Northern Michigan University Expands Class Size for the Criminal Justice Cold Case Program

Northern Michigan University teams up with the Michigan State Police to enhance students’ learning experiences. The Northern Michigan University Criminal Justice Department has doubled the number of students working directly with Michigan State Police to analyze Upper Peninsula Homicide and missing person cold cases. The recently approved state budget includes 200,000 dollars earmarked for the collaboration that was launched in 2022. The Cold Case Seminar was previously limited to eight students in the program, tackling two separate cases.

Impending NMU Alumnus and MSP Trooper Evan Durbin says that taking the course offered a unique insight into how homicide and missing person cases are investigated, and he enjoyed learning from experienced detectives involved with the program. Students are required to complete an interview process, background check, and complete nondisclosure agreements before joining the class and lab. Similar collaborations between law enforcement agencies and higher education institutions have become more common in recent years. Spurred on by the 1987 Roxanne Wood case in Berrien County that was assisted by Western Michigan University. Northern Michigan University has used WMU’s program as a starting point for developing its own Cold Case Course. Those interested in learning more about Northern Michigan University expanding the Cold Case Course program size with the Michigan State Police can find more details here.