“I think you also need to know what you’re getting yourself into, and that’s a very small aspect of what an investigator may have to do,” Harshbarger said. “The other side of that is that there are people doing that and they’re like, ‘Wow, that’s exactly what I want to get into,’ and so it opens both horizons.”
Flies and Maggots Help Teach UNK Students About Criminal Investigation | Local News
Before becoming an adjunct faculty member at UNK 15 years ago, Harshbarger worked in the police for 23 years. He served 13 years as a SWAT officer and six years as an investigation sergeant.
Harshbarger conducted similar training on human farms with diseased bodies. During investigations for the Kearney Police Department, he learned about the etymology by listening to experts.
After retiring to teach, he worked with Chief Jim Davis of the UNK Police Department to teach basic investigations to young officers.
“It still helps me in my profession now,” said Hauroff, associate attorney at Stehlik law firm in Grand Island. “It is helpful for you to tell how long a body has been there in the larval stage. It’s good for surveys.
Hall also benefited from Harshbarger’s maggot experiments.
“The end result taught me why it’s important to know more about criminal proceedings,” Hall said. “I haven’t thought about how nature plays a role, and Harshbarger might have said that you have to have contacts who know more about things than you do, so you better go find out.”
