Snapshot: Hazardous Evidence Collection

Responders practice skills in analyzing a crime scene with potential contamination during Evidence Collection in a Hazardous Materials Environment (HEC) course at the Center for Domestic Preparedness.

The four-day course trains responders in hazardous evidence preservation and sampling, field screening, evaluating physical evidence, responsibilities of evidence collection teams, and methods for evidence documentation and packaging. Students perform advanced, practical tasks in the CDP’s Chemical, Ordnance, Biological, and Radiological (COBRA) Training Facility, the only facility in the nation where civilian responders can train with hazardous biological materials and toxic chemical agents.

The CDP is authorized to award 3.2 CEUs for this course by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training. For additional information about the HEC Course or to register for future iterations, visit https://cdp.dhs.gov/training/course/PER-201.