Several faculty and students in ISU’s School of Criminology and Security Studies participated in a daylong forensic video and image analysis training Friday. The training was facilitated by the Law Enforcement and Emergency Services Video Association (LEVA) which is widely recognized as the global standard in forensic video training and certification.
The participants included the students who were recently sworn in as digital forensic investigators for the Vigo County Prosecutor’s Office. This training equips them with the skills necessary to carry out their work with law enforcement this year.
Forensic video and image analysis techniques were shared including image enhancement, photo video comparison, image stabilization, and digital video recovery.
ISU Instructor Bill Mackey says these skills help students stand out in the job market. “It is very important because the amount of video, image, and audio we collect now has exploded exponentially in the last few years and continues to do so,” he said. “Almost every case will have some digital video, image, or audio component. The vast majority of people working in the field of traditional forensics simply do not have this kind of training.”
The training took place in the Cyberlab (Room 016) located at the lower level of Holmstedt Hall, 620 Chestnut Street. LEVA director and facilitators, detectives from Lawrence (Kansas) Police Department, and a Terre Haute Police Department officer were present.
This was the result of a partnership between the university and LEVA, which agreed to provide free certification training to students and faculty in the future.
“Such training is typically cost-prohibitive for students and spots in the classes are filled by those already in the field trying to update their skill set,” Mackey said. “With this and the other certifications our cybercriminology students are able to receive before graduating we are setting them up to hit the job market with proficiency in the most cutting edge skills and programs that are actively sought by agencies across the country.”
Said Clint Weddle, Corporate and Foundation Development Director at ISU: “The Cybercriminology and Security Studies – LEVA partnership will provide students and faculty with industry knowledge and certification from the world’s video forensic leader. This is certainly an exciting partnership opportunity for the Cybercriminology program leading to even greater employment opportunities for students post-graduation.”