included a terrorist bomb vest bomb blast scene, a water (body) recovery scene, and a body excavation scene. Liberty biology professor Dr. J. Thomas McClintock also gave a presentation on forensic entomology used in criminal investigations and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources provided a short demonstration on how dogs can find important pieces of potential evidence such as bullet casings.

After taking a break for lunch, students and staff gathered to watch a terrorist bomb threat simulation in which a pig cadaver, strapped with explosives, was detonated by a team led by Special Agent James Buzzard with the Virginia State Police. Following the demonstration, Buzzard spoke on the importance of training students to be prepared for worst-case scenarios.

“(The bomb simulation) is excellent in preparing them because this is a very realistic situation,” he said. “If we had a scene like this, obviously it probably wouldn’t be an animal, it would probably be a person. We would be handling this the exact same way and you see the kind of stuff that you see even with an animal, just imagine a person. So, you realize if you’re ready for it really quick, once you get on scene like that.”

Students were then separated into eight different groups to visit their respective crime scene simulation. The simulations included analysis of the bomb scene, investigation into the decomposition of various pigs at different stations that have been left in the woods for about 11 days, a skeleton excavation site, and a demonstration by a water recovery team from the Virginia State Police in Lake Hydaway.

“I know that other schools don’t get to do stuff like this but learning it in the classroom is a lot different than doing it in the real world,” said senior Kayla Reeves, a forensic science student who served as a team leader with the post blast simulation. “Getting to see how they would actually process a crime scene that rather than just looking at pictures or a PowerPoint was definitely a great experience. I definitely recommend it to all my friends.”

Reeves said the caliber of Liberty’s forensic science program, which was awarded accreditation with the Forensic Science Education Programs Accreditation Commission, was a factor in her decision to attend Liberty.

While Friday’s event provided current students with practical experience, it also gave a former student a chance to return to her roots and participate as a professional in the field. Katie Danihel (’16, ’20), currently works as a forensics investigator for the Chesterfield County Police Department. During her time at Liberty, Danihel participated in the first and second Pig on the Mountain events. She said the hands-on experience she received at Liberty helped her as she interviewed for her current job.

“I think a lot of people go into this field and sometimes they question why they went into the field,” Danihel said. “It helps students prepare for what they might experience one day. This is not the norm, but it’s showing you the extreme and preparing you for the worst.”

She also said that her experience helped prepare her for a specific case that she recently worked on.

“I actually had a scene very similar to (one of the pig decomposition sites) not that long ago. It actually made me think of this exercise and being glad that I did that. I come into contact with death a lot, and it’s something that helped me prepare mentally and physically, because the mental battle is just as bad as the physical,” Danihel said, noting that it also helped provide her with mentors to help her through difficult days on the job.

Lawrence Presley, associate professor of criminal justice, said the students benefitted greatly from the opportunity to learn from industry professionals. Presley retired after 21 years in the FBI, including time as a bomb technician, and also spent time serving in the U.S. Army, where he was in charge of forensic operations in Afghanistan. He said his bomb tech position at the FBI was “one of the best jobs I’ve ever had.”

Presley also emphasized the importance of this event to help train students to serve God through their careers.

“From a Liberty perspective, here’s the most important point: we all work for God and good,” he said, citing Micah 6:8. “These students are being educated by real professionals with very realistic crime scenes, so they can go out and do justice.”

Members from the various law enforcement agencies were given gift bags following the event, and students received certificates to document their training.

“At the Helms School and at Liberty, we are grateful to the men and women of law enforcement who work every day to protect their neighbors and to be the peacemakers in our society,” said Dean Robert Hurt. “We are doubly grateful to each one of the agencies and their representatives who spent the day with our criminal justice students to help train the next generation of leaders in law enforcement. What a valuable and unique experience for our students to be able to learn from the best in crime scene processing.”