Small towns are seen as quaint and quiet. No one expects to hear the words “murder” or “murderers” when those people are their friends, family, neighbors and well-known people in the community.

Wayne State College’s Criminal Justice program is preparing students to fight crime and bring justice to everyone.

A small town of Emerson, Neb., felt the quake of a murder on Nov. 3 when the word of Kraig Kubik’s death was released. Kubik was a 41-year-old man, and portions of his body were found in the trunk of a car.

The police worked diligently to find the murderers and have charged two men: 25-year-old Andres Surber and 18-year-old Brayan Misael Galvan-Hernandez. The men have been charged with first-degree murder.

This heavily covered case brings to light issues that Wayne State’s criminal justice students will face in the field.

“I feel that Wayne State has given me a leg up on the law enforcement world, especially knowing the law side of the field,” Deputy Sheriff of Morrill County and WSC alumni Taylor Menke said.

“The Criminal Justice program has given me the tools that I need for the job I just received, and I can’t wait to start it,” newly hired Deputy sheriff of Red Willow County and senior at WSC Joe Ernst said.

Wayne State College is going to help increase students ability to collect evidence and help put bad guys away by building a crime scene investigation lab.

“The new facility will definitely enhance our students’ ability to solve many types of crimes through practical experience in the correct way in which to collect evidence and process a crime-scene,” Professor Jason Karsky said.

“Criminal justice over the years has become more scientific, that’s why we now offer a forensic crime scene investigations class,” Karsky said. “The new crime scene investigations lab will enhance the applied educational experiences of our students and ensure that those going into law enforcement will be even more prepared for the challenges of the career field.”

Even though crime won’t ever stop, students at Wayne State will be able to do their part to fight crime and stop the bad guys.