The full official press release issued by the coroner's office was as follows.
Official Press ReleaseThe new chief deputy obviously brings a substantial background and a wide-ranging set of capabilities to the office.
February 26, 2010
Introducing New Chief Deputy for Rock County Coroner's Office
Rock County, WI - The Rock County Coroner's Office is pleased to welcome Louis C. Smit to the position of Chief Deputy Coroner for Rock County. Lou was sworn in on February 22, 2010 by Coroner Jenifer Keach. Louis (Lou) Smit has thirty-three (33) years of law enforcement experience from local, county and federal agencies and has a Bachelor's degree from National University. Lou is a U.S. Army veteran, having served with the 82nd Airborne Division. Following military service Lou continued working in death investigations and later worked as a police officer in Southern Nevada.
Lou was recruited into federal service and worked as a Special Agent with the U. S. Customs Service. While a federal agent, Lou was assigned to the Los Angeles Organized Crime Strike Force and worked in Texas assigned as a Racketeer Investigator investigating organized and drug related homicides (to include a very high profile series of "Cult Murders" involving U.S and Mexican citizens lured into Mexico where they were murdered by a cannibalistic cult).
Lou returned to County law enforcement in Northern Nevada and later worked as a Medical Examiner Death Investigator in Washington State for over 13 years. Lou has served as a professor of Criminal Justice - Forensic Death Investigations for Del Mar College (TX) as an on-line Professor. Additionally, he has authored several death investigation training texts and death scene guides.
For the last nine years, Lou has been with the Kitsap Co., WA Coroner's Office as a Deputy Coroner and was assigned as National Medicolegal Coordinator. Following the terrorist attacks upon the United States on 9/11, Lou led a team that recovered victims at the World Trade Center and interacted with a second team at the Pentagon. Lou's duties also included testifying at the 9/11 Commission.
Lou participated with several Congressional committees related to Homeland Security issues, as well as provided consultation to the Executive Offices of the President and vice President during the Tsunami of 2004/2005 and later in the aftermath of Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.
Lou received the "President's Call To Service Award" Life Time Achievement and Multiple Gold Awards from the Executive Office of the President and from USA Freedom Corp for participation in Emergency Management and Response for the years 2004, 2005, and 2006. In 2007, Lou was invited by the Kurdistan Regional Government in Iraq to consult about medicolegal investigative training and forensic programs to assist the newly formed government to function as a 21st Century medicolegal system within the Office of the Minister of State for the Interior in Eribil, Iraq.
Welcome aboard Lou!
Note: The full story was also published at WIFR.
2 comments:
I guess the Gazette felt the need to put the rest up for a blog today. Here comes the push for an ME again. Unless they are considering a forensic pathologist, what's the point? Dane County is switching to an ME in January and they can't find anyone to take the job.
They could not post the press release in it's entirety before? and now post different excerpts for what purpose? Personally, I find the parsing and the construction of the blog posting at the Gazette in poor taste, almost mocking the new deputy chief's service to his country.
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