CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Executive Armond Budish congratulated Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas P. Gilson, along with the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office, for being selected to receive the 2016 August Vollmer Excellence in Forensic Science award. The August Vollmer Excellence in Forensic Science award, presented by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), honors agencies/individuals for their contributions to forensic science and law enforcement.

“It’s a tremendous honor for the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office to be recognized internationally for their contributions to the forensic science and law enforcement community by being awarded the August Vollmer Excellence in Forensic Science award. I applaud Dr. Gilson and his staff for their commitment and continuing medical education efforts,” said County Executive Armond Budish. “Thank you to the International Association of Chiefs of Police for their continued advocacy and development of our future leaders.”

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office was presented with the 2016 August Vollmer Excellence in Forensic Science Award for the category of Current or Past Forensic Science Collaboration, in recognition of their Medicolegal Death Investigation Training Course. The Medicolegal Death Investigation Course, established in 2014, provides basic and recurrent death investigation training to medical and law enforcement personnel. The 3-day course is held 4 times a year, and has attracted applicants from all over the world.

“On behalf of the office, I want to express our sincerest thanks to the County Executive for his kind words and to the International Association of Chiefs of Police for the presentation of this award. This course is the product of many dedicated members of the Medical Examiner's Office,” said Dr. Gilson. “I am honored to work with these talented professionals and it is gratifying to see our course receive this kind of recognition. The staff put a lot of thought into the creation of this training and it embodies the best practices in forensic education. I also thank Newburgh Heights Police Chief Majoy for his support and nominating us for this prestigious award.”

Previous recipients of the August Vollmer Excellence in Forensic Science award include: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Los Angeles Police Department, Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency National Institute of Forensic Science (ANZPAA NIFS), and Vancouver Police Department. Newburgh Heights Police Chief John T. Majoy, who has sent officers within his department to the training, is responsible for nominating the course for the award.

“The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office is on the cutting edge with its training for police officers and this award is well deserved. Today’s police officers require quality hands-on training which is paramount to their successful performance,” said Chief Majoy. “Dr. Gilson and his staff have far exceeded the basic standards for training and provided a valuable service to the law enforcement community. I encourage all agencies to send personnel to this training as it has already proven its value to the Newburgh Heights Police Department.”

The IACP ceremony to honor award recipients took place on October 16th, 2016, at the IACP’s 123rd Annual Conference being held in San Diego, CA. Joe Stopak, Manager of Investigations and Morgue Operations, and Michelle Fox, Medicolegal Death Investigator II, attended the event on behalf of the office. This year’s annual conference drew close to 16,400 attendees.