Classical expands crime scene program

LYNN – “CSI” has come to LCHS in the form of an interdisciplinary program that connects students with both the legal and the science side of crime scene investigation.”We’re the only school in the commonwealth that does this,” said social studies teacher Lyle Henkenmeier. “It’s the first year and the kids really seem to enjoy it. I think it will really fly.”Six years ago Henkenmeier launched a forensic program at the high school that focused on the legal and investigatory aspects of crime scene investigations. This year, he has teamed up with science teacher Michael Fannon to create a year-long program that also includes the science side of forensics as well.”Lyle and I have 30 kids,” Fannon said. “They do the legal aspect with him then we switch off for the science aspect.”Fannon aims at making the program as interactive as possible and has lined up a list of speakers who he plans to pepper his classes with during the year. The first was John Drugan, a senior chemist with the State Crime Lab.Adam Nickolas was among more than 30 students waiting in the library Thursday to hear Drugan speak. He said he took street law, which all students entering the program are required to take, and heard about the CSI-style class.”I like Mr. Henkenmeier,” he said. “He told us what they do like dusting for fingerprints and I wanted to do what they do.”Jordan Brown said he signed up for the class because he’s interested in how the police work.”Like how they catch guys who do shootings who try to get rid of the evidence but the police find it and track it back to them,” he said.”I took criminal justice last year because I want to be a cop,” said Oscar Mendez. “I like the stuff they do, trying to solve crimes and helping people.”Brett Evelli said being in the class feels like the real deal and while the television show “CSI” seems fairly realistic, he knows what he is learning is real life.Drugan flinches just a bit whenever someone mentions “CSI.” He told the students in no uncertain terms that what he does is “true life” and “CSI” “is unrealistic.”Unlike television where one character seems to have all the know-how to solve a crime, Drugan said at the state crime lab everyone has a specialty. He is an expert in four different disciplines including arson investigations, he said.”You become an expert in one field, you don’t have one guy who knows everything that plugs something in and in an hour knows what type of ammunition they fired from a gun,” he said.Some of the areas students might consider include toxicology, “which is interesting and kind of gross,” he said, or the criminalist unit, ballistics, trace analysis, DNA or even photography to name a few.But he also reminded the students that there is not a lot of glamour or glory in his job. He said a case is never solved by just one person, it takes a team and the hours are often long.”Every time I’m on call I get called out at 2 a.m.,” he said. “Bad stuff always seems to happen at 2 a.m.”He also noted that the pay isn’t great, and it is probably more tedious than the students think it might be, however, if they like science they should keep it in mind.”I love doing this,” he said. “I’ve loved science since the fifth grade ? what you guys are doing is great and I hope you like it. This is true life.”