I had the opportunity to sit down with Tom Bevel at the Association for Crime Scene Reconstruction conference in Westminster, Colorado this past week. Tom is a legend in the crime scene community and was one of the founders of ACSR and IABPA (International Association for Blood Pattern Analysts). We talk about the creation of these organizations and the advances in forensics along with challenges from testifying in other parts of the world.
CPT Tom Bevel (Ret.) is President of Bevel, Gardner and Associates Inc. a forensic education and consulting company. He retired after 27 years with the Oklahoma City Police Department. His last assignment was the Commander of the Homicide, Robbery, Missing Persons, and the Unsolved Homicide Units.
Captain Bevel (Ret.) holds a Master of Arts degree from the University of Central Oklahoma in the Administration of Criminal Justice. He is a graduate of the Scenes of Crime Course, Hendon, England; the Technical Investigations Course, Central U.S. Police Institute, Oklahoma State University at Oklahoma City, OK; the FBI National Academy, and the Post-Graduate Medical-Legal Course London Medical College, London, England.
Captain Bevel (Ret.) is a charter member of the FBI Scientific Workgroup on Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (SWGSTAIN) and served on the Board of Directors from 2002 through 2009; he is a Fellow of the Association For Crime Scene Reconstruction (ACSR); a Distinguished Member of the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts (IABPA); on the Editorial Board for the Journal of Forensic Identification; and a member of the Southwestern Association of Forensic Scientists (SWAFS); and the American Academy of Forensic Sciences (AAFS); he serves on the Board of Advisors for the Master of Forensic Science program for the University of Central Oklahoma. Mr. Bevel is the charter President for both the IABPA & ACSR and is a Distinguished Member of the IAI.
Captain Bevel (Ret.) has served as a crime scene consultant in over 46 U.S. States and 9 foreign countries. He has been qualified as an expert in crime scene reconstruction and bloodstain pattern analysis in both state and federal courts.