SJPD sergeant talks investigations with students
Marcos Blanco
Issue date: 4/2/09 Section: News
Students were treated to two seminars Monday at the department of justice studies in MacQuarrie Hall dealing with forensic science and real life crime scene investigation presented by Sgt. Bruce Wiley of the San Jose Police Department.
The first seminar started at 10:30 a.m. with an overview of an Oklahoma murder case that began in the late '80s and ended in the mid '90s. Sgt. Wiley showed graphic images of the crime scene, including pictures of the five murdered women, and said the investigation of the crime scene for this case lasted nine days.
"There is no dignity in death. Especially not a violent one," Wiley said.
He explained in detail the process the crime scene unit conducted in collecting evidence and clues, recognizing blood patterns and trying to solve the case in general.
Wiley said it wasn't until the mid '90s when a break in the case appeared in California in the form of Danny Keith Hooks, a convicted offender and fugitive from Oklahoma. Wiley said Hooks became "the first DNA hit in history" when they matched his DNA to the DNA found at the crime scene at the house in Oklahoma, thereby enabling a conviction of Hooks for the Oklahoma murders.
"DNA is an empirical standard," Wiley said. "There is nothing else that matches that standard."
Wiley explained to students that was no "Sherlock Holmes" in the unit, no confessions and no informants in the case of the murdered women in Oklahoma.
The second seminar began at noon for students in Professor Steven Lee's justice studies class. Wiley went into more detail about collecting evidence and blood recognition using visual examples from various murder cases.
"It is the process (and analysis) that is the evidence," he said.
Catherine Yumal, a junior justice studies major, said she thought the seminars by Sgt. Wiley were informative.
"It tied into a lot things with Dr. Lee's (class)," Yumal said. "It was very helpful."
Khalid Jivani, a senior advertising major, said the investigation seminars by Wiley were done in a creative way for college students.
"It is the harsh, but truthful reality of the (CSI) work force and the justice studies field," Jivani said. "It shows what these people do for the community to keep the streets safe."
Wiley said that there were two groups of people when it comes to the CSI field; lab rats and field mice.
"To the field mice, you better figure out that this is what you do and not what you are," he said in the first seminar.
If it becomes an all-consuming passion, you don't have a life," Wiley said.
Sgt. Wiley, who has been a police officer for over 28 years and has worked in the CSI field for most of his career, said he enjoys his profession, but it is not a career to be taken lightly.
"This is the job you can lose in the blink of an eye," Wiley said. "You have to make all the right decisions. If you foul up one way, you lose it. Doing everything perfect is the minimum standard."
The first seminar started at 10:30 a.m. with an overview of an Oklahoma murder case that began in the late '80s and ended in the mid '90s. Sgt. Wiley showed graphic images of the crime scene, including pictures of the five murdered women, and said the investigation of the crime scene for this case lasted nine days.
"There is no dignity in death. Especially not a violent one," Wiley said.
He explained in detail the process the crime scene unit conducted in collecting evidence and clues, recognizing blood patterns and trying to solve the case in general.
Wiley said it wasn't until the mid '90s when a break in the case appeared in California in the form of Danny Keith Hooks, a convicted offender and fugitive from Oklahoma. Wiley said Hooks became "the first DNA hit in history" when they matched his DNA to the DNA found at the crime scene at the house in Oklahoma, thereby enabling a conviction of Hooks for the Oklahoma murders.
"DNA is an empirical standard," Wiley said. "There is nothing else that matches that standard."
Wiley explained to students that was no "Sherlock Holmes" in the unit, no confessions and no informants in the case of the murdered women in Oklahoma.
The second seminar began at noon for students in Professor Steven Lee's justice studies class. Wiley went into more detail about collecting evidence and blood recognition using visual examples from various murder cases.
"It is the process (and analysis) that is the evidence," he said.
Catherine Yumal, a junior justice studies major, said she thought the seminars by Sgt. Wiley were informative.
"It tied into a lot things with Dr. Lee's (class)," Yumal said. "It was very helpful."
Khalid Jivani, a senior advertising major, said the investigation seminars by Wiley were done in a creative way for college students.
"It is the harsh, but truthful reality of the (CSI) work force and the justice studies field," Jivani said. "It shows what these people do for the community to keep the streets safe."
Wiley said that there were two groups of people when it comes to the CSI field; lab rats and field mice.
"To the field mice, you better figure out that this is what you do and not what you are," he said in the first seminar.
If it becomes an all-consuming passion, you don't have a life," Wiley said.
Sgt. Wiley, who has been a police officer for over 28 years and has worked in the CSI field for most of his career, said he enjoys his profession, but it is not a career to be taken lightly.
"This is the job you can lose in the blink of an eye," Wiley said. "You have to make all the right decisions. If you foul up one way, you lose it. Doing everything perfect is the minimum standard."
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