CJIS

The Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Division is pleased to honor Pamela Hotsinpiller, an advocate for crime victims, as a recipient of the 2012 Director’s Community Leadership Award.

Working for 35 years as a special education teacher, Mrs. Hotsinpiller is a supporter of and expert on the education of children with special needs. But it was the 2011 death of her 24-year-old son Derek that made her a voice for crime victims and an advocate for the families of law enforcement officers killed in the line of duty. Derek Hotsinpiller, a deputy with the U.S. Marshals Service, was shot and killed by a fugitive. To help spare other families the grief she suffered, Mrs. Hotsinpiller established a scholarship fund to honor Derek and her late husband James, who was also a law enforcement officer. The James and Derek Hotsinpiller Memorial Scholarship fund, Inc., raises funds to put more officers on the street to not only protect communities, but fellow officers, too. To date, six high school seniors have received scholarships to assist with college expenses so that they may pursue a career in law enforcement or social science.

Mrs. Hotsinpiller also coordinates multiple fundraisers, including the Derek Hotsinpiller Fallen Star Memorial 5K Race, honoring all officers killed in the line of duty. Stacia Hylton, director of the U.S. Marshal Service, said that Mrs. Hotsinpiller remains “a pillar of strength for Derek’s law enforcement brothers and sisters,” and that she has “demonstrated the true commitment of an entire family dedicated to law enforcement, recognizing and honoring the responsibilities that come with our oath of office and service.”

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