Providing Opportunities for Professional Development
LEVA is recognized throughout the world as the leading organization for state-of-the-art public safety video production and forensic video analysis training.
LEVA has been at the forefront of providing training and professional development opportunities for Federal, State, and local public safety video professionals and organizations for many years.
On February 26, 2007, a ribbon-cutting ceremony introduced the first permanent Forensic Video Analysis training lab in the United States.
The LEVA Digital Multimedia Evidence Processing Lab at the University of Indianapolis became the nation’s premier site for training law enforcement officers from around the world in high-level forensic video analysis. It could also serve as a command center for this type of work when needed during national emergencies.
The Lab features twenty dTective analysis workstations from Ocean Systems, each powered by an Avid Technology Media Composer. Avid LanShare, a collaborative workflow engine, ties all of the analysis systems together, allowing students to work collectively to solve a single case or to work separately and securely on an individual project. A multimedia teaching system by Robotel will allow better communication between the instructor and students and provide advanced information flow throughout the class.
”LEVA is focusing on how the technology can be used to solve cases,” said Jan Garvin, forensic video training vice president for LEVA. “We stress the value of agencies integrating forensic video analysis into their investigative arsenals.”
Since October 2004, UIndy has been the national host for LEVA’s courses in Forensic Video Analysis and the Law. The relationship developed out of LEVA’s longstanding association with Thomas Christenberry, director of public safety education in the university’s School for Adult Learning. Christenberry was the chief of media and technology for the FBI Academy in Quantico, Va., responsible for training special agents and law enforcement personnel, before his move to academe.
The lab will host classes for beginner to advanced law enforcement users in such areas as:
- multiplexed decoding
- image stabilization
- frame averaging
- automatic image tracking
- time lapse and real-time video analysis
- image enhancement techniques
- digital video recovery & analysis
- videotape repair & authentication
- legal issues & courtroom testimony
- photographic / video comparison
Grant Fredericks, a video forensics expert and lead instructor to LEVA said, “With more than twelve million video surveillance systems operating in the US today, video is clearly the most prolific evidence collection resource available to law enforcement. It’s a priority on the federal government's list of targeted evidence acquisition in the event of a terrorist attack.” He continued that with this technology, “The process of sifting through hours of surveillance footage will be far less overwhelming for investigators.”
