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Duluth Officer recognized as Investigator of the Year

[Duluth, MN] – One of Duluth’s finest will be honored for his work this month. Duluth Police Officer Todd Kuusisto will receive the 2010 Investigator of the Year award on March 24, 2011 from the Minnesota Chapter International Association of Arson Investigators at an annual banquet in St. Cloud. This is the second time a Duluth Police Officer has been recognized for outstanding investigative work.

Officer Kuusisto, a 7 year employee with the Duluth Police Department and arson investigator, was nominated by his peers for his keen investigative skills, tenacity and human compassion in working with victims and offenders. His skills have been critical to some challenging cases where evidence was limited and witnesses uncooperative. Officer Kuusisto has been assigned on numerous occasions to major crime scene investigations. Officer Kuusisto has been successful at gaining multiple convictions for recent arson cases such as the Peerless Auto body fire, the bathroom fire at a Perkins restaurant and an electrical fire that caused a resident’s marijuana growing operation to go up into flames.

“Todd is a great resource for his colleagues and has proven to be among the best investigators in the field. We are proud of his achievements and he deserves this award,” said Police Chief Gordon Ramsay. 

Aside from his investigative role, Officer Kuusisto is dedicated to teaching fire safety awareness to students and community groups. He is also very active with the Special Olympics, Piedmont Heights Community Club, and Piedmont Heights youth hockey.