CSI: New Bedford as youth academy students learn about crime scene investigations

On TV, crimes are solved in an hour. In real life, it’s not that simple.
But the TV crime shows have one thing right: The end of a case depends in great measure to what happens at the very beginning, the “golden hour” after a crime when evidence is collected, photos taken and witnesses interviewed.
New Bedford Police Det. Macaila Saunders showed participants of the Junior Police Academy Wednesday the importance of carefully and safely working a crime scene. Youngsters had the chance to carefully find and collect evidence of a fictional crime and learn about the unique nature of fingerprints and the importance of DNA. They also learned about how detectives enter and exit crime scenes without contaminating evidence and how hard, diligent work by detectives and the entire New Bedford Police Department solves crimes.
The Junior Police Academy gives boys and girls ages 11-13 an inside look at the world of the NBPD. The academy meets Wednesdays through Dec. 6. The program aims to give the students a hands-on look at some of the department’s offerings, including the K-9 unit and marine patrol, and learn the importance of staying safe, in daily life and online, and the value of dependability, respect and self-confidence.