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More forensic professionals are preparing to attend the International Association for Identification conference – which kicks off this weekend - than any other of its previous 91 gatherings.
The conference, held this year in San Diego, California, will draw more than 1,500 registered attendees.
The increase in attendance is attributed to several elements, according to organizers.
“Location is very important because more people in this area can get to the event.” said Conference Planner Candace Murray. “But also I think there’s an increased interest for law enforcement agencies to learn about training in the forensic field.”
This year’s five day event, “Forensics: The Essential Piece,” will allow participants to concentrate on trends and technologies in the field, including strategies being used by organizations such as: The Royal Canadian Mounted Police, U.S. Army Criminal Investigation Laboratory, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the National Institute of Justice, the United States Secret Service and countries such as Switzerland, Sweden, United Kingdom and India.
The conference will kick off with IAI President Diana Castro’s reception – a Polynesian-themed event designed to allow attendees to meet Castro and the IAI officers and to catch-up with industry contacts.
More than 77 exhibitors will fill the exhibitor hall and dozens of speakers will present workshops and sessions throughout the week.
This year’s conference will also feature a competition to help identify a “killer.” Teams of four will participate in “The Return of the Black Dahlia.”
According to organizers:
On January 17, 1947, Elizabeth Short, nicknamed the Black Dahlia, was found murdered and her muti¬lated body dumped in a field in Hollywood. The killer is still at large. Does San Diego have a copy cat killer or has the real killer struck again sixty years later? The bizarre crime scene is in a hotel room at the Town & Coun¬try Resort in San Diego. The discovery of a body, now nicknamed “The San Diego Dahlia” has been found. Is it the same murderer? Who killed “The San Diego Dahlia? Coincidentally, the bold “killer” struck the first day of the largest conference of forensic investigators in the world. He or she has dangled the proverbial carrot in front of us with this gruesome crime scene. Is this luck or fate?
The challenge from the killer: Find me! The scenario will treat the Crime Scene Investigator to a rare glimpse inside the mind of a mutilation killer. It will be a challenge to discover the identity of the killer throughout various areas of the conference site.
“The challenge, should you choose to accept it, will be to use visual, forensic and interpretive skills to obtain the most information possible from a crime scene within the hotel facility.”
A 16 hour certificate will be awarded to each participant in the workshop.
The International Association for Identification is a professional membership organization comprised of individuals worldwide who work in the field of forensic identification. With over 6,700 members from 68 countries, the IAI remains the oldest and largest forensic science/identification association in the world.
The conference will run from Sunday through next Thursday.
The International Association for Identification
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