For Immediate Release
October 20, 2022
ORLANDO, Fla. - FDLE members from throughout Florida were honored in Tallahassee this week for their outstanding performances last year. Several members from Orlando earned top honors like Commissioner’s Award, Distinguished Support Member of the Year, Forensic Scientist of the Year and more. Members from FDLE’s Orlando region received more awards than any other region or program area.
FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass says, “FDLE has incredible members committed to thoughtful, innovative advancements that continue to make FDLE a premiere law enforcement agency in Florida, and the country. These members strive to enhance our criminal justice partnerships and to find ways to improve how we keep Florida’s citizens and visitors safe. I am honored to recognize these nominees and award winners for their selfless commitment to service and excellence.”
Senior Crime Laboratory Analyst Shawn Johnson received the Commissioner’s Award for his outstanding productivity.
Commissioner’s Award – Shawn Johnson, Senior Crime Laboratory Analyst, Orlando Regional Operations Center
The Commissioner’s Award is given to an "unsung" hero whose performance is outstanding, yet sometimes low profile. FDLE Orlando’s Shawn Johnson is considered a “superstar,” and consistently exceeded productivity targets for every expectation and rating, sometimes doubling or tripling them. Mr. Johnson’s peers see him as a role model, and he uses this status to consistently help younger analysts learn from him. He is an integral part of the Orlando Biology section, the Orlando region and FDLE.
Senior Crime Intelligence Analyst Lindsay Rojas earned the J.B. Dobson Distinguished Member of the Year for her efforts on a double-homicide case.
J.B. Dobson Distinguished Member of the Year – Lindsay Rojas, Senior Crime Intelligence Analyst, Orlando Regional Operations Center
The Jessie “J.B.” Dobson Distinguished Member of the Year Award is given to a member who demonstrates superior performance or who accomplishes a significant achievement. This member consistently performs above and beyond to provide exceptional service to internal or external customers. Lindsay Rojas is part of the Orlando region’s Electronic Surveillance Support Team (ESST) squad. In 2021, the squad received over 2,500 requests for service and Ms. Rojas was a major contributor to the successful completion of those missions. In one double-homicide case, she was instrumental in reviewing phone records for the prosecutor one week before trial. The defendants were convicted and the prosecutor praised Ms. Rojas for her role in her preparation, testimony and presentation to the jury. She has a commitment to excellence and outstanding work ethic.
Senior Crime Laboratory Analyst Corey Crumbley is the Forensic Scientist of the Year after working on a project to evaluate evidence from older crimes using newer lab technology.
Forensic Scientist of the Year – Corey Crumbley, Senior Crime Laboratory Analyst, Orlando Regional Operations Center
Corey Crumbley’s commitment and dedication to implementing new technology and methods, as well as her immeasurable forensic expertise in the area of Biology and DNA, make her an invaluable FDLE member and forensic scientist. In addition to her regular casework, Ms. Crumbley is also the CODIS Administrator and Principal Instructor of Crime Lab Analyst trainees, Genetic Genealogy Liaison, external and internal auditor, internal and external training committee member, BioLIMS beta tester and trainer. In 2021, she also worked on a project to evaluate old cases with new technology. On numerous occasions Ms. Crumbley has come in on weekends or worked late/early to ensure that the case was worked, reviewed or searched in CODIS. She represents everything a senior crime laboratory analyst and FDLE member should strive to be.
The toxicology sections in Orlando and Tallahassee received the Contribution to Criminal Justice award for their work on a new screening procedure reducing turnaround times.
Contribution to Criminal Justice – Toxicology, Orlando Regional Operations Center (OROC) and Tallahassee Regional Operations Center (TROC), Orlando Crime Laboratory Analyst Jennifer Lewis and Crime Laboratory Analyst Supervisor Dennis Siewert; Tallahassee Crime Laboratory Analyst Lauren Huene and Crime Laboratory Analyst Supervisor LeAndra Higginbotham
In November 2021, the toxicology discipline began using a new drug screening procedure that has greatly improved both turnaround times and sensitivity of targeted analytes. This was a culmination of a multi-year validation project spearheaded by the toxicology teams of OROC and TROC. The transition required the team to undergo an exhaustive validation project to move drug screening to a more advanced instrument, including creating and optimizing a screening method for over 70 different drugs. Members of this team put in hundreds of hours during this validation project. Since the new screening procedure went online, backlogged cases dropped almost 50% and turnaround times dropped between 22-25%. Their efforts have strengthened the scope of testing within the toxicology discipline and offer the criminal justice community an increased level of service.
In addition, Orlando Crime Laboratory Analysts Christopher Conklin, Tim Miller and Supervisor Jillian White were recognized as part of a team for the Innovation of the Year award.
Innovation of the Year – Biology Laboratory Information Management System (BIO-LIMS) Development Team, Rachel Aponte, Molly Carter, Christopher Conklin, Jennifer Eatmon, Chris Hendry, Maria Hiott, Victoria Kipker, Jack Martin, Tim Miller, Michelle Mullins, Steve Rutledge, Jillian White, Xujing Sun, Brandon Floyd, Donna Carney and Kurt Posey
With FDLE’s six regional laboratories, maintenance of forensic examination records is of the utmost importance, particularly when you consider the approximately 60,000 distinct cases and 1 million items of evidence handled in a calendar year. Case file storage space, cost and efficiency issues led to an initiative to go paperless and in 2021, the BIO-LIMS project was introduced. The BIO-LIMS team, alongside members from Information Technology Services, devoted thousands of hours, including weekends, to minimize impact to laboratory operations during normal working hours. This diverse team brought together distinct regional needs into an adaptable, innovative product that will improve consistency, minimize errors, reduce the physical paper footprint and simplify statewide quality review processes that will leave a long-lasting positive impact to FDLE’s service in the field of forensic Biology and DNA.
For Further Information Contact:
FDLE Office of Public Information
(850) 410-7001