Notes from the Field: A Multijurisdictional Team Moved Cold Cases to the Front Burner

• NCJ Number: 254379
• Date Published: December 2019
• Author(s): Sally Wolter, Detective, Michigan State Police
• Agencies: NIJ
• Publication Type: Article

Annotation

This NIJ "Notes from the Field" article discusses how a detective and her cold case unit spearheaded a successful legislative reform effort that expanded DNA collection practices in Michigan.

Abstract

In this article from NIJ's "Notes from the Field" series, which allows leading voices in the field to share their strategies for responding to the most pressing issues on America's streets today, Detective Sally Wolter describes the multijurisdictional effort among state, county, and local law enforcement to build and maintain a cold case unit despite skepticism about its value. Detective Wolter supervised the Kent Metro Cold Case Team in Grand Rapids, MI, for nine years during which the unit solved 19 homicides.