CSI camp turn kids into detectives

Teen CSI Camp, a new summer program for local teens, will offer participants the chance to learn tried-and-true detective techniques straight from the sheriff's department.

CSI stands for crime scene investigation.

The weeklong camp is being offered through a partnership between the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station and the Agoura Hills recreation department.

Recreation manager Donna Conlin said deputies will volunteer their time to facilitate the program and oversee the crime scene team.

"Teens are our hardest population to reach," Conlin said, but apparently the popularity of crime-based television shows has made it easier to design programs of interest to teens.

Teen investigators will be introduced to forensic science and the correct way to collect "trace evidence," Conlin said. Trace evidence includes fibers, hair left on the scene, clothing—anything that might produce clues and lead detectives to the perpetrator of the crime.

"On the first day they will walk into a crime scene," she said. "They will collect and secure evidence (and) interview suspects."

The goal of the program, Conlin said, is to introduce teens to law enforcement and forensics in a "positive manner."

Young investigators will also learn how to dust for fingerprints, cast for footprints and conduct a lie detector test. Participants will ultimately solve a crime and book the suspect into custody at the Lost Hills Sheriff's Station.

Detective J.T. Manwell, the head of Lost Hills Juvenile Intervention team, is heading the program.

The CSI camp will be from Mon. through Fri., July 6 through 11 at the Reyes Adobe Historical Site in Agoura Hills. The cost is $125 per child.

For more information, call Conlin at the Agoura Hills recreation department at (818) 5977324.