Jonathan Pelletier

Jonathan Pelletier is a retired police detective and former crime scene investigator and unit supervisor. He holds a Masters in Apologetics (Christian Thought) & Philosophy and a Bachelors in Cross Cultural Studies from Liberty University. More recently, he completed a second master’s degree in criminal justice (2018). He serves as a Senior Technical/Practitioner Peer Reviewer for crime scene proposals (Office of Justice Programs, NIJ). Among his publications, he has two contributions to the Journal of Forensic Science. He currently teaches Infra-Red Photography as it applies to Crime Scene Investigation at the Virginia Forensic Science Academy (Richmond, VA).

He is a graduate of the Virginia Forensic Science Academy (#55) and has been a repeated guest speaker for the International Association for Identification (IAI) and has also presented for AAFS. As an active member of IAI since 2004, he maintains certification as a Senior Crime Scene Analyst (IAI-CSCSA). He was honored to receive the “Outstanding Instructor Award” as he served for ten years as the lead instructor in crime scene processing and forensic photography for the Central Virginia Criminal Justice Academy.

As a sworn police officer during his career, he has enjoyed training and teaching police here and abroad about the best practices for crime scene photography and the proper collection and documentation of evidence. Pelletier has developed and delivered courses throughout the united states as well as for the national police in Azerbaijan, Turkmenistan, Kenya, and Tanzania. He started teaching for Liberty University in 2007 where he currently serves as Subject Matter Expert for crime scene, crime scene photography, and crime scene management. He serves as an instructor for the Virginia Center for Police Innovation (VCPI). Prior to COVID, he helped deliver training on counter-terrorism and radical extremism nationwide, instructing civilians and sworn persons, a program sponsored by FEMA that reached nearly 40 states. More recently he has been honored to serve with Blue Line Training Group training police and also has been tasked by Sharing Hope South Carolina (teaching best practices for organ procurement photography).