Blood Spatter Training Teaches OSBI Science Behind Crime Scenes

Finding crucial clues at crime scenes, that's what OSBI special agents and other law enforcement agencies have been doing the past several weeks. It is part of an intense, six weeks investigative training session taking place in Oklahoma City.

Tuesday, July 8th 2014, 6:58 pm

By: News 9


Finding crucial clues at crime scenes, that's what OSBI special agents and other law enforcement agencies have been doing the past several weeks. It is part of an intense, six weeks investigative training session taking place in Oklahoma City.

Part of the training is taking place at the Oklahoma School of Science and Mathematics, where special agents are getting an intense lesson in blood spatter analysis this week, using real human blood.

Experts in Bloodstain Pattern Analysis and crime scene reconstruction are the ones teaching at OSBI Agents’ Academy.

The training is definitely not for the squeamish or faint of heart. The blood soaked sponges, hammers and syringes are not the kinds of things you find in a normal classroom setting. But they are necessary for these law enforcement agents to learn exactly how the tiniest drop of blood can lead to the answers they are looking for.

“It tells a story that isn't trying to lie or hide,” said Tom Bevel with Bevel and Associates. “So you compare the two and with that they are able to typically identify the best explanation as to what could have occurred at the scene.”

Bevel is known as the grandfather of blood spatter and has 36 years of experience in this field. He is a forensic analyst with Bevel, Gardner and Associates who does consulting now, but used to be with the Oklahoma City police force in both their homicide and robbery units. These agents learn that blood spatter analysis is a very precise science.

“It can be something minute that breaks a case or it could be something big we just never know,” said Nick Chaffin, an OSBI agent participating in this intense training. “So we have to look at everything.”

Chaffin is a special agent with the OSBI. He's been an intelligence analyst and has also worked in the Internet Crimes Against Children Unit. He says this blood spatter exercise clearly shows how evidence doesn't lie, even if people do. Some of these agents like Chaffin even suit up to see what it's like to enter the mind of a criminal.

“We can kind of reenact and see what it would be like if the criminal was committing that act,” said Chaffin. “What the blood spatter would be like.”

And since they are working with real human blood, once the lessons are over, all of the blood stained items have to be disposed of properly. And the instructors say they are.

A total of 40 agents are taking part in this training. They are also learning about bombs, firearms, and other forensic and crime reconstruction disciplines.

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