More Than Just DNA

• NCJ Number: 224044
• Author(s): National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center
• Date Published: April 2008
• Length: 2 pages
• Agencies: NIJ-Sponsored
• Award: Operation of the National Law Enforcement and Corrections Technology Center (NLECTC)

Annotation

This report describes the National Institute of Justice’s (NIJ’s) cold-case training program, which focuses on providing investigative officers with the knowledge and tools for conducting effective investigations of cold cases, including the creation of a cold-case unit.

Abstract

The cold-case training offered by NIJ is free, lasts 2 to 3 days, and can accommodate approximately 100 investigators for each training session. Each agency represented at a training session can have two participants, although exceptions are allowed for very large agencies. The training program has a format similar to a symposium, in that participants often have been involved in cold-case investigations for years, so there is much sharing of information among participants about various investigative techniques they have found effective. A key theme of the training is that cold-case investigations should have strong cooperation among the law enforcement agency, the crime lab, and the prosecutor’s office. The training also emphasizes that although DNA evidence plays a major role in many cold-case investigations, it is not the only tool that cold-case units can use to work on unsolved cases. The training focuses on a comprehensive approach to the investigation of cold cases. Cold-case training is offered by NIJ twice a year, once on the East Coast and once on the West Coast.