The Iowa Division of the IAI hosted an outstanding Q3 Training Day: Search and Recovery of Buried Remains at the Davenport Police Department.
Held October 7, 2026, the full-day training focused on the fundamentals of searching, locating, documenting, excavating, and packaging buried human skeletal remains. Participants began with classroom instruction before putting those concepts into practice during hands-on afternoon excercises.
The afternoon provided an opportunity for attendees to work together in a realistic search and recovery environment. Practicing systematic excavation techniques, careful recovery of remains and associated evidence, documentation, soil screening, and preservation of potentially significant findings.
This training was designed for patrol officers, detectives, investigators, crime scene investigators, medico-legal death investigators, forensic science students and prosecutors. Bringing together professionals with different perspectives and areas of expertise.
Training opportunities like this are at the heart of the Iowa Divisions mission. Providing continued education, networking, and learning through peers across the forensic and law enforcement community.
A special thank you to the Davenport Police Department for hosting this training event and to everyone who participated, shared their expertise, and helped make the day such a success.
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Interested in more training days?
The Iowa Division is committed to providing continued education and hands-on training opportunities for members to learn from professionals across the forensic and law enforcement community. Quarterly training days are one of the ways the organization delivers practical, relevant education throughout the year.
Looking Ahead: 2026 Iowa IAI Educational Conference
The learning continues November 2-4, 2026, at the FFA Enrichment Center in Ankeny, IA. Join fellow professionals for 2.5 days of expert presentations, case studies, hands-on workshops, networking, and professional development. Visit our Conference Page for the full schedule and registration.
