NORFOLK, Neb. – The Northeast Community College Criminal Justice Association had a busy last couple of months, and recently took a field trip that was the first of its kind for the student club.
On Oct. 30, members of CJA travelled to the University of Nebraska-Kearney to participate in the UNK Criminal Justice conference. Attendees heard from a drug investigator in the area and were able to look at various types of drugs and paraphernalia.
Colleen Barnes and Matt McCarthy, club advisers, took eight members on a field trip to the Villisca axe Murder house in Villisca, Iowa, on Nov. 6. They learned about the horrific crime that took there in 1912. This historic home was the site of eight murders in 1912, including six children.
Following that, the group travelled to Des Moines for a team building activity at the Escape Chambers. On Nov. 7, they had the rare opportunity to meet Dr. Jonathan Thompson, who is the Iowa State Medical examiner.
Thomspon explained how the medical examiner's officer works with crime scene investigators and criminal investigators to come up with a cause of death in homicide cases. Students then spent the morning observing Thomspon and other professionals performing autopsies.
Students were able to observe four autopsies from start to finish, a first for the group. In the afternoon, members toured the Iowa State Crime Lab and learned about the various scientific procedures conducted there and had the opportunity to meet several of the forensic scientists who work there.
Matt McCarthy, Criminal Justice program director and instructor, said it proved to be an excellent opportunity for the students.
“Thanks to efforts by one of our advisory board members, Cassie Salter, we were able to obtain a tour of Iowa State Medical examiner's office and the State of Iowa Crime Lab,” McCarthy said. “This is the first time students have had the opportunity to personally observe autopsies, something that many law enforcement officers have not even had the chance to do.
McCarthy, who is co-sponsor of the Criminal Justice Association, said the students were incredibly attentive and asked thoughtful and insightful questions about the processes they saw.
“Colleen and I could not be any prouder of the students. Autopsies are weird, and can be kind of scary, especially at first. They are certainly not everyone's cup of tea, and the students were simply amazing," McCarthy said.
Criminal Justice Association
The Northeast Community College Criminal Justice Association has had a busy semester, mixing several criminal related stops with a historic stop, the Villisca, Iowa, house where eight murders took place in 1912. The case was never solved. (Northeast Community College)
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