The 2007 SkillsUSA Criminal Justice Team Competition for crime scene investigation is being held at Bartell hall in Kansas City, Mo., June 26-29, 2007.

I had the opportunity to be a judge in the 2006 competition. Check out the photographs from last year’s competition. This year we are bringing in nine judges with crime scene investigation background because of the increased number of teams this year. I can see this completion continuing to grow in the future.

This SkillsUSA National Competition, which involves high school and college teams throughout the United States has become an annual national competition for potential crime scene officers of the future since its debut in 2006 with just 13 teams entered. There are 33 teams entered in the National SkillsUSA Competition this year (2007).The purpose of this competition is to evaluate a team of contestant’s ability to conduct a crime scene investigation. All team members are dressed alike with specific clothing prescribed by the SkillsUSA.

This competition is open to a team of three active SkillsUSA members enrolled in programs with law enforcement as an occupational object of all team members must be from the same SkillsUSA chapter and not be entered in the Criminal Justice Skills contest.

The scope of the contest

1. Contestants will demonstrate their ability to conduct a crime scene investigation demonstrating the following compensates.

a. Explain and demonstrate knowledge and use of constitutional law governing search and seizure.
b. Demonstrate communication skills
c. Demonstrate interpersonal skills
d. Demonstrate the ability to work together as a team to conduct a systematic crime scene investigation
e. Explain and or complete crime scene photographer
f. Properly search for handle and collect physical evidence
g. Explain and or complete crime scene sketch
h. Obtaining clear fingerprints from crime scene

2. Contestants will draw a number and will be identified by that number

3. Contestants must work together as a team without assistance from instructors, other contestants, or observers.

For more information on the SkillsUSA Program, visit www.skillsusa.org.
Evaluator’s Score Sheet: http://www.skillsusa.org/downloads/PDF/contests/crime.pdf