Presentation of Learning: iLEAD Law Enforcement Academy of Detectives (iLEAD)

People of all ages enjoy solving mysteries and crimes—even if it is just on TV or in books. Last spring, the Acton Library keyed into this desire and invited middle and high school learners to train as detectives and to solve crimes using various forensic techniques, such as fingerprint analysis, chromatography, fiber analysis, and blood typing.

The iLEAD Law Enforcement Academy of Detectives (iLEAD) welcomed its newly recruited investigators to Acton headquarters to begin their training as detectives. On the first day, the recruits went straight to work investigating the death of Fred Waldorf as well as the burglary of the jewelry store Jubilee Jewels. The learners questioned suspects and processed fingerprints from the scenes. They also learned how to detect latent fingerprints on non-porous surfaces with a technique called super glue fuming or cyanoacrylate fuming.

The second day of training brought a shock: two new deaths to investigate. The new detectives investigated both and determined that one of the deaths was a possible homicide but needed to question more witnesses. They confirmed the second death was clearly a homicide and after some super sleuthing were able to issue arrest warrants for their suspects. The investigation into the burglary of Jubilee Jewels continued with the discovery of blood at the crime scene and learners had the opport