FORSYTH — Earnest M. McDuffie, Sr., a lieutenant with the Hinesville Fire Department, recently completed the arson investigator certification program taught by the state police academy division of the Georgia Public Safety Training Center.
During the program, students are instructed on the fundamental aspects of fire/arson investigation during the 160-hour certification program.
Topics included motivation of the fire setter, photography, evidence collection, point of origin and interview/interrogation techniques. Students participated in a number of practical exercises utilizing actual arson crime scenes, spending time preparing written investigative reports and documenting their investigative methods for the judicial process.
This program is supported in part by the Georgia Arson Control Program, Georgia Fire Investigators Association, International Association of Arson Investigators, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, Fire Departments from Gwinnett and Cobb Counties, Georgia Forestry Commission, Georgia State Fire Marshall’s Office, GBI Division of Forensic Sciences, Georgia Crime Information Center, DeKalb County District Attorney’s Office, Cunningham and Associates and State Farm Insurance Agency.