CISD Introduces Forensic Science

By Raymond Linex, rlinex@cisd.org

Forensic science methods using DNA evidence have revolutionized the way police track down criminals and crack cases, but did you know forensic science is any science used for purposes of the law and doesn’t always rely on technology?
Officer Mark Mahoney recently introduced a Forensic Science class to the Corsicana High School Career and Technical Education Criminal Justice Program, teaching techniques such as handwriting analysis and hypnosis in addition to crime scene investigation.
Although technology may be used as a tool, it is no replacement for good old-fashioned police work, said Mahoney, who also works as a Detective with the Ennis Police Department.
“As technology has improved, it has mostly just decreased the size of DNA samples needed,” he said “When we first started analyzing DNA, it took a pretty large amount of blood or some other sample, now we can work with trace amounts. Computer and mobile forensics have also changed the way we locate suspects and close cases.”
The difference between television shows such as Forensic Files and real life is the amount of time and effort put into processing the data.
“It can take weeks, months or even years to get back results,” Mahoney said. “Fingerprinting results are getting a lot quicker, but it still takes longer than you might see on TV. It’s not just something spit out by a computer. There is much more work involved.”
Two very practical, although unusual, law enforcement techniques Mahoney teaches are handwriting analysis and hypnosis.
Students were tasked with bringing in handwriting samples from parents, siblings, friends, or teachers, to shed light on their personality traits and dispositions. For example, someone whose writing takes up a lot of space on a page does not mind being the center of attention, while crowded handwriting is a sign of someone who values their personal space.
“Handwriting can tell us if someone is ambitious, arrogant, stubborn, or manipulative,” Mahoney said. “We can use that information to more effectively interrogate suspects.”
Another important law enforcement skill is forensic hypnosis.
“We cannot hypnotize suspects, only victims or witnesses and what we do is called memory recall,” Mahoney said. “They are not asleep, but we get them to focus on a task to unlock the subconscious mind.”
Mahoney cited an example of car chase and shooting where the victim couldn’t recall much detail.
“Under hypnosis he gave us the make and model of the vehicle, two characters from the license plate, and the month and year of the registration, as well as names of streets he passed,” he said.
Student Bryanna Cedillo is a self-proclaimed true crime buff and said she has always wanted to go into the field of law enforcement.
“I like to watch real life documentaries to see the simulations, crime scene investigations, and how it plays out in the courtroom,” she said. “This class is different because we do a lot of first-hand experiments.”
Although the class counts as a science credit and is open to students outside the Criminal Justice Program, some prerequisites are required.
“We touch on algebra, trigonometry, but students must have completed a biology and chemistry credit before taking Forensic Science,” Mahoney said. “We have some great science and math teachers here and we get to take what they are teaching and apply to real life situations so the students can apply the skills, not just in theory.”

Criminal Justice students can graduate with a private security license and the program is recommended for students considering Law Enforcement, Correctional Officer, Legal Assistant, or Private Security careers.

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