fight the police state - learn how the piggies operate! Original Article Phoenix College's CSI class growing popular Mel Melndez The Arizona Republic Dec. 2, 2005 12:00 AM On TV, it's a glamorous affair where forensic scientists often pull up to crime scenes in $55,000 Hummer H2s and then solve the most intricate whodunits in about 45 minutes. But 20 Phoenix College students know better. They recently spent hours collecting evidence at makeshift crime scenes, including searching for bullet casings outdoors, as part of the school's Evidence Technology Program. "Actual searches can take all day," said student Chris Harris, 34, of downtown Phoenix. "Real life isn't like TV. This search isn't even the half of it." The exercise is required by the Criminalistics: Biological Evidence class, a three-credit crime-scene analysis course where students learn the art of collecting and preserving DNA, fingerprints, blood spatter, drugs, hair, footprints and other evidence. Popular TV shows like CBS's CSI: Crime Scene Investigation and Without a Trace have fueled interest in forensic science, prompting more community colleges to offer the coursework. But even high schools are jumping into the fray and offering forensic-science courses or camps to draw youngsters to science. Students enrolled in Phoenix Union High School District's law enforcement program at Metro Tech High School undergo crime-scene investigations training. The district's Bioscience High School, which opens in fall 2006, will also offer forensics, district spokesman Craig Pletenik said. "The interest in forensics is so great that we definitely plan to offer it there," he said. "Students love it because it's so hands-on." Phoenix College offers a two-year forensics degree, with about 30 students now graduating annually compared with seven graduates in 1999. The central Phoenix campus also offers shorter, specialized certificate programs, such as fingerprinting, police photography and evidence technology. "We encourage students to earn their associate's degree, though, because it requires more chemistry, which makes them more marketable in the workforce," said Rick Wilson, Justice Studies program director. In Arizona, starting annual salaries for entry-level positions, such as laboratory technicians, police photographers and fingerprint analysts, range between $31,000 and $36,000. Those with bachelor's degrees typically start at about $40,000, said instructor Bret Little, a criminalist with the Arizona Department of Public Safety. Demand for the jobs has swelled along with the Valley's population spurt and jurors' demand for forensic evidence, he added. One of Little's students, west Phoenix resident Sylvia Lara, 30, enrolled after getting hooked on medical examiner documentaries. "I love that I'll have so many different challenges and will be able to help solve crimes," she said. Earlier this month, Lara's team of "criminalists" scoured a mock crime scene, which to a novice's eye seemed a suicide. "This wasn't a suicide at all," Lara said. "That's why this stuff is so cool," she said."The science explains it all."