ASHLAND — Law enforcement hopefuls from Southern Oregon University learned Friday that crime fighting doesn't fit neatly into the hourlong packages seen on "CSI: Miami."

About 35 forensics, chemistry and communication students along with faculty and several officials from local law enforcement agencies joined forces to solve a hypothetical crime as part of SOU's first annual Counter Terrorism Crime Scene Investigation Training Seminar.

Thomas Owens, a criminal justice professor, dreamed up the exercise earlier this year on the way back from a National Security Agency conference in Washington, D.C.

"We wanted to put the students in a situation that unfolds in real time," Owens said. "When you watch television the crime is over in an hour. In the real world it doesn't work that way."

The scenario, which professors spent months carefully staging, was not known to the students. They had to work together to assess the situation, collect evidence and generate accurate search warrants that would not allow suspected "terrorists" to go free on technicalities.

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After a briefing in McNeal Hall, the students split into teams and began following leads that pointed them to a suspicious green Toyota pickup parked next to Raider Stadium's bleachers. There were reports of chemicals and a fuse in the truck. Could there be a bomb?

The area was quickly roped off and the sleuthing began in earnest. Meanwhile, six chemistry students, who hope to someday work in crime labs, watched the "detectives" gather evidence they would soon be examining.

"It's nice that they get to see how evidence is handled before they get it," Greg Miller said. "They need to know this part of it."

Miller, who teaches chemistry, said the students were excited by a hands-on challenge.

"It's very different than the classes they're used to being in," he added.

Owens even created a fake press corps that tried to worm its way into the scene. Communication students toted cameras and tried to pull information from police, who did their best to keep them at bay.

SOU senior David "Pancho" Becraft filmed the exercise as part of a school project. He and his team plan to make an hourlong documentary about the seminar.

"We're expecting to finish the movie next term," Becraft said. "We have 30 hours of footage to compress into one hour."

The seminar brought all of the law enforcement schools together, teaching the students the complexities of real-world investigation — the most important lesson being that no part of the process exists in a vacuum.

Some of the professors have spent close to two months planting fake evidence the students will have to chase in the coming weeks.

Priscilla Oppenheimer, who teaches computer forensics classes, spent the past month and a half creating fake Web sites that will help the students solve the crime.

"Our computer science students will be able to seize the computers to study what sites the criminals have been to," she said.

"Our motto in the forensics department is: 'We aim to be real,' " Lee Ayers said.

Ayers, who teaches forensic investigation courses, said the scenario allows the students a safe place to learn from their mistakes.

"This is the place for them to make mistakes that won't affect human life," she said. "Above all, this is a test of patience."

Reach reporter Chris Conrad at 776-4471, or e-mail cconrad@mailtribune.com.