10/29/2014

Washington, DC — LexisNexis® Risk Solutions today announced that Vernon Keenan, Director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), has been selected as the recipient of the 5th Annual LexisNexis “One Step Closer” award. The program honors leaders in federal, state and local government for excellence in the use of open or third-party information sources to bring government cases, problems or investigations “one step closer” to resolution. 

Director Keenan is being recognized for his continuous effort to enhance the criminal intelligence profession. Director Keenan served on the committee that drafted the initial National Criminal Intelligence Sharing Plan – which aims to enhance intelligence and information sharing between federal, state, local and tribal law enforcement agencies – following the terrorist attacks on September 11. Director Keenan serves on several national level working groups, including as Chairman of the Criminal Intelligence Coordinating Council (CICC), an advocate for law enforcement and their efforts to develop and share criminal intelligence for the purpose of promoting public safety and securing the nation. 

He also provides leadership and direction for the CICC Privacy Committee. His committee has drafted critical resource documents, including law enforcement guides to intelligence issues surrounding First Amendment events, social media and other important privacy and civil liberties issues.

“The support that criminal intelligence professionals offer to the law enforcement community and to our society at large is a critical component in maintaining public safety,” said Haywood J. Talcove, chief executive officer, Government, LexisNexis Risk Solutions. “We applaud the dedicated efforts of Director Keenan to enhance that mission and sincerely congratulate him on this well-deserved award.”

“Director Keenan provides sustained contribution to the Law Enforcement Intelligence Units (LEIU), an organization whose mission is to provide leadership and promote professionalism in the criminal intelligence community,” said Bob Morehouse, LEIU Executive Director. “This award recognizes that Director Keenan has gone above and beyond the line of duty in his efforts to enhance both national and local criminal intelligence capabilities.”

Director Keenan entered law enforcement in 1972 as a uniformed police officer at the DeKalb County, Georgia Police Department. In 1973, he became a GBI Special Agent and progressed through every available rank before his appointment as GBI Director in January 2003. 

LexisNexis works with leading industry associations to recognize law enforcement groups and individuals during major law enforcement events throughout the year, and presents the overall winner of the “One Step Closer” award during the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) conference in Orlando, FL.

About LexisNexis Risk Solutions
LexisNexis^® Risk Solutions harnesses the power of data, sophisticated analytics platforms and technology solutions to provide insights that help businesses across multiple industries and governmental entities reduce risk and improve decisions to benefit people around the globe. Headquartered in metro Atlanta, Georgia, we have offices throughout the world and are part of RELX (LSE: REL/NYSE: RELX), a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers. For more information, please visit LexisNexis Risk Solutions and RELX.