Campus police honor computer sleuth, others

MADISON — For the second year in a row, Jeff Savoy, network investigator for the Division of Information Technology, has been honored with a Director’s Award by the UW–Madison Police Department for his extraordinary efforts in helping to investigate campus crimes involving computers.

One case involved child pornography accessed through university computers. As a result of the investigation, former History Department administrator and assistant dean of Human Ecology Danny Struebing was charged in Dane County Circuit Court last week with three counts of possessing child pornography.

Last year, Savoy also assisted the department in a computer hacking case that originated in San Diego, Calif., and resulted in the issuance of a federal search warrant and seizure of a computer from a lakeshore residence hall. That case is currently being reviewed by a federal grand jury.

Other Director’s Award recipients:

• Jose Carus of Internal Audit created a well-organized paper trail for detectives as they investigated the theft of more than $600,000 in research money from the Medical School’s Office of Clinical Trials. In October 1999, the office’s former director, Rhonda Lagoni, was charged in Dane County Circuit Court with several counts of felony theft and tax evasion.
• Chemistry Department employees Tom Foseid and Michael Wilson went to the aid of their friend and fellow employee Gary Beld after he collapsed on the job Jan. 5. Foseid and Wilson immediately initiated rescue efforts, including CPR, but neither they nor paramedics were able to revive Beld.
• Don Shutt and Margy Radecki of the Office of Human Resource Development and Mary Hoddy of the Training Resource Center helped make non-violent crisis intervention training more readily available to the campus community.
• UW Arboretum ranger Judy Kingsbury gathered data on crimes and incidents in the Arboretum, which provided a springboard for successful problem-oriented policing there;
• Student Scott Majerus saw a man breaking into vehicles near the Kohl Center and immediately summoned police, who apprehended the suspect a short time later. He was convicted on multiple counts of criminal damage to property, theft and entry into locked vehicles.

In addition, several UWPD employees were honored with Excellent Service awards: detectives Harlan Hettrick, Anthony Curtis, David Williams, Brett Fernholz, Charles Flad and Doug Scheller; police officer Michael Newton; security officer Bill Vanderbloemen; and communications supervisor Leann Krieg.