WEST LIBERTY, W.Va., Feb. 11, 2019 — West Liberty University criminal justice graduates faired well in the recent Public Safety Recognition Ceremony held by the Wheeling Safety Forces.

PFC Kevin Kuca ’14 was singled out as Officer of the Year by the Wheeling Police Department Chief of Police Shawn Schwertfeger, ’89. Kuca also received several other awards including the meritorious performance award, a medal of merit and the Chief’s Eagle Award.

PFC Ryan Moore ’14 received several awards including the meritorious performance award and a community service award. He also was featured on a CBS national news item during the past year.

According to Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice Keith Bell, “I’m proud of our former students and congratulate them on jobs well-done. Each of these young professionals found their path during time they spent in class here on the hilltop.”

Additionally, of four new hires by the Wheeling Police Department, one is a WLU alumnus, Robert Kovalyk a criminal justice graduate from 2018. Current police officer, PFC Cody Schwertfeger also was promoted at the ceremony and is an alumnus.

Criminal Justice is a program within the Department of Social Sciences in the College of Liberal and Creative Arts and it combines aspects of criminal justice, sociology, social work, psychology, history and law. Students study with a variety of instructors with expertise in law, juvenile delinquency, counseling, corrections, probation, parole and law enforcement and develop a broad range of communication skills through discussions, presentations, and writing. WLU also has an online master’s degree in criminology.

To read complete coverage of the news detailing the honors, please click  Wheeling Police and Firefighters Honored at Ceremony, by Alex Myer in the Wheeling Intelligencer.