Crime scene at Modesto hotel is a drill

MODESTO -- If you're passing by the DoubleTree hotel in downtown Modesto this morning and see a bunch of crime scene tape and law enforcement officers, don't worry: it's a drill.

A week-long class on crime scene investigation will conclude today with an exercise at the hotel from 8 a.m. to noon, the Stanislaus County Sheriff's Department said.

Officials often conduct such simulations to hone their skills to respond to real cases; firefighters recently had their turn at the former Memorial Hospital in Ceres.