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P traits by Peter Bucks
Tributes to officers from the CPD Officer, Lodge 7 member and renowned artist
Evidence of dedicated service
Imprinted block letters cover the immense screen of a monitor fit for a network television newsroom. A nearby microscope clicks. Slowly, a uniformed technician steps back from behind the lab table and studies the ridg- es around the letters that blaze steely silver against the screen. Familiarity of the unknown marks just another day for Chicago Police Department Unit 177 Officer Pam Schaffrath, an evidence technician who’s part of an elite unit of officers that examines firearms and fired cartridge cases through a forensic lens.
Becoming a Chicago po- lice officer and becoming an evidence tech- nician in the CPD’s Forensics Unit that spe- cializes in bal- listics analysis are distinctly different aspira- tions. For Schaf- frath, one may have followed the other, but both are equally rewarding.
“It sounds
pretty cliché,
but I love to
help people.
That’s why I be-
came a police
officer,” says
Schaffrath, who
has been serv-
ing the CPD for
nearly 17 years,
within the Forensics Unit, the past three spent processing firearms.
ings and swab for residue, among other processes of data collection, all of which they enter in the National Integrat- ed Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN). “Think of bal- listic data as a fingerprint for guns,” continues Schaffrath, who has been responsible for countless hits through NIB- IN that have generated crucial leads for detectives work- ing major cases.
Another aspect of the job that motivates Schaffrath is the love for her team – a love that has developed over decades long before she joined the force. An athlete her
entire life – and, often the only girl competing with her twin brother in ath- letic events – Schaffrath land- ed a softball scholarship to Drake Univer- sity where she pursued a de- gree in psychol- ogy. From an undergrad soft- ball player, im- mediately after graduation she burst into the pro-sports are- na as one of the first and only women ever to play pro-base- ball. Her team, the Colorado Silver Bullets, became the first
11 of which have been from
PAM
SCHAFFRATH women’s Major League Baseball team to com-
Beyond her love of protecting and assisting the residents of the city, what keeps Schaffrath enthu- siastic about coming to the firearms lab every day is the skilled strategy the job demands.
“I love the attention to detail,” she says. “You have to be thorough, you have to be methodical and you have to be very analytical. The evidence we collect and process could determine the course of the entire investigation, so it’s very important work.”
Analyzing ballistic data is not only important; it’s criti- cal. Schaffrath and her team identify microscopic mark-
24 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2016
she wanted to continue having that team dynamic in her life. She took the test to become a police of- ficer for her beloved city, and was called within a year. Fortunately for Schaffrath, the close-knit firearms unit
has offered her a winning team.
“As an athlete, you have to work together as a team, and
I can’t say enough about some of my partners, and my current evidence technician partner,” she adds. “We all work toward a common goal to better the city. It’s a tough job, but if you have the right attitude, it can be very re- warding and fulfilling.”
Star# 12451
pete against men’s teams.
After the team folded in 1997, Schaffrath knew