The dead body lying on the floor of the classroom wasn't real, it was just a mannequin. But that didn't lessen the impact it had on the high school students participating in the Four County Area Vocational Cooperative's criminal justice course on Monday during a special crime scene demonstration.

"It really gives you an outlook on what to expect from this job," said Adam Sonner, a senior at Eastside High School interested in pursuing a career in criminal justice.

Sonner was one of 25 students from Noble, LaGrange, Steuben and DeKalb counties who investigated a mock crime scene Monday at the Four County Area Vocational Cooperative's facility in Fairview Plaza.

The crime scene included a mannequin with a screwdriver embedded in its upper back, a broken clock, blood splatter on a wall, turned over chairs and drug paraphernalia. Students were assigned to enter the room and conduct an investigation of the scene. This included making a sketch of the scene, collecting evidence and determining what had occurred. Local law enforcement agents were on hand to answer any questions.

"The key is to get the kids to see things and experience things you can't get in a textbook," said Tim Holcomb, vocational director of the Four County Area Vocational Cooperative.

Participating in a mock crime scene is just one part of the criminal justice course, which is taught by former Kendallville Police Chief Kevin Jones. The course provides students with an introduction to a wide variety of criminal justice professions and is open to juniors and seniors. It is 2 1/2 hours a day, five days a week and lasts a semester. It counts as high school credit and 10 out of the 12 schools in the four county area have students participating in it.

"It's an exploratory program that gives them the chance to see all aspects of criminal justice," Jones said. "Everything from day one led up to (the mock crime scene). They put it all together today."

In taking the course, students have the opportunity to attend trials, tour the Noble County Jail and become a trainee for a day at the Indiana Law Enforcement Academy in Plainfield. The class is visited by guest speakers, including judges, FBI agents and inmates from a local minimum security prison.

"We want the students to hear from the people who actually do the job. To get their perspective," Jones said. "We also wanted them to hear from the people on the other side and what they think."

Two Kendallville Police Department detectives - Jerry Raney and Lance Waters - played big roles in bringing the mock crime scene to life. Indiana State Police Sgt. Ron Galaviz also assisted with the mock crime scene.

"We couldn't have given the students the exposure to this without the partnership," Holcomb said.

The Four County Area Vocational Cooperative is a joint service agreement between 11 school corporations that provides vocational programs, administers adult education and coordinates communications with the Indiana Department of Education and other state agencies.