Pensacola FDLE member is Distinguished Support Member of the Year

PENSACOLA, FLA. – A Pensacola member of the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is the FDLE Distinguished Support Member of the Year, the FDLE has announced.

FDLE members from throughout Florida were honored in Tallahassee recently for their outstanding performances last year, including Pensacola Forensic Technologist Jennifer Spatola, who was recognized as the Distinguished Support Member of the Year.

In addition, Pensacola Crime Laboratory Analyst Victoria Kipker was recognized as part of a team for the Innovation of the Year award.

“FDLE has incredible members committed to thoughtful, innovative advancements that continue to make FDLE a premiere law enforcement agency in Florida and the country,” said FDLE Commissioner Mark Glass.

“These members strive to enhance our criminal justice partnerships and to find ways to improve how we keep Florida’s citizens and visitors safe. I am honored to recognize these nominees and award winners for their selfless commitment to service and excellence.”

According to the FDLE, Spatola, an FDLE Pensacola Friction Ridge Section Forensic Technologist, took on a number of tasks in addition to her own in 2021. She volunteered to work evidence intake to aid with staffing shortages, provided advice to contributors on proper photography techniques for latent prints, worked tirelessly to problem-solve equipment malfunctions, and was the Pensacola event photographer.

Even more significant, Spatola took the initiative to conduct extensive research on a new chemical called Nile Blue for the development of latent prints, the FDLE said.

Nile Blue is higher quality, less expensive, and easier to use than the current method. Nile Blue has since been validated for use in the friction ridge section, and Spatola was instrumental in providing the necessary information for the validation process, the FDLE said.

The FDLE Innovation of the Year was awarded to the Biology Laboratory Information Management System (BIO-LIMS) Development Team. The team includes Rachel Aponte, Molly Carter, Christopher Conklin, Jennifer Eatmon, Chris Hendry, Maria Hiott, Victoria Kipker, Jack Martin, Tim Miller, Michelle Mullins, Steve Rutledge, Jillian White, Xujing Sun, Brandon Floyd, Donna Carney and Kurt Posey, according to the FDLE.