Mock murder gives students taste of life in law enforcement

MANITOWOC, Wis. (AP) - Students at Wilson Junior High School investigated a murder earlier this month, but the victim was never really alive.

A mannequin named Mr. Nooo had been stabbed, and the students were tasked with collecting the evidence and bringing his "killer" to justice.

Surveying the scene, a group of approximately a dozen students turned up evidence such as a boot print, fingerprints and the murder weapon.

"I was happy that they were eager," said Jeremy Kronforst, a school resource officer, told HTR Media (http://htrne.ws/16lAex6 ). "They were very involved and I was happy with that. They were definitely digging into it."

The mock murder investigation was planned by Kronforst, who wanted to show students what it is like to be a police officer. The officer teaches a Junior Police Academy class three days a week at Wilson where students learn about law enforcement through presentations and hands-on involvement.

Kronforst, a 14-year officer of the Manitowoc Police Department, is in his first year as a resource officer and splits his time between Wilson and McKinley Academy.

"I needed a change, not that I didn't like to work on third shift, but the shift grinds on you physically," he said.

The Junior Police Academy class takes place during HAWK (High Achieving Wilson Kids) Time at Wilson, a 25-minute class period where students can receive extra help on subjects they are struggling with or take "fun" extra classes.

Kronforst said the police academy class has been popular, especially when the mock crime scene was announced.

On the first day of the class, students surveyed the scene and collected evidence. On the second day, students confronted and questioned two suspects - played by law enforcement colleagues of Kronforst.

"This is something we use as a tool to show this is why police work this way and why police question people," Kronforst said. "We all live in this community and we want to be a safe place to be."

During questions, students were able to pin down a suspect using evidence they collected - the smoking gun was a boot print.

"The size was a match," said Aaron Lembke, of matching the boot print to their suspect.

"It was fun," he said. "When you have them on the ropes you can nail them with one last question."

Student Zach Belongia said the class has sparked an interest in law enforcement, but that he is not yet sure if it is a career for him.

"When I was a little it seemed fun, but now I realize you could risk your life," he said. "Something could go wrong at a scene and you could be injured or wounded."

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Information from: HTR Media, http://www.htrnews.com