Our Police Program students teamed up with McKay Campus School to mentor the next generation. By leading presentations on anti-bullying, these future officers are proving that "serving and protecting" starts with building a kinder community.

 In a cooperative effort between our Criminal Justice Program and our Housing and Residential Services students in Professor Michael S. McCutcheon's Criminal Investigation course were able to work crime scenes in an unoccupied suite in Aubuchon Hall. In this lab, students use various methods to create blood spatter patterns, then perform blood spatter analysis. Bloodstain Pattern Analysis a forensic discipline that interprets the size, shape, and distribution of bloodstains at a crime scene to reconstruct events, such as identifying the positioning of individuals, weapon type, and mechanism of bloodshed.   

Criminal Justice Professor Michael S. McCutcheon lectures students in his Criminal Investigation course. As a criminal investigation expert, Dr. McCutcheon has recently  been interviewed regarding the Guthrie kidnapping investigation on local news WCVB Boston. This course will enable the student to understand the fundamentals of the criminal investigation process. The student will explore investigative techniques in crime scene search, collection and use of evidence and information. Additionally the student will study investigation of specific crimes to include crimes against persons, crimes against property, deceased persons, motor vehicle theft, crimes against the public, controlled substance investigations, and gang investigations.

Psychological Science Professor Thomas Schilling teaches his Adult Learning in the Fitchburg Area (ALFA) course A History of the Modern Mind in the McKay Campus School. In this course, students will attempt to answer the question that the brain and mind are inextricably linked by studying how major thinkers from antiquity (ancient Greek philosophers) to Renaissance and Enlightenment thinkers (Descartes, Hume, Kant), to our modern scientific era (cognitive science) have attempted to answer this question. Our survey will help to reveal the enormity of the mind and its infinite capacity for meaning making.

Criminal Justice Professor Dr. David Weiss discusses the nature, history, role, operations and management of law enforcement agencies with students in his Theory & Practices of Policing course.

Director of Admissions Tony Trodella welcomed students enrolled in Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School's Public Safety program to campus this morning to learn about our Criminal Justice (CJ) & Fitchburg State University Police Program. Criminal Justice Professor Michael S. McCutcheon led a Police Program/CJ info session and mock lesson with current student available to answer questions. Director of Admissions Tony Trodella then gave highlights of Fitchburg State University, including how to apply with a campus tour following. Last, but not least, was lunch at our Holmes Dining Commons before departure back to Northampton, MA. 

Students who've completed a Criminal Justice (CJ) internship gave presentations about their particular internships to Professor Eileen Kirk and other students. Here, a student spoke about her internship with the Mendon, MA police Department.

Lourdes Ramirez, Coordinator of Field Placements, Partnerships and Recruitment for Fitchburg State’s School of Education, Early College Dual Enrollment, Fernando Garcia-Rodriguez and Assistant Director of Admissions Eliezer Rivera a cohort of local high school students enrolled in The Future Educator Academy program to campus for a day of programming. Students completed a badge focused on topics in education; CPR- Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation with Fitchburg State University Police Off. Emily Ramos, Peer Mediation and Conflict Resolution Techniques with School of Education Professor Emily Fournier, Career Planning & My Future Badge with Career Services and Advising Center Director Lindsay Carpenter Connors, and  Supporting Mental Wellness in the Classroom with Behavioral Sciences Professor Megan Krell, College Reading & Learning Association with Director of the Academic Coaching and Tutoring Center (ACT)  Kat McLellan, and more. 

Criminal Justice Professor Eileen Kirk welcomed alumni to her First Year Experience (FYE): Behavioral Sciences course today to discuss various aspects of the criminal justice system. Nicole Berthiaume'06,'13 of LifeStance Health, Maeghan Alansky '24 of the  Fitchburg District Court, Travis Morcaldi '22, '23 of the Fitchburg Police Department, and Jevon Brown-Simpson '18 of the Massachusetts Department of Correction discussed their experiences at Fitchburg State University and how it lead them to their current careers.

Students in Professor Michael S. McCutcheon's Criminal Investigation course got to try their hands at fingerprint collecting. After leaving their own fingerprints on various surface types, the students dusted, and lifted the prints using situation/surface specific methodologies. The course will enables the student to understand the fundamentals of the criminal investigation process. They will explore investigative techniques in crime scene search, collection and use of evidence and information. This semester students are using Dr. McCutcheon's recently published Crime Scene Workbook. Learn more about our Criminal Justice Program here.