In 1986, Pat Wertheim began teaching fingerprint comparison classes for latent print examiners in North Central Texas. A few years later, he expanded his teaching to law enforcement agencies throughout the United States. At that time, however, Mr. Wertheim was still a full time latent print examiner employed in law enforcement. He was teaching several classes per year on vacation and holiday time. He soon realized that the administrative duties of scheduling classes advertising them, registering students, and maintaining training records took up valuable time which could be better spent teaching. He saw the need for separation of administrative responsibilities from the teaching function.

Forensic Identification Training Seminars, LLC, (FITS) resulted from that need. In essence, FITS serves as a broker for its instructors. FITS arranges class sites with interested host agencies, advertises the classes to appropriate law enforcement personnel, registers students, provides support services for the instructors, and maintains training records following classes. This allows the instructors to concentrate their efforts on the actual training function.

First organized by Pat and Bonnie Wertheim in 1997 as a division of Lightning Powder Company, Inc, FITS became a separate company in April, 1999, when Bonnie purchased the training division from LPC. She and Pat managed the business from their home base in Salem, Oregon until the end of 2001. Bonnie now runs it with the able assistance of daughter Katrina, who is taking over the advertising. Watch for changes coming within the next few months! We are currently based in Tucson, Arizona, where the sun always shines. Note the new address, telephone, and fax information below.

FITS coordinates classes for both active and retired law enforcement professionals teaching in their specialties. Each instructor is widely recognized as an expert by peers in his or her discipline and is an experienced instructor as well. While concentrating primarily in the continental United States, some classes have been taught in other countries and foreign police personnel have attended classes in the US.