A crime scene lab will be available for Wayne State College classes to use beginning in fall of 2018.

“We are calling it the Crime Scene Investigation Facility,” said Tammy Evetovich, dean of Natural and Social Science. “So what it’s for is to stage different scenarios related to criminal activity and then investigate those crimes.”

Work has been in progress on the crime scene lab for a couple of years. said Jason Karsky, Criminal Justice.

“I’ve always had it in the back of my mind as something that we need to pursue, but I know it’s kind of a big undertaking,” Karsky said.

Karsky said that the crime scene lab will be located in a lot across the street south from the Willow Bowl.

“It’s going to be just like a house,” Karsky said. “It’ll have everything that a house has.”

He said that it’s more connected to what law enforcement runs into on various calls.

“We can set up scenarios with homicides, sexual assaults, suicides, suspicious death,” Karksy said.

“We plan on utilizing it to help train individuals on hostage negotiations and how to clear the house if you suspect there’s a suspect in the dwelling,” Karsky said. “Our primary use is going to be for crime scene investigation and forensics.”

He said that in the past, crime scenes would have to be staged in Connell Hall, in the back stairwell or outside, and would then have to be taken down immediately after class.

“This is going to allow us to set up a crime scene, and students can learn how to process it over multiple class periods,” Karsky said.

Evetovich said that they will probably have a crime that is set up, and will take it through to the courtroom trial.

“We anticipate that it won’t be just Criminal Justice majors that will be a part of it,” Evetovich said.

The house will not be used for Halloween or just to walk into, Evetovich said. It will, however, be used for tours with prospective students, for classes and if law enforcement needs it for a drill.

Cassie Post, instructor of Criminal Justice, will be in charge of setting up the crime scene scenarios.

Though Post has not developed specifics, she would like to have a range of scenarios from a hanging, to a fake suicide or reproducing an actual event.

Post said that she would like a scenario with a high velocity blood splatter.

“I would like to do one with poison,” Post said. “A lot of them will be more homicide.”

She said that she would also like to have some scenarios with couples found dead, robberies, drownings, drug dealing and gambling.

Post said that she regrets not having such a facility when she went to school. It gives students a hands on experience, and lets students get to know what they will do when they are dealing with a real crime scene.