ALLENTOWN, Pa. — Cedar Crest College will use a $608,000 grant from the U.S. Justice Department for creation of an Expert Witness Training Center and Crime Scene Lab.
The college announced the grant from the Justice Department's Bureau of Justice Assistance on Tuesday, saying the training center and lab will "address a critical justice-system need."
"This new initiative ... will significantly increase the college's capacity to train forensic science, law enforcement, first-responder professionals and those who are often asked to provide testimony in court to become effective expert witnesses," Cedar Crest said in a release.
The space will be "a premier training center of excellence for law enforcement, crime laboratories and the legal system at the local and state level-with potential for national and international reach."Cedar Crest College, in a release
The center and lab will be in the college's Curtis Hall classroom building.
Renovation is set to begin in fall, with courses starting in spring 2026.
Once established, the space will hold monthly trainings and workshops for forensic science and law enforcement professionals led by various field experts, the college said.
The college said it will hire two staff members to lead the center and lab and develop the space into "a premier training center of excellence for law enforcement, crime laboratories and the legal system at the local and state level-with potential for national and international reach."
Cedar Crest said it's among just eight institutions in the country to get Forensic Science Educational Programs Accreditation Commission accreditation at both the undergraduate and graduate levels.
That makes it "especially equipped to develop this project and tackle the rising demand for professionals in the field," the release said.
Modeled after a residential house
The Expert Witness Center will consist of simulated crime scenes, scientific labs and a mock courtroom to prepare experts in managing evidence through the judicial process, the college said.
The mock courtroom will have a camera and monitoring system for expert witnesses to rehearse and instructors to give live feedback.
A conference space will be added for participants to debrief, gather and further discuss training scenarios.
"The Center will focus on expert witness testimony, which relies on the proper interpretation of data and may be scientific, technical, or specialized."Lawrence Quarino, director of Cedar Crest's Forensic Science program
The crime-scene lab will consist of three rooms modeled after a residential house — re-creating a living room, bedroom and kitchen in which participants can analyze realistic crime scenes.
"The Center will focus on expert witness testimony, which relies on the proper interpretation of data and may be scientific, technical, or specialized," Lawrence Quarino, director of Cedar Crest's Forensic Science program, said.
"Training will support students in understanding how they say something is often as important as what they say — that phrases or terms that they understand as professionals may not be understood by jurors.
"In addition, the Center will provide testimony training to personnel in a variety of fields including law enforcement, first responders, and social workers on how to provide a court of law with clear, concise and meaningful testimony."
New generation of law enforcement
The Crime Scene Lab also will be able to enhance learning for forensic science and law enforcement professionals by providing learning spaces to investigate and analyze realistic crime scenes, the college said.
The lab will let the college expand program offerings, provide hands-on workshops to local/state police departments and offer professional continuing education credits, it said.
"Juries and judges increasingly rely on expert testimony and forensic science to reach a verdict in a complex criminal trial," said Kelly Callihan, executive director of the Pennsylvania District Attorneys Association.
"We congratulate Cedar Crest College on the creation of the Expert Witness Training Center and Crime Scene Lab, which will train a new generation of law enforcement and forensic experts."
