The first of two CSI Camps, hosted by Missouri State University’s School of Criminology and Criminal Justice, was held June 10-13.

High school students from around the Midwest, including Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas and Illinois, attended this year.

The camp offers introductory training in basic criminal evidence-gathering techniques, such as fingerprinting, blood spatter analysis and plaster casting.

Now in its second year, the June camp enjoyed full enrollment of 40 students. The second camp will be held July 8-11.

Expanded training, smaller groups for 2024 camp

According to assistant professor Dr. Samantha Tjaden, camp organizers used what they learned from the 2023 camp to base the 2024 experience on what students want to learn.

“We have added more hands-on experiences to our camp from last year,” Tjaden said. “For example, we were very lucky to have Springfield Police Department investigators come share their experiences with our campers this year. We have also evolved the blood spatter component of our camp to include Luminol.”

“Both years that we have had the CSI camp have been an amazing experience but—like anything—we are learning and adapting to the needs of our campers,” she added.

Ideas for 2025 camp in the works

Tjaden is not only one of the camp faculty instructors, she also serves on the planning committee with fellow camp instructor Dr. Michael Kyle. Tjaden lends her professional expertise and assists with content delivery and development.

“Professors Kyle and Tjaden are superb at connecting and building rapport with high schoolers, and they both have a wonderful ability to explain complex aspects of forensics in very down-to-earth ways,” said Dr. Brett Garland, head of the criminology and criminal justice school.

Camp organizers are already planning more techniques and topics for 2025, according to Garland.

“I’m looking forward to us integrating more on the search and seizure and interrogation side—since both are critically important to successful investigations—and maybe running interactive scenarios in those areas,” he said.

Friendly faces and hard work enhance camp experience

Along with adding new learning activities like magnetic fingerprinting, the 2024 camp expanded enrollment by adding a second session and split the campers into smaller groups, according to administrative assistant Christy Titus.

Titus oversees much of the administrative aspects of organizing the camp, including coordinating volunteers, helping parents and students with registration and payment and giving directions to campus.

Another part of Titus’ job is to help campers and their parents feel comfortable with the camp experience.

Because the camp organizers require parents to attend a meet-and-greet on the first day of the camp, Titus is often the first face the campers—and their parents—see.

Garland expressed gratitude for the hard work the faculty and staff put in to making the CSI camp experience memorable for the students.

“It is great having faculty and staff who will devote time during summer months to work with the youths, several of whom may one day end up coming to MSU as college students,” he said.

“I want to extend a big thank you to Christy Titus, who does so much logistically behind the scenes to make the camp possible, as well as Dr. Jordan Riddell and our student advisor, John Hall, for offering major assistance throughout the week,” Garland added.

Exploring a career, pursuing a passion

Students who attend CSI Camp typically have held a long-time interest in criminology and evidence gathering.

Kamina Andrisevic is just one example.

Andrisevic plans to pursue a career in criminology and criminal justice and hopes to work fighting human trafficking.

She heard about CSI Camp through her school counselor and jumped at the chance to attend, saying that it “sounded fun.”

“My friend’s dad works in a crime lab, and I’ve always been interested in forensics,” Andrisevic explained.

Nora Banks learned about CSI Camp through a campus visit to MSU. When she read through some literature about the camp, she knew she had to check it out.

Inspired by watching television shows like “CSI,” Banks hopes to work as a detective or in some other crime investigative role.

“I like labeling, the minutiae,” she laughed.

Zachary Oakes has always been interested in evidence gathering methods. Like Banks, he is a big fan of television crime shows like “CSI” and “Bones.”

“I’ve always been fascinated by how getting evidence in such detailed ways can have such an impact on a case,” he said.

Oakes, who hopes to work in law enforcement, wants to pursue a criminology and criminal justice degree to learn the terms and procedures of law enforcement properly.

When he heard about the CSI Camp through his school, he told himself, “Well, now I have to go!”

These are the kinds of camper experiences Tjaden hopes for.

“To see their passion in the field and to get to watch throughout the week as they develop investigative skills and make bonds with other campers who share their interest in investigations, it makes the entire experience for me,” Tjaden said.

“They are our future, and to get to be a part of their growth as potential investigators is an honor.”

Camp offers practical experience and networking opportunities

Tjaden hopes CSI camp gives students practical experience and the opportunity to interact with professionals in the field.

“I hope by the end of their camp experience, they walk away with a sense of accomplishment for the skills they have developed and a better idea of what they want to do in the future,” Tjaden said.

As far as Oakes is concerned, CSI Camp has accomplished this and more.

Oakes appreciated the opportunities to learn about fingerprinting and blood spatter analysis because both involve the physical part of evidence collection.

“You can learn a lot about a suspect by fingerprints,” Oakes said, “and you can figure out a lot about what happened to the victim with blood spatter analysis, such as if they’re shot, which direction were they shot from.”

“I’ve learned more information here in two days than I have in two years,” he said.

Plus, Oakes has enjoyed meeting like-minded future crime solvers.

“It’s been fun to be around others who have the same interests,” he said.

Photos by Lynn Lansdown