Fort Thomas Police Detective Graduates from Criminalistics Academy

8th Class to Graduate from Kentucky Criminalistics Academy 

School Resource Officer Zac Rohlfer with Det. Nick Hoffman (right).

Crime scene investigators from across the commonwealth graduated last week from the Department of Criminal Justice Training's Kentucky Criminalistics Academy. KCA is made up of two, five-week, 200-hour courses that DOCJT instructors developed for full-time and newly-appointed CSIs and patrol officers who serve as CSIs for their agencies. In addition to sworn officers, the KCA is open to civilian CSIs who work for law enforcement agencies.

Fort Thomas Police Departments', Det. Nick Hoffman, was one of those to graduate.

The Crime Scene Technician course certification is the first of two, five-week courses officers can complete in crime-scene investigation. The graduates are students who have completed both five-week courses, fulfilling the full range of training offered through the Kentucky Criminalistics Academy.

The entire KCA certification includes training in:

  - Digital photography
  - Advanced latent print development
  - Evidence collection and documentation
  - Latent fingerprint recognition and identification
  - Shooting scene reconstruction
  - Bloodstain pattern recognition and documentation
  - Post blast investigation
  - Forensic mapping
  - Computer crimes investigations
  - Forensic anthropological recovery course (University of Tennessee)

The Department of Criminal Justice Training is a state agency located on Eastern Kentucky University’s campus. The agency is the first in the nation to be accredited under the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies’ public safety training program designation. DOCJT also earned accreditation through the International Association for Continuing Education and Training in 2013.

*The KCA Class No. 8 graduates and their agencies are:

*Nicholas Hoffman* Fort Thomas Police Department

*Jake Adkins* Dept. of Criminal Justice Training

*Benjamin J. Blank* Lexington Police Department

*Lee Carmichael* Dept. of Criminal Justice Training

*Nathan Craig* Versailles Police Department

*David K. Dick* Kentucky State Police Post 1

*Varinka T. Ensminger* Lexington Police Department

*Jack A. Hedges* Kentucky State Police CIRT

*Anthony T. Holman* Lexington Police Department

*Madison Kuklinski* Elizabethtown Police Department

*Morgan Lageman* Hopkinsville Police Department

*Steven E. Lowery* Kentucky State Police Post 4

*Tyler Norris* Bowling Green Police Department

*Larry C. Patterson, Jr. *Somerset Police Department

*Jeffery L. Roby* Owensboro Police Department

*Michael T. Smith *Middlesboro Police Department

*Aaron Steele* Harrodsburg Police Department

*Scott Steward *Kentucky State Police Post 2

*James Vaughn *Dept. of Criminal Justice Training

*Franz F. Wolff *Lexington Police Department