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History

The Wisconsin Association for Identification (WAI) held its first organizational meeting on October 5, 1966.  The WAI is a chartered division of the International Association for Identification and was incorporated in the State of Wisconsin as a non-profit organization on May 5, 1967.

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The Association was formed to accomplish the following objectives: To associate persons who are actively engaged in the profession of forensic identification, investigation and scientific crime detection in an organized body, so that the profession, in all of its branches may be standardized and effectively and scientifically practiced. To encourage the enlargement and improvement of the science of forensic identification and other branches of scientific crime detection. Encourage research in scientific crime detection. To keep its members appraised of the latest techniques and discoveries in forensic identification and scientific crime detection. To continue to improve the high professional standards of law enforcement officials at all levels of government who have charge of crime scene units, and/or forensic laboratories. The WAI provides the opportunity to employ the collective wisdom of the profession to advance the scientific techniques of forensic identification and scientific crime detection. The WAI shall do everything possible to improve the high professional standards of law enforcement officials at all levels of government who have charge of crime scene units, and/or forensic laboratories. The members of the WAI shall employ the collective wisdom of the profession to advance the scientific techniques of forensic identification and scientific crime detection. The WAI shall inform legislative bodies of the importance of general laws making it mandatory to fingerprint every person who is arrested. The WAI shall provide training, education, and the publication of information related to forensic identification and scientific crime detection.

    

The Association has taken several actions to accomplish these goals. There is a 3-day annual educational conference with both lectures and hands-on workshops. The topics covered at these conferences range from an update on the criminal history records and changes in the state AFIS system to the latest techniques in crime scene processing and laboratory examinations of physical evidence. All members receive a quarterly newsletter that includes professional articles in addition to Association news. The AFIS-CIB Technology Committee is unique in that this committee provides a direct line of communication between the Wisconsin State Criminal Information Bureau and law enforcement agencies at all levels of government within the state. The Association has been the co-host division for two annual IAI International Educational Conferences (1972 and 1999). The WAI worked together with six other Midwest divisions of the IAI in 1998 to bring to the Midwest the highly successful Mid-States Educational Conference in Davenport, Iowa. The WAI is now expanding its web site to meet the growing needs of its membership.

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WAI Past Presidents

1966-1967
1967-1968
1968-1969
1969-1970
1970-1971
1971-1972
1972-1973
1973-1974
1974-1975
1975-1976
1976-1977
1977-1978
1978-1979
1979-1980
1980-1981
1981-1982
1982-1983
1983-1984
1984-1985
1985-1986
1986-1987
1987-1988
1988-1989
1989-1990
1990-1991
1991-1992
1992-1993
1993-1994
1994-1995
1995-1996
1996-1997
1997-1998
1998-1999
1999-2000
2000-2001
2001-2002
2002-2003
2003-2004
2004-2005
2005-2006
2006-2007
2007-2008
2008-2009
2009-2010
2010-2011
2011-2012
2012-2013
2013-2014
2014-2015
2015-2016
2016-2017
2017-2018
201
8-2019
2019-2020

2020-2021

2021-2022

2022-2023

2023-2024

2024-Present

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Andrew F. Kashuba
Robert C. Lathrop
Michael T. Feider
Stanley C. Klein
Charles R. Race
Roland L Recker
Sylvester Gajewski
Howard L. Jennrich
Herbert J. Breske
Charles L. McElroy
Abraham L. Toigo
Robert R. Exner
Jerome D. Gartner
Herman R. Steinke
Walter C. Fuhrman
Edmund F. Jakubowski
Robert T. Shunk
Donald C. Ramthun
Ronald E. Dick
John M. Hermann
John R. Stransky
William F. Wangemann
Roger W. Heiligenthal
Wayne M. Peterson
Erlan R. Wenzel
Floyd D. June
Edwin L. Bandi
Milton L. Swantz
Daniel A. Feucht
Daniel R. Andersen
Roger R. Lenzner
Robert C. Sanders
James Bruno
Mike Campbell
Ronald L.  Groffy
Todd Thorne
Suzanne Martin
Stu Nelson
Thomas Johnson, Dr.
Melissa Graf
Dan Roman
Gordon Kowaleski
Lee Mikulec
Marie Burgette Bach
Charles Wysocky
Lisa Hudson
Melissa Graf
Vickie Brugger
Lee Mikulec  
Julie Mead  
Matt Guth
Paul Olsen
Holly Schultz
Jason White

Dave Karls

Dave Karls

Jeff Jacoby

Lisa Hudson

Jesse Williams

Good of the Association Award

1998
1998
1999
2000
2001
2013
2014
2018
2020

2023

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Wayne Peterson
Bruce Freistadt
Keith Brzezinski
Robert Sanders
Mike Campbell
Ron Groffy
Melissa Graf
Julie Avila
Lisa Hudson

Lee Mikulec

Secretary / Treasurer

1966
1966-1967
1968

1969

1970-1973

1973-1974

1974-1975

1975-1976

1976-1978

1978-1981

1981-1982

1982-1986

1986-1988

1988-1991

1991-1997

1997-1998

1998-2003

2003-2005

2005-2020

2020-2022

Henry Peters

John Lauber

Charles R. Race

Michael Hanrahan

Herbert Breske

Abe Toigo

Robert Exner

Jerome D. Gartner

Edmond Jakubowski

Donald Ramthun

Kathryn Kohn:  May

Roger Heiligenthal

Edwin L. Bandi:  April

James Yoghourtjian 

Roger Heiligenthal

Janell Robinson

Melissa Graf

Michael Davies 

Julie Avila

Steven Kirby

Secretary

2022-2023 - Jessica Greer

2023-Present - Falynne Gerisch

Treasurer

2022-2023 - Melissa Graf

2023-Present - Shelly Czarneski

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