Simulation tests Underwater CSI skills

The dive team arrived in the early morning, unloading gear from the back of a truck and walking through the potential crime scene to determine the best course of approach.

The scene was a boat docked on a floating pier inside the Panama City Marina. The situation was a real-world simulation, and the team was comprised of classmates in the Underwater Crime Scene Investigation program at FSU Panama City.
Test materials described the scene: A diver working on a boat propeller in the downtown marina overnight never reported in. He is suspected to have met with a problem and might be deceased, his body still somewhere underwater near the boat.

“They will mark out a search area, search through the area to find evidence and the body,” said Mike Davis, director of operations for the Advanced Science Diving Program at FSU Panama City. “Once they identify where it is, they’ll mark the body, mark all the evidence, and mark the positions based on some reference point, so if the evidence is required at trial, it is accurately depicted—where it was, the depth of the water, all of those references.”

Two team members suited up for a dive. Wearing Guardian full-face masks with closed circuit audio capability, they were connected by colored communication cables to a student supervisor who gave them directions and monitored their progress from the dock. The divers conducted an arc search pattern, gradually widening the arc to move farther from the dock and under the boat at the far end.

The exercise was finished nearly an hour later, when one diver brought a mannequin representing the missing diver to the surface. Placed in an orange body recovery bag, it was carried back to the supply truck. The “dead” diver’s tools and SCUBA tank were bagged separately so they could be examined in the lab.
 
WEEKLY SIMULATIONS
The Public Safety & Security program at FSU Panama City offers the UCSI certificate, which may be earned independently or as part of a bachelor’s or master’s degree. The program of applied study focuses on underwater forensic research and investigations. Courses involve critical thinking to reach mission objectives and include the application of theory and methodology.

Each week, the class plans and performs a dive based on a simulated crime scene, said Madison Klick, 21, a biology and criminology dual major pursuing a UCSI certificate.

“We get a detailed report from the investigator, then we go out and execute the dive,” Klick said, adding that the program was “amazing. It really allows you to be immersed in being in a crime scene. The underwater environment is totally different from what you see on land. It really made me see how important SCUBA divers are in crime scene investigations.”

The mission of the certificate program is to rigorously challenge students through five sequenced courses and labs that provide them with the theory and practical experiences to become underwater forensic scientists and highly qualified law enforcement and forensic professionals.

Graduates are educated to be both scientists and investigators, which benefits science-based disciplines such as engineering, medicine, criminology and archaeology. The UCSI certificate opens doors for careers processing accidents, insurance fraud cases, environmental pollution investigations and maritime security as well as crime scenes.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Klick moved to Melbourne with her family some years ago. She is a student at FSU in Tallahassee who came to FSU Panama City specifically for the UCSI certificate.

“I knew I wanted to be in the water,” said Klick, who was due to graduate in May. “This is my first time ever SCUBA diving, actually, with this team. I’ve seen them every Monday for the past four years.”