Submit your award application by June 1, 2012.

Thomson Reuters is proud to partner with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in sponsoring the Award for Excellence in Criminal Investigation – an award that’s been established since 2003.   As in years past, the 2012 award will be given to a law enforcement agency, law enforcement unit, task force, or inter-agency task force in recognition of exceptional innovation and excellence in the area of criminal investigations, with the goal of sharing information to advance the art and science of criminal investigations. 

The IACP Police Investigative Operations Committee will evaluate each application and select a winner and two runner-up recipients. The announcement of the winners and the award presentation will be at the IACP Annual Conference in San Diego, CA on October 2, 2012.

We are accepting nominations from now until June 1, 2012.  To learn more and download an award application form, please click here.

The winners of the 2011 IACP/Thomson Reuters Award for Excellence in Criminal Investigation were announced on October 25^th.  The award recognizes quality achievement and innovation in managing and conducting criminal investigations with the goal of sharing information to advance the art and science of criminal investigations.  The 2011 winners are: 

Winner:  Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the College Station Police Department in Texas

Using a combination of investigative technology and old-fashioned police work, detectives in the Criminal Investigation Division (CID) of the College Station Police Department in Texas were able to solve three capital murder cases in 2010, apprehending the suspect in each case within 14 hours after the crime was committed.   The team used time-honored detective work like canvassing neighborhoods and interviewing witnesses right alongside state-of-the-art technology such as video enhancement equipment and a device that allows investigators to capture images of microscopic evidence, both of which are compatible with iPads and iPhones that are carried by officers across the department.

1^st Runner Up:  Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations
Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations in Washington, D.C. was honored for conducting a campaign to seize Internet domain names used for selling counterfeit goods. From June 2010 through March 2011, this effort, which occurred in four separate phases, resulted in the seizure or freezing of 169 domain names, as well as the seizure of 16 bank, advertising and brokerage accounts. In addition, a large amount of pirated movies, music, sporting event and television show content was seized.

2^nd Runner Up:  Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Problems Unit, Transit Services Bureau
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department Special Problems Unit, Transit Services Bureau, was recognized for fighting graffiti and vandalism throughout Los Angeles County by deploying several novel investigative tactics, among them the database TAGRS, or Tracking and Automated Graffiti Reporting System, which is the first of its kind. These efforts led to a total of 183 felony and 173 misdemeanor arrests in 2010.

The 2011 finalists were recently announced for the IACP/Thomson Reuters Award for Excellence in Criminal Investigation.  This award is presented each year to an agency in recognition of quality achievements in managing and conducting criminal investigations and to promote the sharing of information on successful programs.  The 2011 finalists are listed below:

• ATF – Tyler, Texas
• Baltimore County Police Department
• City of Miami Police
• College Station Police Department, Criminal Investigations Division
• East Cost Rapist Task Force
• Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force
• Florida Department of Financial Services
• Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, District 2 Investigative Unit
• Houston Police Department, Special Crimes Division
• Houston Police Department, Vice Division/Squad 6
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Operation In our Sites
• Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Special Problems Unit – Transit Services Bureau
• Los Angeles Police Department, Cold Case Unit, 800 Task Force
• Milwaukee Police Department, Sensitive Crimes Division
• Northern Ohio Enforcement Task Force
• Ontario Provincial Police, Project Hatfield
• Pennsylvania State Police, Eastern Auto Theft Task Force
• San Luis Obispo Police Department, Investigations Division
• South Suburban Major Crimes Task Force, Chicago Ridge, IL
• St. Cloud Police Department, Criminal Investigations Unit
• Troy Police Department, Cold Case Unit

We would like to congratulate the organizations that have made the finalist list and thank all of those who submitted applications.  We received many incredible stories of investigative innovation and are always overwhelmed with the ingenuity of our law enforcement community. 

The award winner will be announced at the IACP Conference on Tuesday, October 25, 2011.  More information on the award  and past winners may be found here.

(more…)

Submit your award application by June 1, 2011.

Thomson Reuters is proud to partner with the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) in sponsoring the Award for Excellence in Criminal Investigation – an award that’s been established since 2003.   As in years past, the 2011 award will be given to a law enforcement agency, law enforcement unit, task force, or inter-agency task force in recognition of exceptional innovation and excellence in the area of criminal investigations, with the goal of sharing information to advance the art and science of criminal investigations. 

The IACP Police Investigative Operations Committee will evaluate each application and select a winner and two runner-up recipients. The announcement of the winners and the award presentation will be at the IACP Annual Conference in Chicago, IL on October 22 – 26, 2011.

We’re accepting nominations from now until June 1, 2011.  To learn more and download an award application form, please click here.

By Jason Thomas, Thomson Reuters

Valentine’s Day is a stressful event.  Usually I wait until the last minute to do anything related to this holiday.  Not because I don’t love my wife.  I do.  Rather, I REALLY hate spending lots of money on flowers that any other time would be priced at half what they cost in the buildup to Valentine’s Day. Moreover, Valentine’s Day reminds me of 1) how cheap I am, and 2) how gullible I am that I still expect a dozen roses to prove my love to my wife.

This year, however, was different.  A few weeks before February 14^th, I received a Groupon which promised me that for $20, I would receive $40 worth of flowers, plants, or gifts from a well known national florist.  Every economically challenged bone in my body screamed out to take advantage of this deal, which of course I did.

Shortly thereafter Valentine’s Day arrived, but, unfortunately my flowers did not.  It seems that the florist experienced major delays in delivery.  Three day later, my wife received her roses.  As you can imagine I was quite angry.  So angry in fact that I tweeted about it.  Little did I know that the florist actively monitored Twitter for messages about their company.  Not only was I contacted by the florist and offered a refund, they also provided me with a $20 discount coupon to use in any future order I placed with them.  Clearly, they were concerned about keeping me as a customer.  More importantly however, they were anxious about what I might say about their brand in the social media universe.
(more…)