Arson Investigation Training in Georgia
The International
Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs office of the U.S Embassy in Tbilisi
sponsored an arson investigation training course for Georgian and Armenian law
enforcement personnel from June 8-19. The course was designed and
implemented by the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco,
Firearms and Explosives (ATF) to develop the professional skills of fire
investigators in local jurisdictions. At the Isani-Samgori regional fire
station, Ambassador John Tefft observed a "Burn Cell Practical Exam,"
in which visiting ATF instructors burned four mock apartments constructed and
furnished specifically for this training course. After extinguishing the blaze,
the Georgian and Armenian investigators sifted through debris to collect evidence,
jointly analyzed what they found, and drew conclusions about the cause and
origin of the fire. The skills and techniques learned in this course will
allow Georgian law enforcement officers and their Armenian counterparts to
successfully investigate and prosecute crimes of arson.