Mike Wilson said "This is absolutely a bulletproof career, Crime is not going to go away.". He probably should have said "This is absolutely a bulletproof career, the police state is growing larger every day, jailing a higher percent of the population every year for victimless crimes". Original Article CSI appeal fuels boom for SCC program By Irene Hsiao, Tribune June 13, 2005 The future of real "CSI" work belongs to Scottsdale Community College students such as Tammy Stone. Tired of her accounting job, the Laveen resident decided to pursue an interest in police forensics that came partly from watching the hit television series, "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation." "Im not sure if I want to do the crime scene itself or lab work," said Stone, 27, before attending her Thursday night evidence technology and photography class. Stone is just one of a growing number looking into criminal justice as a career. In the last nine years, SCCs Administration of Justice Studies program has grown from one class of 12 students to seven classes with 121 students. "This is absolutely a bulletproof career," said Mike Wilson, class instructor and a retired Los Angeles Police Department forensic photographer. "Crime is not going to go away." Scottsdale Community College offers associate degrees in criminal justice and forensic science and a certificate in crime scene technology. A new certificate in crime scene investigation will be offered starting in the fall. Wilson teaches his students about the basics of photography, how to record evidence at crime scenes and what kind of equipment to buy. Last week, he brought in a photographic specialist from the Arizona Department of Public Safety, Dick Parkans, to present various aspects of the job, including showing numerous photographs of mangled bodies, bodies missing limbs and bodies caked in blood. "You cant be normal to do this job," Parkans said. "Ive had students get up and walk out," Wilson said. "Its better to find out now." Part of the increased interest has been what Wilson called the "CSI effect." Judges, juries and attorneys who have been influenced by the television show want more evidence in the courtroom, he said. The criminal justice field in general is expanding quickly as the population grows, and a greater demand exists in the industry these days for employees with college degrees, said John Kavanagh, director of SCCs justice studies program. Kavanagh, who has a doctorate in criminal justice, is a retired Port Authority of New York and New Jersey detective sergeant. "When I first became a cop in 1973, college graduates were the exception. Now theyre the rule, at least at the associates degree level," he said. "A lot of police departments require two-year associates (degrees) to become a recruit." Contact Irene Hsiao by email, or phone (480)-970-2324