Dozens of law enforcement officers from across the U.S. trained at the University of Tennessee's Body Farm to learn the ins and outs of recovering human remains.
The week-long summer sessions began in June, and so far 48 officers from across the country have participated this year.
The Outdoor Recovery Course gives officers 40 hours of training on the process of recovering human remains in outdoor settings, which offers its own set of challenges compared to doing so in an indoor setting.
Throughout the week-long class, officers learn about the role insects play in human decomposition, how to correctly map and recover remains from a surface and burial site, and more.
“Many of our participants come from towns where the nearest forensic anthropologist is too far away or work for offices that cannot afford a full-time expert," assistant director of the Forensic Anthropology Center and coordinator of the summer professional courses Giovanna Vidoli said. "Here they learn all they need to accurately recover remains while preserving evidence, a crucial part of any justice process."