Dr. Harmeet Kaur & Dr. Nasir Butt recognized for their task force contributions

CUYAHOGA COUNTY – Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish, along with Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas P. Gilson, commend Dr. Harmeet Kaur and Dr. Nasir Butt of the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, for being presented with the Law Enforcement Partner of the Year award. The Law Enforcement Partner of the Year award, presented by the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force (NOVFTF), is given to partners of the law enforcement community who have made significant contributions to the success of the task force.

“Working with the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force, Drs. Kaur and Butt have played an important role in apprehending and prosecuting violent fugitives, making our communities safer for all of us,” said County Executive Armond Budish. “I applaud United States Marshal Peter J. Elliot, and the Northern Ohio Violent Task Force for recognizing their outstanding contributions to the community.”

Each year, the NOVFTF honors local and state partners for their assistance to the success of the task force. On July 29th, Dr. Harmeet Kaur, Parentage & Identification Director and Quality Manager, and Dr. Nasir Butt, DNA Technical Manager and Supervisor, were awarded the 2015 Law Enforcement Partner of the Year Award.

“It is truly gratifying to see the work of the Cuyahoga County Regional Forensic DNA Laboratory recognized in this presentation to its leadership, Dr. Nasir Butt and Dr. Harmeet Kaur, by the United States Marshal's Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force.” said Dr. Gilson. “As Law Enforcement Partners of the Year, Drs. Butt and Kaur have worked largely behind the scenes to provide the highest quality, state-of-the-art support to the investigations of violent criminals. Our community is safer for their work and, on behalf of our county, I thank them for their efforts and Marshal Peter Elliott for his acknowledgment.”

Spearheaded by the U.S. Marshals Service, the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force is a collaborative, district-wide law enforcement task force, committed to the pursuit, apprehension, and prosecution of adult fugitives in the Northern District of Ohio. Since it was established in 2003, the NOVFTF has apprehended over 40,000 fugitives.

“The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, especially Dr. Butt and Dr. Kaur, has been instrumental in closing decades-old fugitive cases. We appreciate and value the outstanding assistance and support they provide to the Northern Ohio Violent Fugitive Task Force Cold Case Unit.” said Peter Elliott, United States Marshal.

Previous recipients of the Law Enforcement Partner of the Year award include: Richland County Sheriff’s Office, Linndale Police Department, Bath Police Department, and Ohio Adult Parole Authority.