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The University of Indianapolis Provost Office was the scene of a crime recently as the Indianapolis-Marion County Forensic Services Agency (IMCFSA) trained a new forensic scientist and provided a real-life learning experience for criminology students.

UIndy partnered with the Marion County Crime Lab to host a training scenario for Crime Lab Technicians and UIndys Criminal Justice program. (Photos by Jennifer Zentz)

To the untrained eye, it might have been a disturbing sight: blood spatter, bullet holes and even a dummy murder victim, shot to death and slumped behind a chair. The staged scene was all part of the IMCFSAs training exercise, conducted in partnership with UIndys Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice, designed to prepare novice crime scene technicians for the real thing.

Weve taken over the provosts office, pretty much, said Christine Ondek, supervisor of Marion Countys Crime Scene Unit. Its an extremely nice office, too. I felt bad throwing evidence around here!

The training exercise involved 35 pieces of evidence. The trainee was assessed on every step, from the interview with the detective to crime scene video and other observations. The exercise was the culmination of four months of training, and the fourth and final mock crime scene before the trainee is sent out to process real crime scenes.

Starting in 2018, the University of Indianapolis will offer a Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) track for criminal justice majors to meet growing demand in forensic science careers. The program was developed in consultation with IMCFSA Director Mike Medler and staff, said Associate Professor Kevin Whiteacre, chair of the Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice. The CSI track ensures graduates will meet IMCFSAs accreditation requirements for hiring crime scene techs.

Whiteacre, who teaches criminal justice, says there is growing interest in the field because the natural sciences are becoming a larger part of criminal justice, and there is an increasing expectation from judges and juries for more analysis of physical evidence.

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the forensic science field will grow by more than 24 percent over the next eight years. Its a growing field, Whiteacre added, explaining that while non-sworn civilians can become crime scene technicians, a sworn officer in a smaller community may also have to play that additional role.

Several UIndy students came to observe the mock investigation throughout the day, including Anthony Castel, a freshman graphic design major and chemistry minor.

Im really interested in both forensic art and crime scene investigation, so ideally I want to learn the tools of the trade, said Castel, who is studying to become a forensic artist.

Interest in forensic science has spiked due to the popularity of television shows like CSI, Bones and others. But while those fictional dramas may spark curiosity, Ondek says the reality is much different.

People dont realize how long were out on crime scenes. This crime scene is probably going to take her seven hours to complete. On a TV show, its done in half an hour and its solved and we have the guy in custody. Things just dont happen like that, she said.

Ondek leads a team of 11, but the crime lab is looking to hire several more by the summer. Our staff is really overworked, so to be able to have an extra set of hands out there helping us is extremely important, she said.

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University of Indianapolis provost office hosts mock crime scene - UIndy News

BILLY JEAN LOUIS , blouis@baxterbulletin.com 6:34 p.m. CT March 15, 2017

Mandy Pender, trauma program manager for Baxter Regional Medical Center, explains brain functions to Pinkston Middle School students at the Baxter County Fairgrounds on Wednesday during the school districts crime scene investigation event. The district has been hosting the event for about eight years.(Photo: JOSH DOOLEY/THE BAXTER BULLETIN)Buy Photo

Pinkston Middle School students paid close attention and took notes while stopping at multiple tables in the education building: The goal was to decode a fake crime scene involving their principal.

No one was hurt the students weretrying to find out if it was a crime or an accident.

Hosted at the Baxter County Fairgrounds on Wednesday, the annual crime scene investigation (CSI) program an event based on the popular TV show CSI taught students about heart rate, fingerprints, blood types and more, while incorporating science, math and health.

The offsite learning event, which has been around for about eight years, is an integrated project between Pinkston and Mountain Home High School, giving 320 sixth-graders an opportunity to learn from approximately 160 high school students.

The students spent about eight minutes at each table before they moved on to the next one.

Each student received clues from the tables they visited, so they couldmake an inference on what happened to principal Allyson Dewey.In addition to getting clues, students were given lessons on how to use the materials they learned to solve the crime.

For example, Reagan Prince and Maegann Ingle, both 16, were stationed at table 12 to teach parts of the human brain. The girls used a sheep's brain, saying that it is similar to the humans brain, except for the size.

Baxter Regional Medical Center and the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences also contributed in teaching about the human brain. They provided a mega brain, helping them understand what the different parts do.

At table 12, the students learned about the dark spots of the brain, or gray matter: They had to wear goggles, and if they wanted to touch the organ, they put on gloves. The presenters at table 10 helped students recognize the types of blood and table 19 focused on the human skeleton.

According to a handout, Dewey was knocked out unconscious at the Baxter County Fairgrounds while looking for a room to hold an ACT Aspire party for sixth-grade students. When she woke up, she didn't know what happened. The handoutstated that she walked into a "dark room" and looked for"a light switch."

Jacob Czanstkowski, 12, said the event is interesting.He said he learned about fingerprints, blood types and how to match a victim with the suspect.

You learn a lot of new stuff, he said.

Pinkston Middle School students use straws to blow cotton balls across a table Wednesday at the Baxter County Fairgrounds to learn about lung function during the school districts crime scene investigation event. The students learned to solve a crime scene.(Photo: JOSH DOOLEY/THE BAXTER BULLETIN)

He said its "a little confusing" because hes not provided a lot of time at the station, but its a lot of fun. Its better than school. The sixth-grader said hes interested in computer science and health: Math is his favorite subject.

Czanstkowski said he learned about the brain and how to take a pulse.

Abby Melton, 11, said she learned aboutfingerprints. The sixth-gradersaid she's interested in becoming a counselor, but she would consider being an investigator because its cool to investigate.

Carol Wegerer, teacher and head of CSI, said the students do all the work. School officials are onlythere to guide them.

Its a great project. I love to see how our kids get involve with the sixth-graders. But whats really amazing is that the teachers really do just step back and watch, she said. Our kids make it happen.

At about 1:45 p.m., the students were told who committed the crime. It was a delivery man who was declined a teaching position at the middle school.According to Wegerer, the man put a box somewhere that Dewey could trip on it.

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CSI event teaches students how to solve crimes - Baxter Bulletin

Author Ann Coulter said Russian President Vladimir Putin is a much better ally in the fight against radical Islam than Germanys Angela Merkel.

Its strange that much of the media seems to, I mean with this obsession with NATO, see Merkel as more of an ally and Putin as the enemy, Coulter told the FOX Business Networks Maria Bartiromo. Right now the real enemy of the United States and all of Western civilization is radical Islam and Putin is obviously a much better ally in that fight than Merkel is.

Coulter said Germanys open door migrant policy is destroying all of Western Europe.

Shes inviting all of these Muslim migrants in. They have to have training programs for the refugees Youd think theyd be able to control themselves and they cant do it, she said.

In her opinion, the medias perception of Russia is no longer relevant.

The whole idea of the NATO alliance was to oppose a communist Soviet Union bent on world domination well that doesnt exist anymore, she said. So we really are set in this as Obama and the entire media ridiculed Romney for one stupid remark in the 2012 campaign. This is really a 1980s Cold War mentality that bears no relation to whats happening right now.

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Coulter also pointed out that Russia has been dealing with the Chechens, Muslims and Islamic terrorism for centuries now.

They warned us about the Tsarnaev brothers, the Boston bombers and our government officials ignored them, she said. The fight now is with [radical] Islam, which openly says they are going to come in our country various countriesthe West, infiltrate and turn us all Muslim this is the new Soviet threat there is no Soviet threat.

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Ann Coulter: Putin is a Better Ally for Trump than Merkel - Fox Business

Ann Coulter appears on 'TMZ Live' on Sept. 6, 2016.

A couple who may have urinated on copies of the Quran at a New Mexico library appear to befans of Ann Coulters cannonof work.

According to library staff, the couple put on a right-wing info campaignfor other patrons, taking copies of conservativebooks and puttingthem around the library, as if they were placed on display for all to see, according to a police report obtained by the Santa Fe New Mexican. They included Mark Levins Plunder and Deceit: Big Governments Exploitation of Young People and the Future and Ann Coulters Demonic: How the Liberal Mob Is Endangering America, according a police report.

The man also came in bearing alarge knife, sheathed, on his belt, and referenced his right to bear arms when staff expressed discomfort. Later, librarystafffound ayellowish liquid substance on copies of the Quran.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations called for the vandalism to be investigated as a hate crime.

Based on the behavior of the suspects in this case, we urge law enforcement authorities to investigate a possible bias motive for the destruction of library property, said CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper.

A Santa Fe police spokesperson tells Raw Story policehave a person of interest in the case, but cant formally designate them a suspect yet, in part because they lack video surveillance.

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Police investigating whether troublesome Ann Coulter-loving couple ... - Raw Story

Ann Coulter joined Sean Hannity tonight to react to President Trump's meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and one of the issues on which the two leaders most disagree: refugees.

Coulter, who has long been outspoken in her criticism of U.S. immigration policy, said that she supports Trump's "extreme vetting" policy because the safety of the American people is paramount.

She said that in addition to concerns about radical Islamic terror, Western countries are now dealing with tens of thousands of Middle Eastern refugees who have very different worldviews and values.

Coulter warned that it can be very dangerous for a country to bring in people who have no interest in assimilating.

"What are we getting out of this?" Coulter asked. "Its one thing if were bringing in nuclear scientists or engineers. I dont think were getting a lot of those. But the vast majority of refugees are just instantly coming in, sucking up welfare thats meant for our people."

Watch more above, and see Coulter explain why we should stop immigrants who "rip off government programs."

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Coulter on Accepting Refugees to US: 'What Are We Getting Out of This?' - Fox News Insider