Up until now, the Cold Case program at Western Michigan University has relied on donations to continue operating. With new financial support from the police department, the program will go on.
Western Michigan University’s Cold Case program has received ongoing financial support from the Michigan State Police department, the very organization that the students in the program assist.
According to an article on Western Michigan University’s website, Dr. Ashlyn Kuersten, who is the director of the Cold Case program, said that until the pledge of support from the Michigan State Police came in September of 2023, the program’s fate relied on donations, and now the program’s important work can continue. "Thanks to MSP's generous support, students gain real-world experiences in law enforcement while pursuing their degree. Hopefully the victims’ family members also get some answers,” she said.
The Cold Case program is an immersive program at Western Michigan University that helps students gain the skills they need to work alongside the Michigan State Police and prepares them for a career in law enforcement or law. Students in the Cold Case program help detectives review old cold cases the department has not yet solved and look into ways the case can be reinvestigated, including developing new interview questions or looking into newer DNA technologies to solve cases that previously were not.
The program is a unique opportunity for students to gain a deeper understanding of the field of law enforcement while helping detectives solve real cases with resolutions that will truly have an effect on real people’s lives. Some of the skills students work on throughout the program include organizing, digitizing, and analyzing.
Students who are accepted into the Cold Case program will become cadets in the MSP or student assistants, and will be paid for their work. This arrangement is mutually beneficial for students and for the Michigan State Police department.
Since the program began in 2021, great progress has been made in several cold cases. Two cases have been solved, leading to arrests and sentencings, and fourteen other cases, both homicides and missing persons, are currently being worked on by the Cold Case program students.
Detective First Lieutenant Chuck Christensen developed the program alongside Dr. Kuersten, and is pleased with how well the program is progressing. He said, "The Cold Case Program has already shown that motivated, passionate students can achieve incredible results. Our investment in this pilot program shows the tremendous potential of partnerships between educational institutions and law enforcement agencies."
Dr. Kuersten added, “I think our students benefit from this real-world experience. Our students graduate from WMU with hundreds of hours of relevant experience, ready to enter the criminal justice field and contribute to the work of MSP."
The relevant experience Dr. Kuersten speaks of spans past looking at the cold cases themselves. Students will have the opportunity to partake in ride alongs with the MSP, write police reports, and perform laboratory work. Students also have the unique opportunity to work with medical examiners, the families of victims in the cases they are looking into, and expert guidance from other Western Michigan University professors who serve as program consultants.
Students are welcome to apply for the Cold Case program if they are interested in assisting the Michigan State Police department to solve real cold cases, though the program is extremely competitive and selective, with only 15 students being accepted each semester. Program applications are available twice a year in February and October to sophomore students with at least a 3.0 GPA and who can obtain a letter of recommendation from a faculty member. Even students who are not interested in pursuing a career with the police may apply for the program with scholarships being available for them.
For more information about the Cold Case program, visit the program’s information page. For more information about Western Michigan University in general, visit the school’s website.