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<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\nIn 2002, Sheriff Grady Judd called Bill Thomas. Judd offered Thomas the position of Identification Administrator for the Polk County Sheriff\u2019s Office. This role heads PCSO\u2019s forensics. During his tenure, Thomas led the growth of the division from five to 14 staff. He served in the position for 21 years and recently retired in May. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
For \u201ccrimes against persons\u201d like homicide and robbery\u2014which could also easily turn into homicide, Thomas, as the leader of forensics in Polk County, pursued crimes with a sense of urgency. \u201cMy job was to get him or her off the street as fast as we could. If we catch someone today rather than two weeks from now, we have stopped some crimes. I can\u2019t say how many, but I can assure you we have stopped some crimes.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Early on, Thomas expanded the evidence databases for Polk County, and added new data points. Notably, PCSO had the first database in the state that included palm prints. \u201cNinety-five percent of the hand is the palm,\u201d Thomas commented. Perceptive thinking like this made PCSO forensics even more effective. \u201cI hear it around here all the time that you don\u2019t want to go to Polk County to commit a crime, because you are going to get caught,\u201d Thomas said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In mid-August, Thomas will offer a no-cost, forensic science class for high school students who are freshmen, sophomores, and juniors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
One of his previous students, Lloycoia Barnum, a 2022 Strawberry Crest High School graduate, discussed why she joined the class. \u201cI used to watch the television shows like Law and Order, so I was really interested, but I didn\u2019t know what it was called until my mom told me about the class.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among other things, students in the class learn how to identify different types of fingerprints and analyze them, how to take tire impressions, and how different people see different crimes. To add to their learning, the class takes field trips. These can be to crime labs like the Identification Section at the PCSO, the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) in Tampa, and the Forensic Science Section in Pinellas County. Through these experiences, the students, \u201c\u2026.get to see wide variety of how the job is done in the different locations, use different equipment, and different technology,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cAnd they get a chance to talk with these individuals who are currently doing the job to get their perspective.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to visiting crime labs, the students have the chance to go to forensic science conferences, such as the National Youth Forensic Science Forum, with sessions led by professionals who work in the crime-scene field. \u201cI remember one lecture was about the Boston Marathon bombings,\u201d Barnum said. \u201cThe speaker was the FBI agent who worked on it. He talked about the different steps they took to solve the case, and what clues they used to put everything together.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI learned how to take time to slowly process things,\u201d Barnum said about the class. \u201cBecause if you don\u2019t take your time to do certain things like the fingerprints and analyze them, you can easily mess up. Another thing she learned was, \u201c\u2026.not to second guess myself, either, because I had a problem with that. But after taking the class, I got rid of that issue.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Barnum is a junior at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. She is majoring in psychology with a concentration in forensic psychology and minor in clinical psychology. \u201cI got an offer from the school for a full scholarship based on the forensic stuff I was doing,\u201d she said. \u201cI was first interested in the forensic education thing because I wanted to help people. But then when I realized I could actually help people, both mentally and while solving crimes, I thought \u2018Okay, this is actually what I wanted to do.\u2019 So, that is what led me to this path.\u201d Her trajectory is to graduate in 2026 with a bachelor\u2019s degree, and a master\u2019s degree, then go on to obtain a license to counsel, and work on Ph.D. \u201cI want to try to become a forensic psychiatrist,\u201d she concluded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHer ability to do what she has done is great,\u201d said Thomas about his former student. \u201cI think about myself. When I went to college to be a music teacher, I had no clue about forensic science. I had never even heard of it. But I think it is important that we introduce these things to the young folks, so they can look at different career fields. You hear about fingerprints, and footprints, and tire tracks, and facial recognition. What a lot of people don\u2019t understand is, there is a forensic science application to pretty much everything you do. You have forensic accountants. You have forensic engineers. That isn\u2019t what you hear a lot about.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI teach the class because I think about how I just happened to be fortunate enough to have a couple of individuals that saw something in me I didn\u2019t see in myself when it came to the forensic science program,\u201d Thomas said. \u201cAnd in a lot of ways I feel like I was lucky\u2014I was blessed\u2014but I was lucky that those individuals were there. Because if it had not been for them, I would have not gone in that direction. And it turned out to be where I should have been. So, I wanted to introduce the kids here to the forensic sciences because the only way they can really assess what they want to do is to be exposed to these things. You can\u2019t believe you want to go in a certain direction, or do a certain thing if you haven\u2019t been exposed to it. That is not to say that every kid that is exposed to it is going to want to be a forensic scientist, but what it will do is it teach them about paying attention to detail\u2014which is an essential element when it comes to being successful.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Previous classes have traveled to a beach to learn to take tire track impressions. The students also have gone to the PCSO where forensic scientists showed them the mechanics of fingerprinting, taking shoe prints, and how to use a criminal database. \u201cIt is actually a very fun class,\u201d Barnum added. \u201cI was never bored.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n
In addition to solving crimes and helping keep communities safe, forensics has other benefits. \u201cYou can earn a decent salary,\u201d Thomas remarked. \u201cAt the end of the day, while you want to do something you want to do, you want to do something that will allow you to live a more than adequate lifestyle.\u201d For example, PCSO sends new forensic staff to a five month course\u2014the Forensic Science Latent Print Academy. If staff sign a four-year committment, PCSO covers the $27,500 tuition, and additional room and board. Upon completion, the starting salary is at least $60,000. <\/p>\n\n\n\n