Karen Flowers, District Judge (retired)

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1 Karen Flowers, District Judge (retired) Karen Flowers was born and raised in Connecticut. She received an AA degree from Hartford College for Women (now part of the University of Hartford), a BA in economics from Brandeis University, and a Law Degree from UNL. Between graduating from college and going to law school she taught 8th mathematics and 9th grade algebra at Middlebrook Junior High School in Trumble, Connecticut for two years. In 1970 she moved to Lincoln where her husband got a job at UNL. Mrs. Flowers was a traffic analyst for the Nebraska Department of Roads for one year before entering law school. After graduating from law school, she practiced law in Lincoln for 20 years. Her area of focus was family law. Mrs. Flowers was appointed to the District Court bench in 1996 and retired at the end of During that time she and her husband raised two boys, Andy and Mike. Mrs. Flowers is a member of the Nebraska State Bar Association and was Chair of the House of Delegates in She is a past president of the Lincoln Bar Association, the Nebraska District Judges Association and a former Master of the Bench in the Robert Van Pelt Inns of Court. Prior to her appointment to the bench she served on the Board of Directors of a number of civic organizations including Family Service Association, Planned Parenthood, and Leadership Lincoln. Mrs. Flowers was a member and past president of Lincoln Lancaster County Commission on the Status of Women.

2 Matt Lierman, Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Lierman has been employed as an Assistant U.S. Attorney at the United States Attorney s Office in the District of Nebraska (USANE) since November Mr. Lierman received a B.S. in Criminal Justice from the University of Nebraska in 1998 and his J.D. from Creighton Law in Prior to working as an Assistant U.S. Attorney, he has practiced law in private practice ( ) and the Department of Defense U.S. Army Corps of Engineers ( ). From , Mr. Lierman worked as a Deputy Sarpy County Attorney. He became an Assistant Attorney General for the Nebraska Attorney General from , during which time he served as Special Assistant U.S. Attorney ( ). Todd Lancaster, Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy Todd Lancaster was born in La Mesa, California. He graduated from the University of California, San Diego in 1994 with a Bachelor s degree in Political Science. He then attended the University of Nebraska, Lincoln - College of Law and graduated in After law school, Mr. Lancaster started at the Madison County Nebraska Public Defender s Office. He was with the Madison County Public Defender s Office until September of At the Public Defender s Office, he tried numerous cases and assisted in the capital murder trial of Jose Sandoval who was involved in the U.S. Bank Murders in Norfolk in After he left the Public Defender s Office, Mr. Lancaster entered private practice with McGough Law, based in Omaha. During his time with McGough Law he continued to practice almost exclusively in the area of criminal law in Nebraska state courts and in federal courts in Nebraska and Iowa. Mr. Lancaster started with the Nebraska Commission on Public Advocacy in May of The Commission can be appointed to represent defendants in all Nebraska counties for serious crimes of violence such as murder and sexual assault. Mr. Lancaster has tried close to 40 felony cases to a jury in state and federal courts. 10 of these have been cases in which the State alleged murder in the first degree. In three of these cases, the State had sought the death penalty and the cases went through the guilt/innocence phase, the aggravating/mitigating circumstance phases, and the sentencing in front of a panel of three judges. In two out of three times, his clients were given a life sentence instead of a death sentence. Many of his cases have involved forensic science issues such as DNA, fingerprints, firearm and toolmark analysis, gunshot residue, blood spatter and others.

3 Chief Robert R. Ziemer, Lincoln Airport Authority Police Robert Ziemer began his law enforcement career in 1978 as a deputy sheriff for the York County, Nebraska Sheriff s Department, the same year he received his Bachelor of Arts degree in Physical Education and Health from Doane College, Crete, Nebraska. In April of 1979 he was hired by the Lincoln Police Department and served the city of Lincoln until September 30, He began his second career as the Chief of Police for the Lincoln Airport Authority on October 1, During his career with the Lincoln Police Department Robert functioned in many roles including; uniformed street patrol officer, motorcycle officer, field training officer, uniformed street sergeant, Special Weapons and Tactics officer, Field Training Program Supervisor, Academy Director, Range Master, and Special Weapons and Tactics Assistant Commander. As Chief of Police for the Lincoln Airport Authority, Robert manages a workforce of 45 people including law enforcement officers, communications operators, and customer service representatives. The Lincoln Airport Authority Police Department provides law enforcement services for the over five thousand acres of Airport Authority property including the Airport Terminal and Airport Industrial Park. Additionally, LAAPD officers provide law enforcement support to the Transportation Security Administration at the passenger screening checkpoints.

4 Special Agent Jeff Becker, Federal Bureau of Investigation S.A. Jeff Becker has been with the FBI for 25 years, 20 of those as an agent. He worked general criminal matters for 16 years and has been working foreign intelligence matters for the last four years. SA Becker serves as the Senior Team Leader for the Omaha FBI Evidence Response Team (ERT). He has been a member of the team since 2007 and the team leader since LaVone Tienken, Federal Bureau of Investigation LaVone Tienken has been with the FBI for 24 years and has served as the Omaha Division photographer since April, 1996, covering Nebraska and Iowa. She has also been on the ERT since April, 1996, and is the longest-serving member of the team. The Omaha ERT responds to major crimes on federal properties, as well as assisting with local and state crime scenes where requested. The team consists of 16 members, 11 of which are located in the Omaha HQ office. Wade Knaap, Detective Constable with the Toronto Police Service (Retired) Wade Knaap is a part time faculty member in the Forensic Science Program at The University of Toronto Mississauga where he teaches forensic science and forensic identification related courses. Prior to this, Mr. Knaap was a Detective Constable with the Toronto Police Service and a Forensic Identification Specialist in the Forensic Identification Services Unit. Mr. Knaap regularly lectures and conducts workshops at universities, colleges and conferences throughout Canada and the U.S. on forensic development techniques and topics. He is a past president of The Canadian Identification Society and a former chair of The Ontario Police College Forensic Advisory Board. Mr. Knaap is a serving member of the Forensic Advisory Committee at the University of Ontario Institute of Technology and teaches a course in Applied Methods of Forensic Identification at the University of

5 Windsor. He has been published numerous times in The Journal of Forensic Identification, Identification Canada and The RCMP Gazette regarding forensic identification concepts. Mr. Knaap was also a contributing author in the text book Crime and Measurement: Methods in Forensic Investigation. In 2010 he was honored as a Distinguished Member of The International Association for Identification. Since 2012, Wade has been the editor of Identification Canada. In , Wade Knaap was the recipient of The Al Waxman Award for Excellence in the Field of Forensic Identification. Director Pam Zilly, Nebraska State Patrol Crime Laboratory Pam Zilly has worked in the field of forensic sciences for the past 36 years, ever since graduating from the University of Nebraska with a Bachelor s Degree in Criminal Justice. She started her career in the latent fingerprint discipline at the Lincoln Police Department, where her duties also included photography, maintenance of the breath alcohol equipment and forensic document examination. In 1987 Mrs. Zilly moved to the Nebraska State Patrol Crime Laboratory to focus her energies in the area of forensic Document Examination. Gradually she began to shift her focus from analytical work to supervision and management duties, and was ultimately promoted to the position of Crime Laboratory Director in Mrs. Zilly has attended numerous trainings in the area of forensic laboratory management, and is a graduate of the University of California-Davis Forensic Science Laboratory Leadership and Management Certificate Program. Mrs. Zilly is also an active member of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the International Association for Identification, and the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors. Eric Ouellette, U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS/ICE) Eric Ouellette started his Federal career as a Deportation Officer with the U.S. Department of Justice, Immigration and Naturalization Service (DOJ/INS) in St. Paul, Minnesota in In 2003, he transferred to Sioux Falls, South Dakota in the newly created U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Immigration and Customs Enforcement (DHS/ICE). Eric was promoted to Supervisory Detention and Deportation Officer in Sioux Falls in 2007, supervising all of Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) for North and South Dakota.

6 He was promoted again to Assistant Field Office Director (AFOD) in Omaha, Nebraska in 2013 where he now manages all of ERO operation for Omaha, Nebraska and Sioux City, Iowa, including detained and non-detained dockets, removals, custody, and alternatives to detention. Inv. David Sobotka, Jr., Omaha Fire Investigation Unit Investigator David Sobotka has been employed by Omaha Fire Department for 13 years and is currently assigned to the Fire Investigation Unit. Current duties include the investigation of all fires within the Omaha city limits, which the department averages over 600 structure fires per year. Currently a certified Law Enforcement Officer in the State of Nebraska, Sobotka is also a Certified Fire and Explosion Investigator through the National Association of Fire Investigators (NAFI) and the International Association of Arson Investigators (IAAI). Sobotka has attended numerous classes on firefighting/ems, Hazardous Materials, fire investigation, and law enforcement; including attendance at the National Fire Academy in Emmetsburg, MD, and currently holds an AS degree in Fire Science. Sobotka works closely with other local agencies, such as the Omaha Police Department, Douglas County Sheriff s Office, ATF, private investigators, insurance companies, and the Douglas County Attorney s office, in the arrest and prosecution of suspected arsonists and any other related crimes. Sobotka began his firefighting career when he joined a volunteer fire department at the age of 16. Sobotka then became a member of the Omaha Fire Department in 2003; progressing from Firefighter, Fire Apparatus Engineer, to Fire Investigator. In August 2013, David became a fire investigator graduating from the Omaha Police Department Training Academy becoming one of a few Omaha Firefighters certified as an Omaha Police Officer. Christine Gabig, Douglas County Sheriff s Office Christine is a Forensic Chemist at the Douglas County Sheriff s Office Crime Laboratory in Omaha Nebraska, where she has worked for the past twelve years. Her current professional experience includes forensic analysis of trace evidence, fire debris, and controlled substances; with past experience in crime scene investigation. Christine is actively involved in forensic education in Nebraska and the quality assurance aspects of forensic science. She stays involved with ASCLD/LAB and currently serves as a certified ASCLD/LAB-International Technical Assessor. She stays actively involved with ASCLD/LAB and currently serves as a certified ASCLD/LAB- International Technical Assessor. She holds a B.S. in Biology from the University of Nebraska in Lincoln and an M.S. in Forensic Science from the University of New Haven in Connecticut.

7 To stay current in the field, Christine has attended over 1000 hours of professional training in different aspects of forensic science, and holds memberships in several professional organizations including the American Academy of Forensic Sciences, the Association of Forensic Quality Assurance Managers, the Clandestine Laboratory Investigator Association, the Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists, the International Association for Identification, and the American Society for Trace Evidence Examiners. Christine is a committee member of the Technical/Scientific Working Group for Fire and Explosives Analysis and holds professional certifications as a Fellow in Criminalistics through the American Board of Criminalistics, as a Clandestine Laboratory Investigator through the Drug Enforcement Agency and as a Crime Scene Analyst through the International Association for Identification. Sgt. Todd Kozelichki, Omaha Police Department Sgt. Todd Kozelichki is 20 year law enforcement veteran. He started out at the Douglas County Sheriffs Office in While there, he worked on the Road Patrol and within the Court Services Bureau at the Douglas County Courthouse. In 1998, Todd was hired by the Omaha Police Department. Since being at the police department, Todd has worked in several units, to include Uniform Services, the Southeast Metro Unit (gangs, street level narcotics, and prostitution investigations), and the Burglary and Robbery Units. He spent eight year within the Homicide Unit and the Cold Case Unit. In June 2010, Todd was promoted to Sergeant, and is now working within the Gang Unit. In reference to the Westroads Mall / Von Maur shooting investigation, Todd was one of the main investigators on this case. He was initially assigned to lead the crime scene investigation, and then conducted several follow-up interviews and assignments relating to suspect Robert Hawkins' background. Due to his work on this case, Todd received the Jack Swanson - Lloyd Grimm, 2007 Omaha Crimestoppers Officer of the Year award. He is also part of a team of instructors who travel abroad to instruct on the happenings and aftermath in reference to the Von Maur shooting. Todd is also certified as a Nebraska secondary education teacher with a specialty in Mathematics, along with being a certified law enforcement instructor through the Omaha Police Department and the Nebraska Law Enforcement Training Academy in Grand Island, Nebraska. Todd has provided instruction to the Omaha Police Department, the Omaha Fire Department, and other agencies in reference to crime scene investigations and death / homicide investigations. Todd has also taught similar courses between 2004 and the present at Hamilton College, ITT Technical Institute and Metropolitan Community College.

8 Ofc. David Staskiewicz, Omaha Police Department Officer David Staskiewicz is a 25-year law enforcement veteran. The first eight years of his career he served as a Trooper with the Nebraska State Patrol where in addition to standard patrol duty, he was on the Patrol s Drug Interdiction Team, was a SWAT Team member and was a K-9 Handler. few. In 1998, Officer Staskiewicz left the Nebraska State Patrol and joined the Omaha Police Department. During the past seventeen years, his assignments have included the department s Uniform Patrol, Investigations, Gang Unit, Hot Spot Bike Patrol and Training Academy, where he had spent thirteen years as the Firearms and Taser Coordinator. Officer Staskiewicz holds several instructing certifications, which include Range Master, Firearms, Patrol Rifle, Active Shooter and Taser, to name a On December 5, 2007, Officer Staskiewicz had just finished an eight hour shift, where he had been assigned to the Eppley Airport Command Post for President George W. Bush s visit to Omaha that day. He was a first responder for the Von Maur shooting and entered the store as a member of the Omaha Police Department s Active Shooter Response Team. Mike Barry, Lincoln Police Department Michael Barry was commissioned as a Lincoln Police Officer in 1997 and is currently assigned to the Special Victims Unit as an Investigator. His primary case load involves the investigation of sexual assault of children and felony child abuse. Michael received a B.S. degree from Nebraska Wesleyan in Sociology and Anthropology with a minor in Criminal Justice and Spanish. His career in law enforcement began with uniform patrol during various shifts throughout the city of Lincoln. He has been on the Lincoln Metro Clandestine Lab Team since Michael did two 3 year rotations in the Special Victims Unit from His investigative position was made non-rotatable in 2012 and was selected for polygraph school in Michael attended polygraph school in Austin, TX through the Department of Public Safety. He has conducted a combination of 78 criminal and pre-employment polygraphs for the Lincoln Police Department.

9 Matt Franken, Lincoln Police Department Investigator Matt Franken was a 1995 graduate of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln with a degree in Criminal Justice. Matt spent time as a private investigator licensed in the state of Iowa conducting insurance fraud investigations after college. Matt began the Lincoln Police Department Recruit Academy in 1997 graduating in May. After a number of street assignments as an Officer he joined the Criminal Investigations unit in Matt was chosen for polygraph school in 2007 and received a non-rotating assignment in Team 3 after that. Matt attended the Backster School of Polygraph in San Diego California graduating in April of Since that time Matt has conducted 171 Pre-Employment polygraphs and conducted 111 criminal specific issue polygraphs. Steven Berry, Lincoln Police Department Steve Berry was commissioned as a Lincoln Police Officer in 2005 and again in 2011 after a brief stint away from law enforcement. He is currently assigned as an Investigator with the Gang Unit. The primary role of his current assignment tasks him with identification and interdiction of gang members, collecting and disseminating gang intelligence, and working in cooperation with federal, state, and other local agencies to make proactive gang related cases. Steve received a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Nebraska- Lincoln in 2004 and is a United States Marine Corps veteran. Steve has attended multiple gang trainings including the Las Vegas Metropolitan International Gang Conference in 2015 and the National Gang Crime Research Center Conference, also in The majority of Steve s law enforcement career has been as a patrol officer, primarily working 3 rd shift, and he was assigned to the Gang Unit in 2014.