University News

McCamey Crime Lab Underway

September 17, 2018

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MACOMB, IL – For nearly 50 years, the Western Illinois University School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration (LEJA) has been recognized as one of the top criminal justice/public safety programs in the world. The School prepares graduates for careers across all sectors of law enforcement and public safety- from state and federal policing, to corrections and probation, to fire services and homeland and private security positions. In the near future, WIU's School of LEJA will have a premier state-of-the-art crime lab to complement the criminalistics and critical thinking component of the students' studies.

The McCamey Crime Lab, which is under construction on the fourth floor of Tillman Hall, is the result of a sizeable donation from Jody and Toby McCamey to honor their husband and son, William "Bill" McCamey, a professor within the School of LEJA from 1982 until 2012. A dedication ceremony will be held at 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5.

McCamey joined the WIU faculty after earning his bachelor's and master's degrees from Western and his doctorate from the University of Iowa. Within the School of LEJA, McCamey taught courses in criminal justice management, fire administration and policing. He also taught and developed fire courses for the National Fire Academy.

While at Western, McCamey helped certify 1,800 police as juvenile specialists and served as the department's graduate school coordinator. He also co-authored four law enforcement textbooks, published numerous peer-reviewed articles on fire science and criminal justice and was the editor of the Journal of Security Administration. McCamey's professional experience included serving as a Canton (IL) firefighter, police officer, investigator and paramedic.

In 2015, Jody and Toby first established the William P. McCamey Public Safety Memorial Educational Scholarship in the School of Law Enforcement and Justice Administration.

"We decided to donate additional funds for the crime lab because of Bill's love for WIU," Jody said. "Bill was a firefighter, then a police officer, then an investigator for Fulton County. When he got to Western, he found himself. I think this is the best tribute I can give Bill."

Jody said that Bill was always a "forward thinker," constantly bringing up some of his unsolved cases, and remarking that additional investigation and crime-solving techniques would further enhance the student's educational experience. This new crime lab embodies his desire to increase student capabilities in meeting the challenges of modern investigations, she added.

The crime lab is expected to be complete by mid-November, with its official debut for classes in Spring 2019. The lab will house alternate light source equipment with magnifying lenses and interchangeable barrier filters to examine hair, fibers, semen, dust, prints, blood and palmar oils, as well as other physiological fluids. The lab will also house an optical comparator, which examines tool marks, fingerprints, palm prints, footprints and glass fragments; a forensic workstation; a ductless dry safe and numerous evidence recovery kits, including a liquid silicone casting kit, latent print kit, digital mobile device kit and blood spatter documentation kit.

"The addition of the crime lab affords students experience in cutting-edge and best practice techniques taught by exceptional faculty who have real-world practical expertise in the field," School Director Jill Myers said. "The hands-on lab offers the link between academics and application of the theories to real world events. Plus, it makes the learning exciting, entertaining and purposeful. This is such wonderful gift for our students."

Additionally, the crime lab will be equipped with movable walls, props, cameras and mannequins so that the room can be transformed to stage working crime scenes.

"We cannot thank Jody and Toby enough for their continued support of the LEJA program in Bill's memory with this gift to fund the much-needed crime laboratory," said Vice President for Advancement and Public Services Brad Bainter. "Bill was certainly one of the professors that helped move the LEJA program forward to where it stands today as one of the largest and most successful programs in the country."

The equipment and design will allow the students to develop skills and techniques that they will use during their internships and throughout their careers, Myers added.

"I know he is looking down smiling," Jody said. "Every time he taught juvenile justice classes he would wear his WIU shirt to reinforce how important Western's criminal justice program is to their profession. This new lab adds to Bill's legacy and will provide an outstanding hands-on learning experience for LEJA students at Western."

For more information, visit wiu.edu/coehs/leja.


Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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