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Students with a Montgomery County Police Department summer camp participate in the Museum’s new fingerprinting program.
Consider the fingerprint. Each is unique, but all fall into three general categories based on their shape: loops, whorls, and arches. For hundreds of years, scholars, physicians, investigators, and the casually curious have studied the distinct, curvy ridges. Today, DEA forensic examiners regularly collect and analyze prints as evidence in investigations.
The DEA Museum welcomed students to inspect their fingerprints in its new education space last month. The in-person program was the first of its kind held in the Museum since its reopening. Twenty students from a Montgomery County Police Department summer camp used microscopes, magnifying glasses, and fingerprinting kits to learn how forensic specialists analyze the unique patterns for civil and criminal identification.
The program is one of two new Museum experiences designed for school and youth groups: “Fingerprinting” and “The History of Drug Use and Misuse in the United States.” The first is a hands-on, STEM-based program that accommodates up to 50 students. It features a short introduction to the history and science behind the investigative discipline and invites participants to examine, view, and lift one of their own fingerprints.
The second program—which can be conducted in person or virtually—traces the federal government’s creation and enforcement of drug laws in a dynamic, ever-changing world. Students are introduced to innovations in science, technology, and medicine, as well as historical events and trends, that transformed the nation’s approach to drug law enforcement.
Both programs are free and can be coupled with a Museum tour or chat with a DEA employee. Special agents, forensic examiners, intelligence research specialists, and support staff welcome opportunities to share their stories and experiences with groups of all ages. Younger guests can also complete the Junior Special Agent program, which uses word searches, letter scrambles, and other challenges to get kids thinking like DEA agents. Those who complete the program are sworn in and receive a Junior Special Agent badge.
With the Museum’s education space up and running, staff is excited to host more school and youth groups this fall. The team is developing additional programs on chemistry and digital forensics, with more topics to come. The Museum also recently joined the Student & Youth Travel Association to broaden its reach to new domestic and international audiences. Two staff members attended SYTA’s 2022 annual meeting in Washington, DC, an excellent opportunity to introduce connected industry professionals to all the Museum has to offer.
To book a free youth program or group tour, complete the form here or contact Museum staff at 202-307-3463 or deamuseum@dea.gov.
