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Chicago Lodge 7 Officer Awards
The Chicago Police Department Forensic Firearm’s Laboratory was ab- sorbed by Illinois State Police in 1996 and only restarted processing its own firearm evidence in 2013. Within a few short years, Forensic Services Divi- sion Unit 177 has once again proved itself to be a nationwide leader in the area of forensic firearms.
In June, the firearm’s lab broke a new national record of the most entries into the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives National Inte- grated Ballistic Network (NIBIN) using the Department’s Integrated Ballistic Identification System (IBIS). The last four previous records are held by the Chicago Police department. The last record of 1,435 entries was entered in October 2018. In January 2020, firearms team members entered 2,218 fired cartridges into the NIBIN system. This is a record that most likely will hold for many years to come.
The Chicago Police Department’s forensic firearm laboratory worked tire- lessly day in, day out, to help reduce gun violence in the city of Chicago and the hard work has paid off. This hard work has garnered tremendous leads for the detective division and linked crime scenes and crime guns to these scenes. This has resulted in more cases being solved and closed by arrest.
The Chicago Police Department has half the manpower of the New York Police Department’s Forensic Firearm’s Laboratory and receives more vol- ume than the New York Police Department and Los Angeles Police Depart- ment put together.
Due to these achievements and submitting the highest number of IBIS entries nationally in January 2020, the Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 7 presents the members of Forensic Services Division Unit 177 with a Dis- tinguished Service Award.
Distinguished Service Award
Forensic Services Division Unit 177 - Forensic Firearm Laboratory
Commander Joseph Murphy
Evidence Technician Joseph Keating Star #9746 (Commanding Officer/Resident Fire- arm Expert)
Sergeant Norman Kwong Star #2514
Forensic Police Investigator Herbert Keeler
Star #3729
Forensic Police Investigator Eric Szwed Star #4781
Evidence Technician Katie Anello Star #11413
Evidence Technician Scott Bryant Star #14010
Evidence Technician Constantino Dimas
Star #5420
Evidence Technician Barry Earls Star #7549
Evidence Technician Rodgeric Germino Star #18289
Evidence Technician Timothy Karn Star #15242
Evidence Technician Rodger Kono Star #12338
Evidence Technician Christopher Lenti Star #5684
Evidence Technician Harold Mason Star #11594
Evidence Technician Constantino Quintana
Star #8741
Evidence Technician Pamela Schaffrath Star #12451
Evidence Technician Joseph Serio Star #7839
Evidence Technician Kathryn Stanton Star #9618
Evidence Technician Steve Swain Star #3122
Evidence Technician Julian Valenzuela Star #16817
Evidence Technician Daniel Vasquez Star #16817
Police Officer Thomas Sieja Star #4331
Firearm Tool Examiner Rhina Tejeda (Civilian)
16 CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ OCTOBER 2020