Batavia man an expert on helping solve crimes

The popular TV show "CSI" and its numerous spin offs are great for drama's sake, but they just fuel a myth about the forensics world.

That's the way forensics expert John Collins of Batavia sees it after years of work in crime labs and in his role as director of the DuPage County Forensic Science Center in Wheaton.

"There is a huge difference between crime scene processing and crime laboratory testing, which is my background," said Collins, who moved to Batavia with his wife in 1998. "People tend to confuse the two or think that they are the same, but they are completely different tasks requiring completely different skills."

Collins pointed to the Jeanine Nicarico murder case in DuPage County as one that, over time, benefited from improved crime lab and investigative work, and that the case itself illustrated the need for more forensic technology and training.

"Police and sheriff's departments are much more professional now than they use to be, so more resources are spent to allow crime scene personnel to receive more training," Collins said.

Collins is known in the Batavia school community as an assistant track coach at the high school, but his recent appointment as the executive director of the American Society of Crime Lab Directors shines a light on the expertise he has gained in DuPage County and previously as a forensic scientist for a federal lab in Atlanta, Ga.

"I did quite a bit of work on the case that included the bombing of the Olympics in Atlanta," said Collins, whose job became focused on analyzing nails packed in bombs.

Collins has become an expert in this area, and he receives requests from investigators all over the world who deal with terrorism cases in which bombs were packed with nails.

Historians may point to the 1995 O.J. Simpson case as a turning point for demanding better handling of DNA evidence in criminal cases, but Collins said DNA was being used well before that firestorm of publicity - though its effectiveness is relatively new.

"DNA as we know it now came of age in the last 10 years," Collins said. "It is a comparatively expensive forensic specialty and investigators increasingly want DNA testing, which isn't really feasible or necessary so it forces labs like ours in DuPage County to prioritize requests.

"In some instances, this can create small conflicts for police and prosecutors that require some negotiation and discussion."

A resident of the Detroit area and discus thrower during his collegiate days at Michigan State, Collins is glad he found the Tri-Cities region on his map.

"When DuPage County recruited me, it was a chance to get closer to my family in the Midwest, and it was a good decision to come to Batavia," he said. "We really like this community."

Cones for a cause: That burst of warmer weather to start the month of April may have helped the United Way cause.

The Colonial Café locations throughout the area are offering 50-cent ice cream cones this month, while encouraging ice cream lovers to pitch in their savings for the benefit of the United Way.

In making it as easy as possible for those to donate, the restaurants will have United Way collection boxes at the counters. Donations will go to the United Way agency serving the area in which the restaurant is located.

Clinton Anderson, director of operations at Colonial, is hoping the math works in United Way's favor this time around. The restaurants offered the 50-cent ice cream cones last July, and Anderson reported that 96,500 cones were sold during that popular summer month.

Anderson, who has served as director of the Central Kane County United Way, decided that this time around, a tie-in with United Way would be an excellent way to draw attention and funds to an agency that supports so many charitable causes.

In memory of leader: Members of the St. Charles Heritage Center board of directors knew how much time and effort their former president, Jack Brens, gave to preserving the city's history.

At a recent board meeting, members had those feelings reinforced when Kathy Brens donated a $5,000 check to the heritage center in memory of her husband, who passed away earlier this year.

It was a fitting gesture, considering Jack was a key member of the center's fundraising committee in addition to being president at the time of his death.

Working the rails: Folks who work the freight rails sure didn't have any time off last Sunday during the Easter holiday.

When taking our dog for a walk, we counted about four rather long freight trains making their way through Geneva in about a 25-minute span.

That's a lot of freight for a day in which one might otherwise expect the rails to be quiet.

Becoming a grandmother: Plenty of women are likely grateful that they aren't fondly known in the family as "grandmother" by the age of 40. There's plenty of time for that kind of thing later.

But a rummage sale considered the "grandmother" of all sales because it's been around for 40 years? That's just a way of saying it's an accepted tradition.

So it is with the annual rummage sale April 15 through 17 at the Geneva United Methodist Church, 211 Hamilton St., which will benefit local charities.

Check out the details at genevaumc.org or by calling the church at (630) 232-7120.

dheun@sbcglobal.net