National Forensic Academy

The National Forensic Academy (NFA) is an intensive 10-week training program funded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance, designed to meet the needs of law enforcement agencies in evidence identification, collection, and preservation. The NFA is offered in-residence, utilizing curriculum developed by leading forensic practitioners from across the United States. Participants will be challenged in the various disciplines through classroom instruction, lab activities, and field practicums in the specialized courses. Academy participants will complete written and in-class competency exams to demonstrate mastery of the subject areas. The goal of the Academy is to prepare the crime scene investigator to recognize key elements and to improve the process of evidence recovery and submission.

Curriculum

There are 400 hours of training per session; 170 hours of in-class work; and 230 hours of field practicum. During the course of the 10 weeks, students will be responsible for several educational objectives including, quizzes, tests, case files, research papers, and various other hands-on experiences. At the end of the course, students can expect to complete a written post test as well as a comprehensive, practical final.

Modules

Bloodstain Pattern Analysis
Bombs, Booby Traps and Threats at the Scene
Crime Scene Management
Computer Sketching and Mapping, and Total Station
Courtroom Testimony
Criminal Investigative Analysis
DNA
Firearms and Toolmark Identification
Footwear and Tire Impressions
Forensic Fire Investigation
Latent Fingerprint Processing
Photography (Digital and Videotaping)
Post-blast Investigation
Postmortem Fingerprinting
Serial Number Restoration
Shooting Incident Reconstruction
Trace Evidence
Death Investigation
- Autopsy
- Bone Trauma
- Burned Bone
- Child Fatality
- Manners of Death
- Time Since Death
- Wound Pattern Interpretation
Forensic Anthropology
- Bone Scatter Search
- Forensic Entomology
- Forensic Odontology
- Forensic Osteology
- Human Remains Recovery

College credit is available for Academy graduates that apply and meet the criteria. Undergraduate or graduate credit can be obtained for a fee through the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.

This web site is funded in part through a grant from the Bureau of Justice Assistance, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. Neither the U.S. Department of Justice nor any of its components operate, control, are responsible for, or necessarily endorse, this web site (including, without limitaion, its content, technical infrastructure, and policies, and any services or tools provided).