Polk State Criminal Justice online students get “murder boxes” delivered for hands-on training at home

Students may expect deliveries of textbooks and school supplies leading up to the start of the semester, but for Polk State College’s Criminal Justice students, they also receive “murder boxes.” Filled with blood spatter, broken glass, crime scene tape, and items that could be expected for a Halloween display rather than a college degree, the murder boxes actually contain professionally compiled artifacts, tools, and assignments that provide students with hands-on, real-world experience in crime scene investigations from the comfort of their homes.

Developed by instructors who are also practitioners in the field, Polk State faculty and staff got creative when they began to offer the Crime Scene Investigations concentration in the online Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice Program.

“You can imagine we are asked often, ‘How can I really learn about doing crime scene investigations if I’m sitting at home?’” explained Sgt. Chris Shea, Director of the Criminal Justice Program. “We created the murder box as an interactive online lab for our crime scene courses. Having the online component and the use of the murder box gives students more than just that academic knowledge. It gives them the hands-on experience as well.”

Anndee Kendrick, a Forensic Investigations Administrator for the Polk County Sheriff’s Office who serves as an adjunct instructor for the Polk State Criminal Justice Program, shared how her nearly 20 years of professional experience has helped shape the contents of the murder boxes.

“To create the scenes that the students work on with the murder boxes, I’ve built off of my career at the Sheriff’s Office and some of the cases I have worked in real life,” Kendrick said. “[Students] are using the items that we would use in the field to obtain DNA, to process for fingerprints.”

“We’ve gotten really good at trying to bring real-world cases and scenarios onto their screens and into their homes,” Shea added.

The box contains Ziplock bags labeled for each week that include items from the “crime scenes,” tools that practitioners would use in investigating, as well as printed instructions on how to complete tasks using the artifacts and tools. Students utilize webcams or smartphones to record themselves participating in the at-home lab activities, and they complete assignments and participate in discussions to articulate what they have learned through the process.

Student Rachel Hrehocik admitted that she was skeptical of an online program at first.

“First and foremost, the instructors are wonderful,” she exclaimed. “They have the experience; they have the credentials. I can see in the lessons and the assignments that they draw from their experience, and they give you everything that you need to succeed. I don’t feel like I’m missing out on anything just because it’s online.”

In addition to being developed and taught by criminal justice practitioners, Polk State’s Criminal Justice Program also benefits from an advisory board comprised of chiefs and administrators from partnering agencies including Polk County and Hardee County sheriff’s offices, the Department of Corrections, and police departments in Winter Haven, Lakeland, Auburndale, and Haines City.

“The material is very engaging, and I feel confident that I will be able to do quite a few things that I’ve learned in a real-world scenario,” added Hrehocik, who plans to graduate in December with a Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Crime Scene Investigations.

“There are very few programs that I’ve encountered where it’s not just a textbook or a video that the students are watching,” Kendrick added. “Polk State’s Criminal Justice Program is built off real-world cases that they might encounter once they get into a career.”

Students interested in enrolling in the Criminal Justice Program may email criminaljustice@polk.edu. More information is available at polk.edu/cj.

Polk State College is a proud member of the Florida Department of Education’s XploreFLEd, which offers online degree programs at a reduced cost for out-of-state (non-resident) students. Eligible out-of-state students can enroll in select degree programs including the Bachelor of Science in Criminal Justice with a concentration in Crime Scene Investigations through Polk State College at a tuition rate of $290 per credit hour, a significant decrease from the standard $469.70 per credit hour for out-of-state students in upper-division courses. Interested? Email XploreFLEd@polk.edu.