Wisconsin DOJ Division of Criminal Investigation Marks 50 Years of Death Investigation School
MADISON, Wis. — This month, the Wisconsin Department of Justice (DOJ) Division of Criminal Investigation (DCI) is marking the 50th anniversary of its Death Investigation School, an annual training bringing law enforcement professionals from across Wisconsin together for specialized instruction on how to conduct death investigations.
DCI launched its Death Investigation School in the spring of 1976, when DCI identified a gap facing local law enforcement across Wisconsin: agencies investigating deaths often needed outside investigative help, but there was no dedicated source of advanced training to build that expertise in-house. DCI built the school program to fill that gap. Approximately 75 students attend the school each year, including detectives and investigators from law enforcement agencies across the state.
“Thank you to the law enforcement professionals who have participated in this training over the course of the past half-century and have taken on the difficult work of investigating deaths in Wisconsin,” said AG Kaul. “These investigations are critical in bringing closure to families, holding dangerous offenders accountable, and protecting public safety.”
The curriculum has significantly evolved since 1976, when investigators may have only had access to investigative resources such as fingerprint analysis and blood typing. Today, investigators may work with DNA analysis, cell phone, social media, and other digital evidence, and investigative genetic genealogy. DCI updates the curriculum yearly to reflect changes in technology, forensic science, and case law.
At the same time, the core fundamentals of a death investigation remain the same: carefully examining the scene, gathering and preserving evidence, conducting interviews, and following the facts.
“As Sheriff, I am always looking for affordable top-tier training for my investigators,” said Brown County Sheriff Todd Delain. “DCI’s Death Investigation School is a two-week course that teaches proven best practices for investigating death scenes. Experienced instructors relay technical knowledge along with their own real-world experience and application of best practices to students from across the state. A resulting benefit to our community is consistent and thorough death investigations. One of the greatest benefits of DCI’s Death Investigation School is the opportunity to develop professional relationships among a statewide community of professionals, with diverse experience, who have been entrusted with the profound duty to investigate the death of another human being.”
The two-week school, which is held each September, combines classroom instruction with hands-on training. For example, participants work in small groups to investigate simulated death scenes, examine evidence, and apply the techniques covered in the classroom before discussing their findings with the full class.
DCI agents teach alongside law enforcement partners as well as both DOJ and external subject-matter experts, including professionals in forensic science, pathology, odontology – or forensic dentistry – and forensic anthropology. Within DOJ, this includes the Division of Forensic Sciences (DFS) Crime Scene Response Team and the Wisconsin Statewide Intelligence Center (WSIC).
The school also gives investigators an opportunity to learn from and build relationships with law enforcement professionals from across Wisconsin. By training investigators from different agencies side by side, the school creates a statewide network of investigators who share a common set of best practices and can call on one another when a new case presents difficult or unfamiliar challenges.
“One of the biggest takeaways from the school, in addition to the training itself, is the networking,” said Wood County Sheriff Shawn Becker. “You get the opportunity to meet detectives and investigators from across the state, and those connections are huge. I’m still in contact with people I went through the training with, and those relationships have helped us when we’ve needed assistance with an investigation.”
The school’s impact has extended beyond the classroom. In 1996, participants of the DCI Death Investigation School founded the Wisconsin Association of Homicide Investigators (WAHI), a professional association that gives graduates of the DCI Death Investigation School a way to stay current on investigative techniques as they advance through their careers.
The 50th year of the DCI Death Investigation School offers a time to recognize the investigators and instructors who have contributed to the program over the past five decades and the law enforcement professionals who have taken that training back to their agencies, helping them better serve their communities.
About DCI
DCI is charged with investigating crimes of statewide nature, importance or influence. DCI employs sworn law enforcement officers with statewide jurisdiction. DCI Special Agents and criminal analysts work closely with local, county, tribal, state, and federal law enforcement officials to investigate and prosecute a broad array of crimes, including homicide, arson, financial crimes, illegal gaming, multi-jurisdictional crimes, drug trafficking, internet crimes against children, human trafficking, sexual assault, cybercrimes, homeland security, public integrity, and government corruption.
NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.
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