Posted by Bud on January 28, 2010 at 17:20:34:
On Monday, Bill Kurtis, the former WBBM-TV news anchor and currently the President of Kurtis Productions, was awarded the 2009 FBI Director's Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for the Chicago area. Kurtis was selected as the 2009 recipient of this award due to his many contributions over the years in both educating the public and assisting law enforcement.
FBI Director Robert S. Mueller, III said "Shows produced by Kurtis Productions, such as American Greed and American Justice, have documented to the public many successful investigative efforts of law enforcement while Cold Case Files enlists the public's help in resolving unsolved cases and locating wanted fugitives." Additionally, Director Mueller said in a release that Bill Kurtis' most recent series, Cold Case Minute, which airs locally on WBBM-TV and profiles unsolved cases from the Chicago area, demonstrates Kurtis' ongoing dedication to assisting law enforcement.
The DCLA is presented every year by Director Mueller to one person or organization in each of the FBI's 56 domestic field offices. The award was started in 1990 to publicly recognize an individuals & organizations that have helped with crime prevention and educational programs within their community, as well as furthered the efforts of law enforcement. The 2008 recipient of the DCLA was Larry Wert, President, Central and Western Region, NBC Local Media.
An awards luncheon honoring Bill Kurtis was held in Chicago on Monday. Bill Kurtis is also invited to attend an awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. in March, where DCLA recipients from across the country will be honored by Director Mueller.