Earlier this year, Madison Zuck graduated from the National Forensic Academy with honors, and became Detective Zuck of the Collierville Police Department. 

Zuck has always been interested in becoming a detective. “I was suckered into the CSI effect when I was in 7th or 8th grade,” she said. 

The National Forensic Academy (NFA), a division of the Law Enforcement Innovation Center at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, is an intensive 10-week program that is nationally known for delivering consistently excellent training and technical assistance in areas as broad as cold cases, missing and unidentified persons, forensic photography and bloodstain pattern analysis.

Zuck is the second Collierville Police officer to graduate from the program. “I’m looking forward to sharing what I’ve learned with my colleagues on patrol and using new supplies and technology for fingerprint development,” she said. “It doesn’t do me any good to keep all this knowledge to myself.”

Now she’ll be working as a detective and investigator in crime scene work – a combination that Zuck said drew her to join the Collierville Police Department. “We are very proud of Detective Zuck’s accomplishments and fortunate to have her as a resource on our team to help us better serve the Collierville community,” said Chief Dale Lane.  

Not only are Zuck’s colleagues proud of her work, but her fellow classmates and instructors are as well. “Detective Zuck really blew me away with her passion for the job and her thirst for knowledge. She was fantastic to work with,” said Jack Flanders, Forensic Scientist for the Texas Department of Public Safety. 

Additionally, Zuck was awarded the “Dr. William Bass Award for Outstanding Achievement in the Field of Forensic Investigation.” Class members vote on an outstanding member of each session that demonstrates the best class participation, dependability, leadership capabilities, most improvement and highest character. The award is named for Dr. William Bass, a renowned forensic anthropologist who founded the University of Tennessee Anthropological Research Facility, also known as “The Body Farm” – the first of its kind in the world.  

Congratulations to Detective Madison Zuck on her achievement! 

Source: Town of Collierville