Faculty & Staff-Warchol - Criminal Justice

Doctors Dale Kapla and Greg Warchol, Criminal Justice Professors, traveled to South Africa in June on an NMU Faculty Grant to conduct research on wildlife conservation crime in the Western Cape. Working with two University of South Africa professors, Kapla and Warchol spent time at Jonkershoek Nature Reserve interviewing conservation law enforcement officers about the problems of illegal hunting. This reserve had a serious problem with plant and reptile poaching. Those involved in this illegal activity were mainly foreigners from Eastern Europe and Asia. They included collectors of rare plants and animals and several well known biologists in search of rare specimens. 

Kapla and Warchol also met with supervisory field rangers at Cape Agulhas National Park and Table Mountain National Park. These two areas are notorious for the illegal harvesting of Abalone, an endangered shellfish. Abalone is also highly sought after as a delicacy in both South Africa and Asia. It can reportedly be sold for as much as $1,000 per pound at the retail market in some Asian countries. While at Table Mountain, Warchol and Kapla were able to participate in the confiscation of about 40 pounds of illegally harvested abalone secreted by a poacher, but discovered by field rangers prior to pick up.

Learn more about Abolone.

(Abalone being counted at the Cape Town Police Station)

(High speed inflatable boat used by abalone poachers)

(Poacher’s boats confiscated by police in Cape Town)

(Diving bag of illegally harvested Abalone secreted in the brush at Table Mountain National Park)

(Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, Western Cape of South Africa)

(Table Mountain National Park Coastline)

(Cape Agulhas Light House - Cape Agulhas is the southern-most point in Africa)

(Kapla at Cape Agulhas)

(Warchol at Cape Agulhas)

The Criminal Justice department is proud to announce Dr. Warchol’s promotion to the rank of professor beginning the fall of 2009. “He is a faculty member who is committed to the processes associated with student learning, but a scholar of significant achievement,” reports Dale Kapla, department head of Criminal Justice. “Dr. Warchol spends an enormous amount of time developing new courses and revising current ones so he can provide our students with a rich and meaningful educational experience. Coupled with this is his extraordinary ability to engage in ambitious research endeavors, the results of which he integrates into his courses; ultimately enriching our programs.” We are fortunate to have a faculty member of his caliber in our department.

Dr. Warchol has presented or co-presented several academic papers, engaged in numerous roundtable discussions and presented several posters and multimedia presentations at regional and national criminal justice conferences. His publication record is extraordinary. Dr. Warchol published many articles in peer-reviewed and non peer-reviewed journals, and was a grant reviewer for the National Institute of Justice.

Dr. Warchol has a record of successful research grants, which include, most notably, $50,000 National Institute of Justice grant to study natural resource theft in East and Southern Africa awarded during 2005 and 2006. Additionally, he was the principal investigator for a NMU Faculty Research Grant in 2004 to study the development of an illicit bush meat trade in and around the Kruger national Park in South Africa. He was also the co-principal investigator for two NMU Faculty Research Grants, including one in 2003 investigating the study of the relationship between traditional medicines and the illegal wildlife market in South Africa, and one in 2001 to study the illegal wildlife trade in South Africa and Namibia. Dr. Warchol was the principal investigator for two College of Professional Studies' grants, including a 2006 study of the illegal wildlife trade in Mozambique and a 2004 study of the consumer market in illegal wildlife product in London, England. He was also the co-principal investigator in 2001 on a College of Professional Studies grant to study crime and criminal justice in Belize, Central America.

NMU's university president, Dr. Wong, awarded him the 2007-2008 Distinguished Faculty award for his significant achievements – a true testament to his dedication to our students, faculty and the university.

Dr. Warchol has been with NMU's Criminal Justice department since 1998. He teaches in the areas of: criminology, wildlife crime, criminal law and procedures, and international terrorism. Prior to joining the faculty at Northern, Dr. Warchol was a research analyst with the U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics in Washington, D.C. He also worked five years both with the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Illinois, where he ran the Asset Forfeiture Support Unit, and with a private law firm in Chicago where he worked as a government finance specialist from 1985 to 1991.

Dr. Warchol received his masters and bachelors in criminal justice from the University of Illinois at Chicago and received his Ph.D. in criminal justice and criminology with interdisciplinary cognates in criminal justice/criminology, political science/public administration and organizational behavior from Michigan State University in East Lansing.

In March of 2010, NMU Criminal Justice Professors Robert Hanson and Greg Warchol traveled to Kenya to meet with officials and students at Chuka University College. The academic institution is located in the central highlands of Kenya in the small market town of Chuka between Mount Kenya and the larger town of Embu. The college, which is associated with the University of Kenya, offers an array of degree and diploma programs. It is a small but very scenic and expanding campus with classrooms, residence hall, and administration buildings.

Professors Hanson and Warchol conducted meetings with the college principal (equivalent to a university president in the USA), the provost, and several faculty members. Items discussed were memorandums of agreements between Chuka and NMU, faculty and student exchanges, and the possibility of joint research projects. The professors were also gave a long presentation to a large group of students and faculty on the nature of the US Constitution and the criminal justice system. These topics were of great interest since Kenya is in the process of drafting a new constitution. The question and answer session following the presentation was outstanding with Chuka students asking numerous interesting questions. In attendance at the presentation was a female cousin of US President Obama who asked several question about American politics.

Professors Warchol and Hanson also spent a few days in Nairobi, the very busy and crowded capital of Kenya and visited Amboseli National Park in the far south bordering Tanzania. This was of special interest to Dr. Warchol given his research on wildlife law.

The trip revealed that there were many opportunities for study and exchange in Kenya where the demand for higher education is very great. The number of prospective students greatly exceeds the limited number of universities. It is hoped that NMU will pursue this opportunity for both our students and Kenyan students. 

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