Marcy O’Brien has long been heralded as a voice for children in Rock Island County. March spent 29 years as a police officer, beginning her career with the East Moline Police Department in 1988 before transferring to the Moline Police in 1993 where for the next 24 years, most of which spent spent in community policing or juvenile investigations advocating, protecting and fighting for children. Upon retiring in 2017, Marcy was selected as the Director of the Children’s Advocacy Center where she continues to fight for our children, gives them a safe space and a voice.

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. 

A veteran Crime Scene Investigator with the Illinois State Police, Tom Merchie has 34 years of experience, having processed 3700 scenes, including over 500 death investigation cases. 

A career that began with the Rock Island Police Department in 1977, Tom was an Identification Technician before being hired by the Illinois State Police in their Division of Forensic Services in 1987, retiring in 2011.  Tom Merchie has seen a lot in his 34 years and he has plenty of stories to tell.  

Torri Smith, a Quad Cities native is the CEO of the Boys and Girls Club of the Mississippi Valley.  Torri is a graduate from Western Illinois University for undergraduate and graduate studies. My professional experience is child welfare and youth development, worked 17 years at Lutheran Social Services, 5 years at Family Resources and 5 years in current CEO role. 

Torri sits down and talks with us about how the Boys and Girls Club makes a difference in Moline and the Quad Cities. 

In the streets of Moline circa 2006, where shadows linger and whispers of a drug dealer fill the air, a tale as old as time itself. It was the eternal dance between order and chaos, justice and defiance. A young patrol officer, a figure sworn to uphold the law. The criminal, a force of rebellion, operating in the shadows and inevitably their paths cross as they are bound by an unspoken connection, each defining the other in a game of cat and mouse. 

This is not your typical story of a police pursuit of justice. It is a story about how two lives intertwined by their individual destinies almost 20 years ago. A story of tragedy and triumph, an inspirational story of battling addiction and ultimately winning. 

On this episode we take your questions about Moline PD. 

We sit down with Moline-Coal Valley Superintendent Dr. Savage and talk about her vision for the Moline-School District, the background and the large student population they serve which is getting more diverse each school year. Dr. Savage and Chief Gault discuss the importance of transparency and how they handle incidents at school and notification of the public and parents in a timely manner. 

Listen to Dr. Savage's vision for the future and how we use a successful School Resource Officer Program to strengthen our community bonds. 

Veterans Day is observed on November 11th each year in the United States. It is a day set aside to honor military veterans and it traces back to Armistice Day which marked the end of World War 1, which took effect on the 11th hour or the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918. 

In 1954 it officially became known as Veterans Day and honors the service and sacrifices of current and former members of our armed forces. 

Today we will talk to one of our Veterans, Detective Cody Parmenter who served in the United States Marine Corps for 4 years.