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OREM — In an older part of Orem, near 1138 S and 400 West, sits a home with crime scene tape lining the front entrance. It is a place full of clues, evidence and a lot of cameras.
“Every room in the home is outfitted with a video camera, so I can sit here, as the instructor and watch what my students are doing,” said Amie Houghton, an assistant professor for Utah Valley University’s Forensic Science program.
Houghton spent 11 years with NCIS before teaching. Nowadays, she is turning the home into a realistic crime scene for her students.
“In a classroom environment, it's not totally practical,” she said. “By using a facility like this, we are able to show them how you approach a scene that's in a residence."
Students like Megan Carter are using the space to practice processing and documenting evidence.
“This just shows that someone stepped on the table with dusty shoe prints,” Carter said while getting a shoe imprint. “You just want to make sure you try to get no bubbles in because that will ruin the comparison that an expert might do.”
Houghton said this experience is hands-on and for the 130 students in UVU’s Forensic Science Program. She considers it an opportunity for students to think like real crime scene investigators before working their first real scene.
“This is how it is going to function in real life and you are forced to work around whatever scene you are given,” she said.
