Police Officer of the Month

January 2005

Chief Livesay has selected DFC Eric Kruhm as the Police Officer of the Month for January 2005. DFC Kruhm’s investigative abilities in the Child Abuse Section shined this month as he investigated and closed several difficult and complicated cases by making arrests.

During an active pedophile intelligence case, DFC Kruhm identified a juvenile victim of a Howard County resident who has a lengthy history of child pornography and abuse. DFC Kruhm’s thorough investigation led to the execution of a search warrant at the suspect’s residence, and the items found and seized from that location resulted in the suspect being charged with possession of child pornography.

In another case, DFC Kruhm responded to Howard County General for a juvenile rape. He learned that the victim and suspect had met on the Internet and arranged a meeting in Howard County, where the rape took place. DFC Kruhm continued the investigation by engaging in online conversations with the suspect. DFC Kruhm then coordinated with the FBI’s Innocent Images Task Force and the New Jersey State Police in order to execute a search warrant and place the suspect under arrest.

Later in the month, DFC Kruhm investigated an especially difficult case involving a mentally challenged victim who had been assaulted by her father several years prior to reporting the incident. Her disability made it very difficult for DFC Kruhm to obtain basic information, but he delved into the investigation and gathered enough information to arrest the suspect. DFC Kruhm’s investigation became even more difficult when he began trying to locate the suspect. He had been estranged from his family and was living in homeless shelters without any fixed address and no traceable credit cards or identifying information. DFC Kruhm persevered and visited several homeless shelters and hospitals over the next few weeks. The contacts he made during those trips eventually led to his finding the suspect, who was charged with felony abuse.

Congratulations to DFC Kruhm for a job well done!