Molly Coppolo, Isaiah Ferguson

SCHOHARIE – Aspiring law enforcers at Capital Region BOCES learned a new skill set recently and they weren’t “too tired” to give it their all.

Criminal Justice students at the Career and Technical Education Center – Schoharie Campus learned how to collect tire impressions as evidence and the vital role the prints can play in solving criminal cases. 

“These are used in homicide investigations, burglaries, any time evidence of a person’s presence at a scene needs to be corroborated,” said teacher Darin Jones, a retired New York State Police investigator.

Among those rolling ink on tires and collecting impressions as the tires rolled were Alissa Duncan, Raylee Fryer, Isaiah Ferguson and Molly Coppolo.

“I like how hands-on this is and how we are learning important skills we can use in the future,” said Ferguson, a Schoharie High School senior planning on a career in the military followed by a career in law enforcement.

Fryer shared a similar sentiment.

“I like the hands-on work we do here,” the Berne-Knox-Westerlo teen said, adding that while she initially had planned on a career in digital forensics, she is now considering a more hands-on career in law enforcement.

There are approximately 100 students in the two-year Criminal Justice program that is offered on the Albany and Schoharie Career and Technical Education Center campuses. With the help of partners in law enforcement and higher education, criminal justice students learn about the history, theory, practices and recent developments in the field of criminal justice, as well as practice the skills necessary for those careers.

For more information on the Criminal Justice program, go to https://www.capitalregionboces.org/career-technical-education/courses-programs/criminal-justice/. 

Isaiah Ferguson