Northwest Whitfield High School’s Youth Success Program found out that crime does pay. A group of Bruin law enforcement enthusiasts made the trip to Northwest Georgia’s largest college in late November to investigate a criminal justice career.

Georgia Northwestern Technical College criminal justice director Tony Adams hosted an event on the Walker County Campus which allowed these high school juniors and seniors to learn about a future in crime by looking into the possibility, hands-on. The high schoolers investigated a murder scene on the Walker County campus; a scene which was set-up by the students within the criminal justice program at the college. However, it wasn’t a murderer that teachers hoped they found.

“These students have a ton of potential,” said Jeff King, provost of Georgia Northwestern. “But they are in a tough spot. They see the economy struggling, their friends possibly dropping out of school, and they really feel the weight of an incredibly awesome responsibility. We hope they feel just how realistic it is that a career they’ll love and respect is really within their reach.”

Georgia Northwestern’s criminal justice program hosts several high school events such as this one throughout the year. GNTC has more than 6,000 students enrolled in more than 200 programs on four different campuses across Northwest Georgia as well as online.