CRESSON - When it comes to a homicide
investigation, there's not much retired
"The
main thing is to do it right the first time," said Geberth while taking a
break Wednesday afternoon during the fourth annual Criminal Justice Symposium
at Mount Aloysius College in Cresson. "You only get one chance."
In more than 40 years of experience,
Geberth shared his extensive experience in more than 8,000 homicide cases with
the more than 90 students and members of law enforcement agencies who took
advantage of the rare training opportunity in the area.
Geberth's presentation, peppered with real-life
cases, touched on a myriad of issues surrounding a homicide investigation: from
determining the time of death by showing different stages of body decomposition
to managing the investigation.
Not
securing the crime scene is the No. 1 mistake police make, Geberth said.
"That's
where the main issues will arise," he said.
Police
officers often are the ones who contaminate their own crime scenes, he said.
Detectives
investigating a homicide should never have "tunnel vision" and go
into an investigation with a preconceived theory, he said.
As
for the public, people need to understand real-life isn't like what is portrayed
on television, Gebreth noted.
"People
actually believe we find evidence at every scene," he said, adding that
for any number of reasons, forensic evidence isn't always there.
One of Geberth's
books, Practical Homicide Investigation: Tactics, Procedures and Forensic
Techniques, now in its fourth edition, is considered "the Bible of
Homicide Investigation," said Joseph Bobak IV, a
professor in the college's Department of Law and Justice.
Bobak, the organizer of Wednesday's
symposium, said every year the college looks to have a different speaker with
the goal of exposing students to different aspects of law enforcement as well
as to give area police a chance for additional training.
For criminology senior Joe Stephenson,
21, of Johnstown, Geberth's expertise was invaluable.
"You
can tell he's a high-caliber guy with a lot of experience," Stephenson said.