15th Annual Law & Society Week Features Philly’s Own CSI at the NERC

Feb 24, 2014

Police and fire investigators from Philadelphia and Wilmington will show how they process crime scenes and determine the cause of blazes during the 15th Annual Law and Society Week (Feb. 24-27) held at Community College of Philadelphia’s Northeast Regional Center.

Their presentations will enable Philadelphians to better understand the behind-the-scenes challenges facing crime scene investigators who don’t work on TV shows and can’t get DNA evidence back in 20 minutes.

Chief Ed Hojnicki Battalion Chief for the Wilmington Fire Department will present “Anatomy of a Fire Investigation” on February 26, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. in Room 124, 12901 Townsend Road. He will share nationally recognized scientific and practical investigation techniques.

Law and Society Week events also include “Philadelphia CSI Comes to NERC” starting at 10 a.m. February 27 in Room 124. During the session, members of the Philadelphia Police Department Crime Scene Unit will explain the methods used to identify and process crime scene evidence. Graphic crime scene photos may be shown.

Sponsored by the College’s Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society, the annual event offers more than two dozen workshops, lectures, panel discussions and demonstrations that are free and open to the public on the College’s Main Campus, West, Northwest and Northeast Regional Centers. The legal system touches every American in a variety of ways. Law and Society Week was established to inform students and the general public of emerging legal issues and trends, while providing practical advice from respected experts.

“When students see how law relates to the technology they use, the food they eat, and just about every topic imaginable, that’s a real light bulb moment for them,” said Kathleen M. Smith, J.D., director of the Fox Rothschild Center for Law and Society. She launched the event 15 years ago with the help of her husband David Freeman, an associate professor of Social Science at the College.

Other 2014 highlights at the Regional Centers include:

  • Homeland Security Mobile Command Post Tours: Tours are provided 10a.m. to 3 p.m., each hour on the hour with the last tour offered at 2 p.m., February 26. The command unit will be parked in front of the building entrance, 12901 Townsend Road.
  • Key Cases in Digital Forensics: Major criminal cases increasingly involve digital evidence. Digital forensics expert Pamela King discusses key cases and how digital forensics is used to bring perpetrators to justice. It will begin at 6 p.m. February 27 in Room 124, 12901 Townsend Road.
  • Cyber Intelligence-Why it Matters: Learn about issues of intellectual property, privacy and cyber harassment. The event is co-sponsored and presented by Bowman & Partners, LLP. It will begin at 6 p.m. February 26 at the Northwest Regional Center, 1300 West Godfrey Avenue.
  • International Human Trafficking: Human trafficking is considered one of the fastest growing criminal industries in the world. Forced labor takes different forms. Presentation is provided by Nicole Vadino, MA, associate professor of Social Science. It will begin at 11 a.m., February 26 in Room 216 of the Northwest Regional Center, 1300 West Godfrey Avenue.

Some Law & Society Week lectures qualify for Continuing Legal Education credits for legal professionals. To learn how to receive continuing education credit, contact LawCenter [at] ccp.edu (LawCenter[at]ccp[dot]edu). A complete listing of events and dates for Law and Society Week 2014 is available at URL: bit.ly/ccplaw.