May 1, 2008
East Arkansas Community College-Forrest City
Press Release- Photo Attached

Members of the Lambda Alpha Epsilon (LAE) chapter of the American Criminal Justice Association at East Arkansas Community College recently attended the LAE National Conference in Kansas City, Missouri.

The EACC students joined more than five hundred students from across the United States who attended the weeklong conference, participating in competitions in crime scene investigation, physical agility, shooting and academics. Students attend national and regional conferences annually to meet leaders in the field of criminal justice.

Over 30 federal, state, and local agencies held a job fair at the conference to benefit the students. Jobs presented to the students included positions with the Federal Prison System, the U.S. Marshal Service, the Secret Service, sheriff’s departments, the Kansas City Police Department, the Missouri State Police, the Game and Fish Service, Water Patrol and many others.

The students attended instructional classes by Richard Warrington, a former police officer who is certified in advanced fingerprint detection and is a popular lecturer in his discipline. The students who participated in an advanced class in fingerprint techniques learned the technique of lifting prints off unique surfaces such as golf balls, glass and rough vinyl surfaces.

Mary Fran Ernst, a medical investigator and founder of the American Board of Medical Death Investigators, and Dr. Mary Case, Professor of Pathology and the Division of Environment Pathology at St. Louis University School of Medicine, gave seminars in homicide investigation, child abuse cases and medical autopsy.

The students also had the opportunity to attend the classic play “Twelve Angry Men” starring Richard Thomas of TV’s “The Walton’s” fame.

Preston Koelling, EACC Social Science faculty member serves as the LAE sponsor at EACC. Koelling continues to serve as president of LAE’s Region 2, which will host its regional meeting in Carlsbad, New Mexico, in October, 2008.

The local LAE chapter at EACC is open to all law enforcement students and criminal justice professionals. Students and others interested in LAE should contact Preston Koelling at 870-633-4480 ext. 244.

Photo from left: Murray Clark-Forrest City, Tammy Beltran-Forrest City, Erin Hess-Wynne, JuJuana Tilley-Forrest City, and LAE sponsor Preston Koelling