Special thanks to Sergeant John M. Leslie, Property and Evidence Division, Rockford Police Department, who contributed this article.

A Letter of Commendation was presented recently to Evidence Technician Janie Long of the Rockford (IL) Police Department by Chief of Police Jeff Nielsen. Doug Block, President of the Policeman's Benevolent and Protective Association also presented her with a Letter of Appreciation for Outstanding Performance. The reason for all this was her alertness in recognizing an unusual situation and bringing it to the attention of her Division Commander promptly enough that the situation could be addressed.

An Assistant States Attorney, Mr. Daniel Salafsky, was forced to resign his position after it was discovered that he was not licensed to practice law in the State of Illinois. He had passed the bar examination but had not completed the professional review required of Illinois attorneys. This resignation was reported in the local newspaper. On reading the article, Long recognized Mr. Salafsky's name and remembered that he may have in his custody a number of items of evidence, among which was a large amount of money. She checked with the other technicians and on locating the case, looked up the chain of custody. The records showed that Mr. Salafsky had custody of this evidence, including $69,030.00 in currency, having checked it out for the second time only a few days prior to his resignation.

According to Long, Mr. Salafsky had not made a good impression on her on his initial visit to the Division. This feeling, along with the nature of the evidence in his custody and the unusual circumstance of his departure from the States Attorney's Office, caused her to conclude that the evidence might be at risk and that someone should look into the whereabouts of the evidence. At this point, Evidence Technician Long formally brought this matter to the attention of the States Attorney through her Departmental chain of command ..

Upon being notified, the States Attorney attempted to locate the evidence which was supposed to be in Mr. Salafsky's custody. When the money and other evidence could not be located, they authorized a police investigation which ultimately resulted in Mr. Salafsky's arrest. The investigation turned up evidence suggesting that Mr. Salafsky, shortly after he assumed custody of the now-missing money, divided it into smaller amounts and deposited it into his personal bank account through a number of A TM machines around the city. He subsequently withdrew the money from his account.

There were also indications that Mr. Salafsky was planning to leave the country, but that he was stymied for lack of a passport. Mr. Salafsky now resides in the county jail awaiting trial. As of the time of this article being prepared, none of the evidence checked out to his custody has been found, but the investigation is still ongoing, and it is hoped that the money will eventually be recovered.

Without Long's alertness in recognizing the importance of the news about Mr. Salafsky, her diligence in checking it out, and her initiative in relaying the information to the proper authorities, Mr. Salafsky could by this time have been enjoying his ill-gotten gains beyond the reach of authorities. Instead, he is facing a very long stay in state-supported housing with a less-than-ideal selection of neighbors.