Idaho SEARCH Member's National Leadership and Policy Vision Cited in 2012 Cooper Award Selection

Dawn Peck

Congratulations to Ms. Dawn Peck, Manager of the Bureau of Criminal Identification, Idaho State Police, who has been selected to receive SEARCH's top Membership honor—the 2012 Gary R. Cooper Meritorious Service Award.

The Board selected Ms. Peck for the award during their 2012 Winter Meeting. The Cooper Award is one of three national awards SEARCH hands out each year, and recognizes a SEARCH Member's outstanding work in the field of criminal justice information systems, policy or statistics, and on behalf of SEARCH.

Active, Visionary Leader

Ms. Peck, a SEARCH Member since 2006, is being recognized for—

her wealth of knowledge based on her experience managing her state's criminal history repository and related identification and public safety systems;
Her leadership in a range of national roles that have impacted the national sharing of justice information;
Her understanding of issues that states face in managing justice information, her willingness to take leadership responsibility of these issues, and her visionary perspective in helping craft well-developed national policies; and
Her strong leadership within her state and region, which has helped put Idaho at the forefront in many national information sharing initiatives.

In her position at the Idaho State Police, Ms. Peck manages the state AFIS, state applicant auditing program, state sex offender registration program, state missing person clearinghouse, and UCR program, among others.

"She understands the issues that states face in managing justice information, and she is able to see the view from the Idaho CJIS System Officer's (CSO) chair and the more global picture on issues of national importance, as well as the viewpoint of the individual and their privacy concerns," noted SEARCH Members Donna Uzzell (Florida) and Liana Moriyama (Hawaii) in their letter nominating Ms. Peck for the award. "All these perspectives are critical to well-developed national policies."

They also noted that Ms. Peck is especially insightful with respect to policymaking.

"She is visionary and able to foresee the potential impact of policies as they are proposed and discussed," they stated. "This is critical because the long-term effects of a policy decision may not be felt immediately, and all aspects need critical evaluation 'before the train leaves the station.' Her insight and ability to anticipate how policies will take shape in the real world of information sharing has helped prevent many a train wreck. She helps keep initiatives on the right track, not just for Idaho, but for all the states."

National, State, Regional Service

Ms. Peck has served actively on SEARCH and other national bodies, as well as providing strong leadership in her state and region. Ms. Peck—

Has served on the SEARCH Board of Directors;
Served on the SEARCH/Bureau of Justice Statistics National Focus Group on the Retention of Civil Fingerprints by Criminal History Record Repositories, which issued a report in 2009 that examined situations in which fingerprints submitted to state criminal central repositories for applicant criminal record checks are retained;
Is a member of the National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact Council since 2005, serving as her state's Compact Officer and chairing the Planning & Outreach Committee;
Is a member of the FBI Criminal Justice Information Services Working Group and the FBI Advisory Policy Board (APB)
- On the APB, she chairs its Sanctions Committee and serves on its Bylaw Subcommittee and Site Security Task Force;
Is active in the Western Identification Network and is a member of the AFIS Internet Member - Multi-national User Group of NEC AFIS Systems.

In Idaho, Ms. Peck is credited with overseeing the building of interfaces connecting livescans, AFIS, the criminal history database, the courts and the state billing system for applicant background checks. She also worked to provide timely responses to identify arrested individuals while they are still in custody and to screen applicants when decisions are being made regarding positions of trust.

"Through her efforts, Idaho was one of the first states to participate in a federal health care grant program to improve background screening," Ms. Uzzell and Ms. Moriyama noted. "Under her leadership, Idaho is at the forefront in many national information sharing initiatives."

SEARCH plans to present the 2012 Cooper Award to Ms. Peck at a ceremony later this year.

SEARCH is a nonprofit organization governed by a Membership Group of governor appointees from the 50 States, the District of Columbia, and the territories. It has 43 years' experience supporting the information sharing, interoperability, communications, information technology, electronic crime investigative and criminal records systems needs of State, local, and tribal justice and public safety agencies and practitioners nationwide.

New! Ms. Peck received the 2012 Cooper Meritorious Service Award at a ceremony at SEARCH's Annual Meeting July 17 in Cincinnati.
See the photos »

"[Dawn Peck] is a dynamic leader whose commitment to the states and to SEARCH initiatives is demonstrated by the level of energy and enthusiasm she brings to meetings. In discussions of matters of national importance, she is always well-informed, articulate and passionate about ensuring that the right thing is done, the right way. She is willing to do the research necessary to speak with authority on a wide variety of issues. She is collegial, both willing and able to work with others for the common good. She is prepared to share her opinions and expertise with colleagues in meetings and when asked for advice on issues facing other states. Other Members know that they can trust what she says and that she will follow through on every commitment."

-SEARCH Members
Donna Uzzell (Florida),
Liane Moriyama (Hawaii)