Bryan Hill Memorial Scholarship Award NomineesThe Bryan Hill Memorial Scholarship Award was created to recognize an individual who embodies the same “Spirit of Service” for which Bryan was well known. Members are nominated for contributing to the professional success of another, or many, by sharing knowledge, examples, and/or time freely and selflessly. The following members were nominated for this award. In addition to the original nomination, the Awards & Recognition Committee is seeking supporting narratives, especially specific examples and details of how these nominees provided answers, ideas, examples and knowledge to other members who have posed questions or sought out information or help from members of the IACA. Nominees are listed in alphabetical order by last name. NomineesJohn Anteyi 1. Commitment to Helping the Needy and Vulnerable John Anteyi’s service as a Knight of St. John International is marked by hands-on humanitarian initiatives. Through his volunteer work, he has helped provide:
His dedication to giving back to society through service, without seeking personal gain, mirrors Bryan Hill’s deep-seated values of service and leadership. 2. Impact in Drug Crime Prevention and Rehabilitation. As an NDLEA trainer, John Anteyi has been instrumental in capacity building for law enforcement personnel and community leaders in:
Through his training programs, many officers have improved their effectiveness in tackling drug-related crimes, and countless individuals suffering from addiction have indirectly benefited from better-equipped professionals. His work ensures that rehabilitation remains a priority alongside enforcement, offering victims a path to recovery rather than mere punitive measures. 3. Alignment with Bryan Hill’s Legacy. Bryan Hill was known for his dedication to mentorship, education, and crime analysis as tools for meaningful change. John Anteyi exemplifies these principles through his:
Just as Bryan Hill used knowledge as a weapon against crime, John Anteyi applies his expertise to empower others, protect communities, and save lives from the devastating effects of drugs. Awarding John Anteyi the Bryan Hill Memorial Scholarship is both fitting and deserving because:
John Anteyi is more than a deserving candidate for the Bryan Hill Memorial Scholarship; he is a living embodiment of compassion, dedication, and service-driven leadership in crime analysis and drug enforcement. His dual role as a humanitarian and law enforcement trainer makes him a unique force for positive change, just as Bryan Hill was. By awarding this scholarship to John Anteyi, the IACA will not only be honoring Bryan Hill’s legacy but also empowering a dedicated professional whose work continues to impact lives at the grassroots level. I strongly recommend John Anteyi for the Bryan Hill Memorial Scholarship at the IACA Conference, with the utmost confidence that he will carry forward the ideals of service, mentorship, and transformative impact. Specific Contributions through the Junior Officers Basic Course (JOBC)
Through his dedication to capacity building, curriculum innovation, and post-training support, John Anteyi’s contributions via the JOBC have translated into tangible law enforcement results. His ability to transform junior officers into proactive, intelligence-aware field agents strongly aligns with the values and vision of the Bryan Hills Scholarship Award. ------------------------ Sarah Fletcher Sarah served as the Vice President and President of the Virginia Crime Analysis Network for 8 years, helping to shape the organization into an outstanding regional association that provides training and networking for Virginia. Sarah continues to provide support to VCAN members through mentorship and training. Sarah also is co-leading a year-long training series on telephone analysis for IACA, leading her subject matter expertise to the crime analysis community. Sarah is always ready to assist with questions or to help troubleshoot problems. She has established herself as a subject matter expert on telephone toll analysis and is always willing to help fellow analysts on this topic area as well as others related to crime analysis. In addition to teaching for VCAN and IACA, Sarah is a sought-after presenter on a variety of crime analysis topics and is always has well thought out and engaging presentations. Her influence extends beyond crime analysts, to also helping to guide detectives, prosecutors, command staff, and community leaders. ------------------------ Sophia Keast Crime Analyst, Aurora Police Department (Colorado, USA) During my first CompStat presentation, she generously set aside an entire day to help me gather and organize my numbers and cases. She patiently walked me through every step of the preparation process, making sure I understood what was needed and why it mattered. Her dedication, patience, and genuine passion for crime analysis are evident not only in the quality of her own work, but in the way she lifts others up around her. She is truly an exceptional person; committed to helping our field thrive, no matter which agency we represent. ------------------------ Jesus Varela As an example of jumping in to assist wherever he is needed, Varela noticed that I was having a hard time finding time to work on a project to compile the resources available to our team. He was eager to volunteer his time and within two months, he completed an extensive list of available software, applications, databases, OSINT, and other tools we use, as well as agency contacts and other intelligence and analytical resources. He worked on this at the same time as working his own cases, and while working on a complex collaborative case with another colleague, whom he worked side-by-side with until the case was complete. Varela generously shares his knowledge, insights, and experiences. This can be said for beyond our immediate team. He recently participated as a special guest on Jason Elder’s podcast where he shared insights and provided shout-outs to several others in our field. He serves on the board for the Arizona Law Enforcement Analyst Academy (ALEAA), teaches classes at the Arizona Law Enforcement Analyst Training (ALEAT) (prerequisite for ALEAA), presented on the topic of Snapchat at the International Association of Crime Analysts (IACA) conference, and is the Vice President for the Arizona Association of Crime Analysts (AACA) in which much of his time is volunteered. His willingness to engage in these opportunities demonstrates his commitment to sharing his knowledge with others and to fostering growth within the analytical community. -------- Jesus Varela (RMIN) has been an incredible resource to the analysts within the state of Arizona. The reason why I am nominating him for the Bryan Hill Memorial Scholarship Award is because of how willing Jesus is to assist other analysts with training and learning opportunities. Throughout 2024, I’ve worked closely with Jesus as a member of the Arizona Association of Crime Analysts (AACA). Towards the end of the year, he volunteered to fill the role of Vice President for the AACA. The Vice President is the primary coordinator of training events, and Jesus understood how crucial training is to any analyst. What stands out to me is that Jesus was already serving the AACA in a smaller capacity, but he went out of his way to ensure that AACA members would be provided with excellent training opportunities throughout the year. These events are extremely beneficial to the over 200 members of AACA. In addition to his work with AACA, Jesus also took it upon himself to teach analysts. He prepared, organized, and delivered a day-long training on Microsoft Excel that was tailored for both beginner and intermediate analysts. This was separate from the regular AACA training schedule and was spearheaded by Jesus. He went above and beyond because he recognized a training gap and worked to fill it. I received feedback from many of the analysts who attended the class, and they all commended Jesus for the training. After the Excel training, Jesus decided to share his knowledge of Snap Chat search warrant returns also. He submitted a proposal to the IACA, and he gave an excellent two-hour, hand-on class at the Annual Conference in Las Vegas. Again, he received outstanding feedback from attendees who praised his communication, knowledge, and humor. He has since shared this presentation with other regional analyst associations, impacting more analysts outside of Arizona. Lastly, Jesus has been a part of the Arizona Law Enforcement Analyst Training (ALEAT) program. Much like his involvement with the AACA and the Excel training program, Jesus was not required to participate; he understood how beneficial the program was and wanted to help analysts however he could. Having gone through the ALEAT program as a student, he decided to pay it forward and assist with scheduling, planning, and teaching with subsequent classes. Since I do not work with Jesus at RMIN, I cannot speak about his work as an analyst there. What I do know is that he is a beloved member of that organization and is cherished by all his coworkers. I am proud to work with Jesus as part of AACA, and I see how much of an impact he has made for the analysts both in Arizona and elsewhere. He volunteers his time outside of work constantly, and he is very deserving of this award. Jesus volunteered for and was appointed as the Vice President of the Arizona Association of Crime Analysts (AACA). In this position, he is responsible for organizing, planning, and facilitating training events for the 200+ members throughout the year. Jesus planned, organized, and taught a day-long training on Microsoft Excel by himself, outside of the regular AACA training calendar. He taught both beginner and intermediate students throughout the day, and about 30 analysts attended. The training was hands-on with multiple data sets created by Jesus in order to teach certain functions and principles of Excel. Jesus planned organized, and taught a class on Snap Chat search warrant returns at the IACA Annual Training Conference in Las Vegas, NV. The two hour class was a hands-on presentation that walked attendees through how to process and decipher files without using any third-party programs. About 75 analysts attended his session, and he has subsequently presented this class for other regional analysts’ associations. Jesus organized and taught a portion of the Arizona Law Enforcement Analyst Training (ALEAT) program. This 40-hour course is designed to standardize analyst training throughout the state of Arizona. Jesus has volunteered to teach and assist with multiple modules of the program, and about 80 students went through one of the multiple iterations of ALEAT throughout the year.
Submit SupportTo submit a supporting narrative for a listed nominee, email [email protected]. Include the nominee's name as well as a narrative, stories, and/or files (pdf, jpeg, MP4, WMV, AVI files only) to demonstrate how the member has assisted others. You may submit support for more than one nominee. Supporting narratives will be accepted until May 28, 2025. |