Several students at the Erie 2-Chautauqua-Cattaraugus BOCES Hewes Educational Center had the unique opportunity to explore crime scene investigation with JCC alumna Deneen Hernandez, a forensic examiner with the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).

During her visit in May, Ms. Hernandez led students through three crime scene scenarios: a crime de jour, an intelligence gathering exercise, and a shredded document/cryptanalysis reconstruction.

Ms. Hernandez, who graduated from JCC in 1984, earned a bachelor’s degree in political science at the State University of New York at Fredonia and a master’s degree in criminal justice at Buffalo State College. She received the JCC Distinguished Alumnus Award in 2005.

Prior to becoming a supervisory forensic examiner for the FBI’s cryptanalysis and racketeering records unit in 2003, Ms. Hernandez was a forensic examiner/investigator for the National Indian Gaming Commission from 1999 to 2003 and a senior Indian gaming inspector for Turning Stone Casino from 1994 to 1999. Ms. Hernandez is a former member of Columbia College’s adjunct criminal justice faculty and a correctional officer and trainer for the Madison County (NY) Sheriff’s Department.

The BOCES students are participating in a two-year program for high school juniors and seniors interested in law enforcement careers. The criminal justice/public and private security courses offered at the Hewes Center provide initial educational and career preparation. The students are also members and active participants in the Law Enforcement Explorer program sponsored by the Boy Scouts of America. The students have received the Gold Presidential Community Service Medal for the past three years for community service in excess of 1000 hours.

Hewes Center criminal justice instructor and Explorer Post director Daniel S. DePietro notes, “We have witnessed firsthand the positive impact that this program has had on the communities served by the Hewes Educational Center. Our program serves several area communities by offering security, crowd control, traffic control, and augmented medical services for those attending cultural and civic events.”

The students also have the distinction of being members of the first public high school in New York state to graduate from community service training provided by the Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). The training was made available through the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Volunteers in Police Service, and the Department of Homeland Security.

To supplement the CERT training, the Hewes Center has entered into an aggressive joint training program with the Transportation Security Administration to provide internship opportunities.

“It is our belief that this is the first program of its kind in the entire nation,” said DePietro. “The program would provide students with a unique perspective and opportunity to receive training that could prepare them for a career in public service with the Department of Homeland Security.”

DePietro, a graduate of the University of Miami, is a retired Florida highway patrol trooper who was assigned to Miami-Dade County in 1985. He co-authored "Sheriffs and Schools Supporting Career Education, Leadership Development, and Safer Schools,” which was published by the National Sheriffs Association in 2002.

After listening to the students’ career aspirations, Ms. Hernandez told the class, “The course you are all on now is a noble one. In this field, there are many opportunities that lie ahead, and they can make a positive difference in yours and in others’ lives.”

The first exercise involved documenting the crime scene, processing it correctly, and reporting the results of a cursory examination of the scene. The second exercise, based on intelligence gathering, taught students how to assess a target threatening to commit a potential crime. The students were given approximately two hours to examine evidence (fictional bags “found” by an airport janitor) and to learn from the available data. In the final scenario, students evaluated shredded documents for possible data on a clandestine operation or business. The students determined if there was a particular message or code embedded within the document and decrypted the message. Students were encouraged by Ms. Hernandez to spend extra time to scrutinize every document for clues and leads.

“When these students can work alongside an actual professional who has many years of experience working on real cases, it makes the impact of the learning experience that much greater,” said DePietro. “Ms. Hernandez is in a place where these kids want to be and there’s no better way to learn than from the real thing.”