SEARCH News

The SEARCH Board of Directors is pleased to announce it has selected the 2021 and 2022 recipients of SEARCH’s top Membership honor: The Gary R. Cooper Award for Meritorious Service.

The Cooper Award recognizes a SEARCH Member’s outstanding achievements and contributions to the field of criminal justice information management and to the success and leadership of SEARCH.

The honorees are:

• 2021: Leslie Moore, Director of the Information Services Division, Kansas Bureau of Investigation, and current Chair of the SEARCH Membership Group and Board of Directors. Ms. Moore is being recognized for being a consummate leader who is engaged, focused, and committed to service to SEARCH, her state, and the nation in leading efforts to improve the administration of justice. She has been a governor-appointed SEARCH Member representing Kansas since April 2012.
• 2022: Kathryn Monfreda, retired Chief of the Criminal Records Identification Bureau, Alaska Department of Public Safety, and former Vice Chair of the SEARCH Membership Group and Board. Ms. Monfreda is being recognized as an active and steadfast leader of SEARCH, and a seasoned voice in understanding the challenges confronting criminal history repositories and advocating effective solutions. Ms. Monfreda served as a governor-appointed SEARCH Member representing Alaska from January 2016 until her retirement in September 2021.

The Cooper Award allows the SEARCH Membership Group to honor their colleagues. SEARCH is bestowing both 2021 and 2022 Cooper Awards because it did not select awards last year. Our Announcements provide more detail of Ms. Moore’s and Ms. Monfreda’s specific contributions.

SEARCH will formally recognize Ms. Moore and Ms. Monfreda during an awards ceremony the evening of Tuesday, July 19, in conjunction with SEARCH’s 2022 Annual Meeting, being held at the Grand Hyatt Denver in Denver, CO.