Scenes of Crime technicians get forensic training

Hayden Baldwin

Scenes of Crime technicians and personnel of the Belize Police Department are being trained to meet international standards in forensics. Today, the Belize National Forensic Science Service Department and the U.S. Embassy launched a one year forensic crime scene investigation course. The trainer, Hayden Baldwin, is a retired Master Sergeant from the Illinois State Police in 1998 and worked as a Supervisor and Head of Crime Scene for eleven years. With a law enforcement career for forty-four years ago with twenty years in the forensic field, Baldwin is the owner of a forensic consultant business and for the past six years, has been working as a forensic advisor for Jamaica.  Starting today, Baldwin will be in country on a monthly basis providing two weeks of intense training on techniques and skills in crime scene investigations. The training is particularly necessary in an effort to curb crime and to guarantee convictions in criminal cases. Baldwin told News Five today that he is here following an assessment he was invited to do three months ago.

Hayden Baldwin, Scenes of Crime Trainer

“They will have homework; they will have reading assignments to occur before I come back; they will be pretested….they will have a test at the end of every session. So it is a long process…one that will raise the level of the scenes of crimes to a new level that they are going to be called forensic crime scene investigators.”

Duane Moody

“In your opinion sir, what are some of the challenges that are facing our crime scene personnel and how is it that this is going to assist them?”

Hayden Baldwin

“Our biggest challenge obviously is going to be transportation and the equipment that they need. The other challenge is getting the public to cooperate, to help the police in making sure that the scenes are secured so that we don’t have a lot of contamination issues. So it is just being a part of the team rather than being the total answer.”

Duane Moody

“Now, does Belize have the capacity to carry out such an important part of any investigation that can be used when it comes to a conviction?”

Hayden Baldwin

“I believe they do. I believe that your current scenes of crime people that you have are professional without me even being here. The issue has always been that they have not had the proper equipment, the proper supplies, the proper transportation. And their knowledge level is quite high; we are just gonna raise it to another level.”

All participants will be certified with the ability to apply for certification through the International Crime Scene Investigators Association.