The was turned into a crime scene investigation Tuesday night as the explained the procedures that they go through after a crime has been committed.
The "" was the first program in the , which runs from June 18 to Aug. 31. Each of the events in the adult summer reading program will focus on night time activities in some way, which is in tune with the national theme of “Light up the Night."
The police officers explained what really happens at a crime scene with a presentation, several videos, exhibits and demonstrations. With many criminal investigation shows on the television, they explained that there are many differences between real life and Hollywood.
“It is not like CSI (the popular CBS show),” said Officer Mark Lefebvre.
Rocky Hill’s finest explained that the case in real life is not solved by the next commercial break and it can take anywhere from six months to year to get results back from the
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“The state police lab is way behind,” Lefebvre said.
However, cases can be given higher priority based on its severity such as a sexual assault, serious robbery or homicide, he added.
“It is not like we don’t want it solved right away,” Lefebvre said.
One case still under investigation by the Rocky Hill Police Department is the found in the remote sand pits near Old Forge Road last June. Lisa Shannon, 44, of College Street went missing in January 2011 and her body was not found until June 13. The cause of death is still unclear at this time.
For the first five months of the investigation, 15 people from Connecticut State Police and the Rocky Hill Police Department worked on the case. According to police, they have leads in the case, but no arrests have been made at this time.
The audience of about twenty people learned that every person has a different fingerprint because no two impressions left by the friction ridges of a human finger are the same. And that is why fingerprinting is so important to police departments.
“Sometimes a picture of the fingerprint is even better than the original,” Lefebvre said.
Lefebvre also explained to the audience how police could make casts of the suspect’s or victim’s footprints, which is called tracking. However, the department rarely uses the practice and Lefebvre said he has never done one at a crime scene during his career. But, he keeps up with the training needed for the investigation tool.
“I am always keeping my skills sharp,” he said.
Lefebvre also explained that it is difficult to find an exact foot or fingerprint in a crime scene, especially after sometimes as many as 10 to 15 people have been through it.
“You never find a perfect print,” he said. “It’s never like that.”
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