Every year, Mr. Deo’s Forensics class travels to the Bergen County Correctional & Rehabilitation Center (formerly the Bergen County Jail) and the Bergen County Bureau of Criminal Investigation Center, both located in Hackensack, New Jersey. 

“This educational trip helps to augment some of the lessons in the curriculum, such as: steps in the justice process, types of evidence, evidence collection techniques, role of police officers at a crime scene, and protection of rights of inmates,” Mr. Deo explained. 

Throughout the visit, students were exposed to multiple aspects of the criminal justice system and learned about different career paths they could take in the future.

Police officers led students around both buildings, explaining the different procedures for using the equipment. 

“The most exciting event was to observe at close range an officer firing two different types of bullets into a water tank and then showing us the stray marks on the bullets and shells,” said Mr. Deo.

Students were assigned an on-trip test assignment regarding the functioning of the jail and the crime lab.

“There were so many things to see and experience. It was stimulating,” Mr. Deo added. “Hopefully, students made a connection between the topics covered in class and the real world of the U.S. Criminal Justice System.”