At 09:42 am on January 24th, 2024 Moline Police received a call for an unresponsive male at a residence in the 3300 block 25th Avenue. Officer arrived to find 55-year old Steven Herring deceased from a single gunshot wound. At approximately 10:39am Moline Police responded to a report of a cardiac arrest at a residence in the 1800 block 46th Street and found 79-year old Donna Ericson deceased with traumatic injuries. Two homicides in one morning in Moline? When we don’t usually get two in a year, were they related? We had a murderous monster on the loose but who was it and how did we work two homicides at the same time? This is the story of the Steven Herring and Donna Ericson homicide investigations.

It is one of the more complex and critical parts of law enforcement. Evolving from paper graphs and wooden rulers to data control boxes and drones.

On a scene where twisted metal and skid marks are only part of the story that has left those involved seriously injured or dead, it is the job of the traffic reconstructionist to put it all back together.

Officer Eric Wells is a 15-year veteran of the Moline Police Department and has been assigned as a Traffic Reconstructionist for over 7 years.

Sergeant Matt Russell, a 25-year veteran of law enforcement who began his career with the Phoenix, Arizona police department before transferring to Moline in 2006 has been the Supervisor of the Traffic Investigations Division since 2019.

Today you will hear about the detailed work it takes to put back together a crash scene.

A young college student began his internship at the Moline Police Department in January 1994. Chris Endress was following in the footsteps of his dad, Captain Vic Endress when he began his internship. Chris completed his internship in May of 1994 and began working as an Investigator for the City of Chicago Inspector General before being hired by the Illinois State Police in 1996.

After graduating from the intensive Illinois State Police Academy, Chris began his career assigned to the tollways in Chicago before being assigned to East Moline District 7.

Chris worked a variety of assignments of which we will hear about today and retired as a Captain in 2022 after 26 years of service.