Mission: To Solve “Cold Cases”
A National Center in Connecticut
by M. A. Black
Violent criminals beware.
Dr. Henry Lee wants to detect, track and provide solid evidence to aid law enforcement officials to capture violent criminals with science. And with the establishment of a new national “cold case” center in Connecticut, he’s going to help train an armada of scientists to aid in the search.
Internationally-renowned forensic scientist Dr. Henry C. Lee stepped up to podium to announce the establishment of a National Cold Case Center at the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science at the University of New Haven (UNH) in Connecticut.
The National Cold Case Center is being created with a grant of $500,000 from the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).
The Henry C. Lee Institute has vast experience in cold case resolution due to the faculty at UNH and the Fellows of the Institute. Many of the Institute’s faculty have been involved in high profile cases such as the murder cases of Martha Moxley and Penny Serra, each of which were unsolved for more than a quarter of a century. The institute’s training program in crime scene investigation and reconstruction is among the best in the country.
“There is an urgent national need for the application of advanced technology and a systematic, logical approach to solving cold cases to find new leads from old clues to link suspects to the crime or to exonerate them, “according to Dr. Lee. “The center will work with law enforcement agencies around the country to increase cold case resolution by providing both actual analysis and instruction in cold case procedure methodology and resolution.”
Also in attendance at the announcement were Steven Kaplan, UNH president, and U.S. Congresswoman Rosa DeLauro (D-Conn.).
Congresswoman DeLauro who was instrumental in helping to garner the grant from the NIJ, said, “Giving our law enforcement the tools they need to do their jobs, giving peace to victims’ families, and most importantly, protecting innocent men, women and children from violent criminals - that is what this Cold Case Center will help ensure. With an extraordinary level of expertise in all aspects of forensic science, I cannot think of a more appropriate institution than UNH to teach skills like DNA analysis, image enhancement, trace evidence, crime scene reconstruction, and timeline analysis. That is what the Federal government should be investing in, and I am so glad to have been a part of it.”
“This federal grant is a significant recognition of a real problem facing our society today, which is the hundreds, perhaps thousands, of unsolved ‘cold cases,’” said Robert Alvine, board chairman of the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science. “The grant fully acknowledges that the Institute of Forensic Science is one of the best places in the world for law enforcement professionals to get the help they need to solve specific cold cases and to learn the solutions for how to solve the complicated cases the future will bring. The Institute has proven that it is a unique international source of learning and professional development. In many ways the grant also recognizes that Dr. Henry Lee in particular is considered number one in the world.”
“University of New Haven students in the forensic sciences will benefit from having a National Cold Case Center on campus,” says Steven Kaplan, president of the University, “because it will greatly enhance knowledge in the field, and they will be exposed to the visiting experts and professionals who will be utilizing the center.”
This new center will provide individualized cold case review, specialized cold case training, and ongoing research in new technologies and database that can be applied to cold cases.
Resources:
For more information about the Henry C. Lee Institute of Forensic Science, visit www.hcleeinstitute.com.
For information about the Unversity of New Haven, visit www.newhaven.edu.
