Editor-In-Chief, News Reporter
On Saturday, criminal justice students performed mock criminal investigations at CMU’s crime scene house on 8th and Elm.
The house, originally slated for destruction under the university’s eminent domain, is now used by the criminal justice program to give the students hands-on experience in a controlled environment, allowing them to investigate staged crime scenes, interrogate witnesses and analyze bullet holes and blood spatters.
“It was the brainchild of [Professor Jane Quimby],” Police Academy Director John Piatenesi said. “Since the university purchased these homes for the expansion of CMU, instead of tearing down the houses, we could use them for student studies. It enhances the learning experience for students.”
Quimby, a criminal justice professor at the university, proposed the idea of a crime house to administration, and her request was granted. Her goal was to provide a place for students to gain hands-on experience in a realistic atmosphere.
“There’s a lot of crime that happens in this house,” Quimby said. “You’re actually seeing blood on the floor. You’re seeing guns, and you’re seeing bullets. This is a great place for our students to do hands-on stuff.”
Upper-level Criminal Justice students were placed in investigative teams that worked together to solve imaginary murder mysteries. Teams documented evidence, interviewed suspects played by criminal justice professionals like Piatenesi and used real-world procedures to conduct their investigations in a closed environment.
“It’s not real, but it’s as close as we can get,” junior Adam Van Benschoten said. “It’s fun to explore the ins-and-outs of a crime scene.”
Groups came close to solving the mystery but had difficulties with communication.
“You want them to feel some frustration,” Quimby said. “It’s really pressure-filled and chaotic. It’s very difficult to manage the scene.”
Quimby, Piatenesi and other law enforcement professionals provided advice during the investigation, answering legal questions and providing results for imaginary lab results. Students were able to interrogate Piatanesi, a “role player” acting as a murder suspect in the investigation.
“By asking the right questions, the role players will give them the clues they need to lead them, or mislead them, through the scene,” Piatanesi said. “It’s the stuff they’ll be dealing with on a day-to-day basis.”
The house is also used by local law enforcement for SWAT team and peace officer training. Although the university will eventually stake its claim on the lot, Quimby and Piatanesi plan to move the house across town to a law enforcement training facility on 32 Road to eventually become part of a full city block of training houses.
“It costs the same to tear it down and dump it as it does to move it,” Piatanesi said. “Instead of just tearing it down and taking it to the dump, we’re going to recycle it and use it for educational purposes. We’re going to lift these homes, move them to the training facilities and use them for educational purposes.”
No matter where the houses stand, the goal of the house is to educate students who will soon be professional police officers and investigators.
‘This should ignite their passion for law enforcement,” Piatanesi said. “This is just another tool that the university is utilizing to expand the student’s knowledge and personal awareness, because this is what they want to do in life.”
dlmeyer@mavs.coloradomesa.edu
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