ICFS | ucidiver

Dubai Police's

International Center for Forensic Sciences

Dubai Police's International Center for Forensic Sciences and Underwater Criminal Investigators® have joined forces to provide professional standardize law enforcement underwater criminal investigations training to the world's law enforcement community!

The ICFS goal is to support cross-disciplinary research with national

and international research bodies, as well as to offer world-class

training courses across a range of forensic science disciplines. The

courses they offer are delivered in partnership with some of the

leading forensic specialists from around the globe; their courses are

available to regional and international delegates from government,

industry and academia.

UCI is the world's leader in providing professional Underwater Criminal investigations

training and has written the standards in this field that are now recognized and used by

professional law enforcement dive teams from around the world. UCI has bridged the

gap between land criminal investigations and underwater criminal investigations by

training divers to respond as an extension of their law enforcement agencies

criminal investigation team. These highly trained criminal investigators are called upon

when the criminal case leads to the water's edge.

The ICFS and UCI's partnership is offering a 9-day Underwater Criminal Investigator's

Academy which incorporates two of UCI's most sot after programs. They are:

The Underwater Criminal Investigators Course

The first course is the 4-day Underwater Criminal Investigator course which builds a solid foundation in underwater criminal investigations and certifies your divers as Underwater Criminal Investigators. Topics include:

Overview of Underwater Criminal Investigations
Diver Readiness
Equipment Readiness
Information Readiness
Establishing your Crime Scene
Interview Techniques
Crime Scene Photography and Sketching
Advanced Underwater Communications
Medical Aspects
Search Patterns
Location and Marking Evidence
Evidence Recovery and Preservation
The Oxidation Process
Metal Preservation
Non-Metal Evidence Preservation
Submerged Fingerprints
Touch DNA
Body Movement and Body Recovery
Underwater Body Bagging Techniques
Chemical and Polluted Water Diving
Light and Heavy Salvage
Vehicle Recovery
Case Preparation
Courtroom Testimony

Out of the four days devoted to this course, three involve intensive in-water training designed to build your divers' skills and underwater comfort level. The objective is not only to teach your divers the knowledge and skills needed to participate as an underwater criminal investigator, but to actually mold the diver into a professional investigator who specializes in the underwater environment.

The Master Underwater Criminal Investigator Course

The second course is the 5-day Master Underwater Criminal Investigator course and is UCI’s advanced program only available to UCI graduates. This course expands on five special recovery areas covered in the UCI course, however takes the training to a more advanced and in-depth level. The individuals that complete the training earn the coveted Master Underwater Criminal Investigator certification and join the ranks of an elite team of Public Safety Diving Professionals. The 5 courses include:

Body Recovery Specialist - This course specifically focuses on advanced body

recovery techniques to include: recovering badly decomposed bodies searching for

bones, teeth and other small physical evidence using UCI’s designed “detailed grid

system.” It teaches weighted body recovery techniques which are bodies that have

been weighted down in some way either through a homicide or suicide. It also

teaches surface body recovery techniques used to bag and recover bodies that

have floated to the surface.

Vehicle Recovery Specialist - This course specifically focuses on advanced vehicle

recovery techniques to include vehicle lifting using UCI’s specially designed lift bags

underwater. Divers learn to conduct “diver lifts” where they actually bring the vehicle

to the surface and surface lifting using air hoses and an air control station. The

students will become proficient in conducting UCI’s vehicle lifting technique which

is the safest way to lift vehicles.

Evidence Recovery Specialist - This course specifically focuses on advanced

evidence collecting techniques, search patterns, diver focus development,

electrolysis, black powder, superglue fuming and SPR fingerprint development.

Students will search for, recover and process recovered evidence for fingerprint.

Crime Scene Metal Detector Specialist – Metal Detectors are the number one

specialty tool used by criminal investigators to locate hard to find bullets, shell

casings, weapons, etc. on land as well as underwater. This course specifically

teaches all aspects of land and underwater crime scene metal detector use. The

students will become proficient in the use of metal detectors, their function,

capabilities and crime scene search techniques.

Master Underwater Criminal Investigator - The Master Underwater Criminal Investigator course takes the four master courses listed above and the Underwater Criminal Investigator course and incorporates them into an in-depth training session where students run an underwater crime scene investigation. After successful completion, students are certified as a "Master Underwater Criminal Investigators". This certification is highly coveted amongst public safety divers and there are only a handful of Master UCI divers in the world.

Certifications

Students receive two certifications for every course taken, a UCI certification and a PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) certification. The purpose of this procedure is to enhance each divers professional as well as personal recreational diving portfolio which will contribute to their diving certification level long after they leave public safety diving. PADI is the largest dive-training agency in the world and UCI is the recognized world leader in law enforcement dive training. The certifications are recognized worldwide and never expire.

At the completion of the training program, your divers will be certified as UCI and PADI:

Underwater Criminal Investigators
Body Recovery Specialist
Vehicle Recovery Specialist
Evidence Recovery Specialist
Crime Scene Metal Detector Specialist
Master Underwater Criminal Investigators

Cost of the 9-day UCI Academy

To attend the 9-day UCI Academy, the cost is $3,500.00 per student. This price includes all training, books, training material, certifications and diplomas. Students must supply their own scuba gear to include full wet suit (or dry) with hood, gloves and tanks. Students are also responsible for their own travel, meals, accommodations, etc. All search and recovery equipment will be provided by UCI.

Prerequisites

The prerequisites are: must be 18 years or older, be an Advanced Open Water Diver or equivalent with any nationally recognized diving agency, be a current member of any police, fire, or rescue department, military, government or security agency and those in a position to offer these services to their community.

CEU Credits

All UCI training programs are approved for CEU credit (Continuing Educational Units). The Underwater Criminal Investigator course offers 32-hours of CEUs including 4-hours of liability training and the Master Underwater Criminal Investigators course offers 40-hours of CEUs.

2023 Training Dates

The 2023 training dates are set for February 7-10 for the 4-day UCI course with February 11 - 12 as days off for exploring and rest and starting back up for the 5-day Master UCI course on February 13-17.

Registration

To register for an upcoming ICFS UCI Academy, follow this link to the ICFS registration page. Lodging, flights, and other needed travel information will be provided by the ICFS for registering students.

The ICFS and UCI looks forward to the opportunity to help train your divers in becoming true professional Underwater Criminal Investigators!