Donald Barker

Donald Barker joined the Institute of Police Technology and Management full time in January 1999 as a Training Specialist responsible for development and presentation of training programs in the Criminal Forensics Investigation field and Traffic Crash Investigations. His initial IPTM Instructor career began in 1995 teaching Crime Scene Investigations as an Adjunct Instructor.

Prior to January 1999, Mr. Barker was a Major Case Supervisor with the Pinellas County, Florida Sheriff’s Office, where he was directly involved with more than 400 Death Investigations. The sheriff’s office responds to over 20,000 crime scene investigations annually, involving Crimes Against Persons, Property Crimes, and Traffic Crash Fatalities, with 35 Forensic Science personnel on staff. His responsibilities included shift personnel supervision, 24-hour Major Case Scene supervision, FTO Section Coordinator, and section Training Coordinator, responsible for the planning and scheduling of training for all members.

Mr. Barker’s teaching background is extensive, with over 20 years of professional Forensic Science instruction with various consulting companies and Universities to include: Payton Scientific Inc., The University of South Florida, St. Petersburg Junior College Crime Scene Technologies Degree Program and the Public Safety Criminal Justice Institute, The Florida Department of Law Enforcement, and the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center (FLETC). Mr. Barker has presented seminars at the International and Florida district 6 meetings of the International Association of Identification and the Florida Homicide Investigators Association. His teaching experiences have extended throughout the United States, Canada, Southern Europe, Asia, the South Pacific, and the Middle East.

With 27 years of Law Enforcement experience and consultation, Mr. Barker has developed his expertise in all areas of Criminal Investigations, with specific emphasis on crime scenes. His primary areas of expertise include Advanced Latent Print Development Techniques, Digital Photography, Field and Bench Applications for Alternate Light Energy, Crime Scene Reconstruction, and Bloodstain Pattern Analysis. Mr. Barker is an experienced courtroom witness and has been certified as a courtroom expert in the fields of Crime Scene Processing and Bloodstain Pattern Interpretation. He has credentialed himself as a Senior Crime Scene Analyst with the International Association of Identification and has served as the Crime Scene Investigations Chairman for the FDIAI. Mr. Barker holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree and has qualified as a Florida State Criminal Justice certified Instructor.