INDIANAPOLIS – Indianapolis
Metropolitan Police Department (IMPD) Evidence Technicians receive 20 new
Alternative Light Source (ALS) cameras and extensive training to advance their
skillset in processing crime scenes.
Evidence Technicians (ET) are specially trained sworn officers who respond to
crime scenes to assist in documenting and collecting evidence, with the
exception of homicides. They are trained to lift finger prints, document
specific property crime and violent crime through photography, and collect
evidence on-scene.
All primary ETs have recently completed three days of technical training on new
procedures and processes for processing crime scenes. The President of Crime
Sciences, INC., Paul Couture, came to Indianapolis from Ontario, Canada, to
conduct the training covering the use of ALS cameras. The ALS cameras are
specifically designed to help identify and photograph injuries and bodily
fluids. These cameras are capable of photographing bruises beneath the surface
of the skin, and will aid ETs in providing detectives and prosecutors with more
evidence for prosecuting crimes such as domestic violence and assault cases.
Additional procedures ETs were trained in the past week will strengthen their
skill sets in documenting aggravated assaults, domestic violence, and
burglaries. The 20 ALS cameras have been issued across all districts and
shifts, and ETs will begin using them and the new procedures immediately.
The ALS cameras, as well as the ET kits purchased which consist of new DSLR
cameras, a flash, evidence markers and scales used to measure and photograph
evidence, were an investment made by the IMPD to better equip officers in
serving the Indianapolis community and help in prosecution of those responsible
for violent and property crime.
