Crime Scene Investigation: Suffolk might not seem as exciting as CSI: Miami, but the forensic unit is doing its part to show the city’s students what being a crime scene investigator really entails.

The city held its sixth annual Junior Forensics Camp last week, and I had the chance to attend while the kids were investigating mock crime scenes.

The 22 rising seventh- and eighth-graders had the opportunity to evaluate a scene just like the Suffolk Forensic Unit would in the real world.

Broken into three groups, the students checked out different crime scenes, including a robbery at an ATM, a recovered stolen vehicle and a burglary.

Each kid was given a job to do at the scene, and it was amazing to see how enthralled the students got with their jobs.

One of the participants, Azana Carr, 13, was working as the photographer at the scene of the bank robbery.

And she took her job very seriously. With a furrowed brow, she snapped hundreds of pictures, from both far away and close up, of any evidence her team uncovered.

Carr said she thinks she wants to be a crime scene investigator, because she likes solving mysteries.

Joan Jones, the Suffolk Forensic Unit supervisor and camp coordinator, said she thinks the camp is a great success, and she wants to offer an additional camp next year to allow for more students to participate.

I think the camp is a great opportunity for Suffolk students to not only explore a career, but also get to know their city a little better.

Most people probably think Norfolk and Virginia Beach have their own forensic units, but many might not realize there’s a CSI group right here in Suffolk.

Many of these students have seen the plethora of crime scene shows on television, but the camp shows them what the job is really like and how it is done in their hometown.

They also get a better idea of what forensic technicians actually do, instead of seeing what a Hollywood version of the career.

Additionally, this camp is a great way for students to experience a job that uses math and science.

It’s opportunities like these that show students that math and science careers aren’t all spent in front of a computer screen and that you don’t have to leave Suffolk to have a cool job.