Bret Starr

Bret Starr retired as a sworn officer from the Gainesville Police Department after 34 years of service. 27 of his 34 years he spent working in the Forensic Crime Unit as a Crime Scene Investigator. He recently returned to GPD as a civilian in the Forensic Crime Unit. Throughout his vast experience, he has been responsible for investigating all types of crimes scenes, including homicides, suicides, traffic fatality accidents, vehicle thefts, burglaries, and robberies. In this position, he was responsible for ensuring he was up-to-date on the latest methods of evidence handling, fingerprint processing, collection of DNA, and collection and analysis of trace evidence. Additionally, Bret has testified in court on hundreds of cases.

Combined with his work experience, Bret has received formal training in many different areas of crime scene investigations: homicide investigations, crime scene reconstruction, shooting scene reconstruction, bloodstain pattern analysis, fire and arson investigations, and fingerprint examinations. Bret is very passionate about crime scene photography. When he began with GPD’s Forensic Crime Unit, cameras still used film. He demonstrates proficiency in using SLR and digital cameras, as he has both attended and taught crime scene photography over the past few decades. His interests also include photography using Alternate Light Source and Infrared photography.