The Wayne State College Criminal Justice Program is proud to announce the completion of the Criminal Justice Crime Scene Investigation Facility. With fundraised dollars of $150,000 and a donation of land from the Wayne State Foundation, this $350,000 facility provides a practical training site to augment classroom instruction. Future criminal justice professionals can learn how to enter a structure that may have a crime occurring (hostage situations, active shooters, raid entry procedures, building searches, etc.), and it provides a site for students to conduct a crime scene investigation by collecting, documenting, and processing criminal evidence (evidence documentation, bloodstain spatter analysis, fingerprint acquisition, firearm trajectories, shoeprint casing, etc.).

These types of activities cannot occur in a traditional classroom due to the space requirements and, more importantly, the inability to provide credible simulations. In addition to the educational experiences related to criminal investigations, the lab allows students to gain courtroom experience associated with cases they investigate. Learning experiences include testifying in court, introducing evidence effectively, interviewing witnesses, and, for students interested in pre-law, conducting a mock trial. Local judges and attorneys have agreed to assist students with these experiential learning activities. Further, Criminal Justice Club members are able to participate in regional and national crime scene investigation competitions in association with Lambda Alpha Epsilon, a Criminal Justice Association.

The interior of the facility provides an academic learning space to accommodate students and ample space to set up various similated crime scenes. This house includes all standard features present in a typical house. The exterior features dedicated outdoor space for future uses such as footwear and tire imprint analysis, entomological projects, and burial of carcasses to study decay. The exterior finishing depicts a quality and professional facility with aesthetically appealing landscaping and signage that would showcase this facility to prospective students, parents, and community members.

The Criminal Justice CSI Facility was completed in 2018. For more information about the project, contact the Wayne State Foundation at 402-375-7510.