La Habra High ‘Crime’ Scene Students Clued In to Science

Just call it “CSI: La Habra.”

The scene? A graffiti-marred school cafeteria where vandals have tipped over trashcans, splashed soft drinks on the ground and even left a small puddle of blood near the door.

For a young crime scene investigator, this is heaven.

Capitalizing on the popularity of the hit “CSI” television shows -- from Miami to New York -- La Habra High School has hit pay dirt with its forensic science program. The three-year curriculum has proved so popular that students have transferred to the school to hone their forensic skills.

The class is taught by a school instructor who uses a program developed by Court TV called “Forensics in the Classroom.” Actual crime scene investigators also help with instruction.

On Tuesday, about 35 students donned goggles, visors, gloves and protective gear and held notebooks as they collected evidence to solve the “Cafeteria Caper” -- a mock crime set up at the school.

They gathered inside the cafeteria, cordoned off by yellow police tape, and observed the scattered mess -- soda cans, water bottles, banana peels, potato chip bags and a single sock.

There were traces of blood near the door. The words “800/800,” “Philo” and “No Jocks” were scribbled on the white walls and trashcans with red paint.

The students believed that the culprits had it in for school athletes. But little else was immediately clear. So in “CSI” fashion, they began lifting fingerprints, collecting strands of hair and gathering debris.

“You find everything at crime scenes -- taco sauce, blood, ketchup, nail polish,” said Mariah O’Donnell, a forensic specialist with the Buena Park Police Department who helped with Tuesday’s class. “You collect it all and figure it out later.”

Crime scene investigation requires a keen eye and attention to detail, she told the students.

“There are no do-overs in ‘CSI,’ so documents and pictures are essential,” she said.

Since crime shows such as “CSI” became popular, interest in the field appears to have grown.

“I’ve always been fascinated with ‘CSI,’ ” said Shayne Hmatenko, a junior. “I wanted to be in the military, but I’ve learned so much from ‘CSI’ and classes that this is what I want to do for a living.”

His interest led him to transfer to La Habra High School from a nearby school. He often practices at home on how to hold the brush, sweep for fingerprints and lift the prints with tape.

On Tuesday, he used that experience in an effort to solve the “crime” in the cafeteria. He dabbed a brush into dark powder and dusted the wall in search of prints.

“That looks like an index. That looks like a ring finger,” he said.

His partner, Andrea Saavedra, 16, of Whittier, placed tape on top of the prints. She ran her fingers over the tape, then slowly lifted the prints and placed them on an evidence tag.

Teacher Charles Fanning said the realism of the class motivates students.

“I learn more by doing labs than reading books,” said Jeanette Aguirre, 17, a senior. “We get a sample of what it’ll be like if we decide to go into forensics.”

By the end of the class, students had finished lifting prints and sifting for clues, and the cafeteria became a cafeteria again.”Do you have any idea who did it?” O’Donnell asked. Many shook their heads.

“Do you have any idea who didn’t do it?” she asked. “That’s just as important.” Most shook their heads again.

“Cafeteria Caper” will take weeks to solve. Students will examine the blood, test hair samples and perform chromosome analysis to solve the mystery.

“This is really cool,” said Matthew Roos, 17, a senior. “It makes science much easier to learn.”