EAGAN, MINN – Heroes come in all forms and the Everyday Heroes being honored by Thomson Reuters are no different. The Fraud Prevention & Investigations business of Thomson Reuters has announced its 2012 Everyday Heroes.

The recipients were selected for their compelling success stories brought through the use of one of Thomson Reuters public records search products: CLEAR, Westlaw People Map and Batch Services. The Everyday Heroes program recognizes tremendous work done by individuals and organizations using these products to improve society and promote the rule of law, and Thomson Reuters will make a charitable contribution on behalf of this year’s winners.

The winners of the Everyday Heroes awards are:

• Patrick McPherson, a legal investigator, took the top honor by using CLEAR, the investigative platform for professionals that provides information and insight into people and companies. Working with an attorney who won an $80,000 judgment for a retired widow who lost most of her life savings through fraud, McPherson successfully located assets, banking relationships, real estate and additional streams of income to recover the full balance for the client. A $5,000 contribution on McPherson’s behalf will be made to The Innocence Project.
• After receiving information on a sexual assault of a young boy and exhausting all leads, Kevin Dailey of the Warren Police Department in Warren, Mich., requested a sketch artist. Using information gained from the public after releasing the sketch to the media, investigators were able to identify the suspect. Then, using CLEAR, Dailey was able to locate the suspect through various connections to family members and make an arrest. National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund will receive $2,500 on behalf of the Warren Police Department.
• Skip-Tracing Investigator Shannon Agee with FindJohnDoe.com used CLEAR to locate a registered sex offender who had avoided updating his information with law enforcement for over two years. Through new information provided by CLEAR and confirmation of the offender’s whereabouts, members of law enforcement were able to update the greater community on the offender’s location. One thousand dollars will be donated on behalf of Agee to the Boys and Girls Club of America.
• Tim Bundy, a police officer with the Pasadena Police Department in Pasadena, Calif., was tracking a parolee convicted of second-degree murder who went on the lam. Using CLEAR, Bundy uncovered family ties in Minnesota and also learned that the fugitive had a Minnesota driver’s license. Compiling a list of potential addresses, Bundy relayed the information to the Minnesota U.S. Marshall’s Fugitive Task Force and members there were able to quickly locate and arrest the fugitive, who was then extradited to California and returned to prison. National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund will receive a $1,000 donation on behalf of the Pasadena Police Department.

“Our customers tell numerous and truly amazing stories about the work they accomplish, often crediting their success to an investigative product from Thomson Reuters,” said Andy Russell, vice president, Fraud Prevention & Investigations, Thomson Reuters. “We are honored to support the work of our customers – especially those we recognize now with our Everyday Heroes awards. But more importantly, we are proud to provide the products and solutions that these individuals use every day to prevent and investigate fraud and help keep our communities safer. We are delighted to make these donations to these worthy causes on behalf of the 2012 Everyday Heroes award winners.”

The Everyday Heroes campaign was open for submissions through Dec. 31, 2012.

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