FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Monday, October 15, 2012
Contact: Mary M. Thomasson, Public Information Officer, Marshall University Forensic Science Center 304-691-8961
Marshall University and the West Virginia State Police receive United States Attorney’s Award for Innovation in Justice
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Marshall University and the West Virginia State Police today received a United States Attorney’s Award for Innovation in Justice for their collaborations on digital forensics, DNA testing and investigations.
U.S. Attorney Booth Goodwin presented the award to Marshall
University President Stephen J. Kopp and West Virginia State Police Col. C.R.
“Jay” Smithers at the 2012 U.S. Attorney’s Law Enforcement and Victim
Assistance Awards Ceremony at the Marshall University Foundation Hall, Home of
the Erickson Alumni Center, on Marshall’s Huntington campus.
The award was given in recognition of the noteworthy
partnership and collaboration between the Marshall University Forensic Science
Center and the West Virginia State Police.
Dr.
Terry W. Fenger, director of the Marshall University Forensic Science Center,
and Cpl. Robert J. Boggs, a Digital Forensics Investigator with West Virginia
State Police, were also present for the presentation of
the award.
Goodwin
said, “The West Virginia State Police and Marshall University Forensic Science
Center’s unique partnership has not only brought justice to countless crime
victims, but it’s allowed law enforcement to identify and apprehend criminals
using innovative technology. I am proud to present the United States Attorney’s
Award for Innovation in Justice for their outstanding work.”
The
annual awards ceremony, hosted by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern
District of West Virginia, recognizes commendable service of federal, state and
local law enforcement officers, as well as other leaders who have made
significant contributions on behalf of the criminal justice system in the
state.
“This is a very
significant milestone in Marshall’s history,” Kopp said. “To be recognized
along with the elite law enforcement agencies for the work we do to assist law
enforcement in solving crimes is a testament to just how powerful and how
advanced our Forensic Science program is here at Marshall University. We’re one
of a kind and I’m very proud of what they do. The work our folks do on behalf of
local, state and national law enforcement is very, very important in solving
crimes that would be most likely unsolvable.”
Smithers said
the West Virginia State Police partnership with Marshall University’s Forensic
Science Center is invaluable.
“This
collaborative effort in a university setting allows us to take advantage of
high tech tools, software and innovative thinking,” Smithers
said. “The field of digital forensics is constantly changing and
our partnership with Marshall University allows for better opportunities to
detect, investigate and successfully prosecute those involved in criminal
activities.”
Fenger said the
partnership between the West Virginia State Police and Marshall’s Forensic
Science Center has developed over a 20-year period. “We have developed a
working relationship that addresses the needs of the West Virginia population
in the areas of public safety, but it also benefits the students of the
Forensic Science graduate program because they get to observe how law
enforcement handles criminal investigations, and they get to interact with
working professionals,” he said.
Fenger added
that the award is important to Marshall’s Forensic Science Center because it
recognizes the hard work and dedication of its staff in all facets of the
organization.
Boggs said the
partnership between Marshall University and the West Virginia State Police is a
model of true success and real world benefits to both the university and state
police. “More importantly, I believe the benefits to the citizens of West
Virginia are what really stand out in this collaboration,” he added.
“Efforts at the
West Virginia State Police Digital Forensics Unit (housed at the Forensic
Science Center) have led to the prosecution of many types of people and crimes,
especially those who choose to victimize the ones we cherish the most in
society, our children,” Boggs said. “In my opinion, that alone is a success
directly realized by the partnership between Marshall University and the West
Virginia State Police.”
Boggs said being
able to perform digital forensics is a very complicated task. “Having a law
enforcement investigative element placed inside an academic institution
provides a chance to combine resources and efforts to do real good for the
public,” he said. “Digital forensics changes very
rapidly, and having access to academic resources from professors and graduate
students as well as access to the best hardware and software really makes a
difference when investigating, and ultimately having a successful prosecution.”
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