NUCPS Fricke Cooper Achievement Award

The Northwestern University Center for Public Safety proudly presents the annual Fricke Cooper Achievement Award to students of our Traffic Crash Investigation & Reconstruction programs who have successfully completed the following nine (9) courses, either on-ground or online / remotely:
  • Traffic Crash Investigation 1;
  • Traffic Crash Investigation 2;
  • Vehicle Dynamics;
  • Traffic Crash Reconstruction 1;
  • Traffic Crash Reconstruction 2;
  • Crash Data Retrieval Analysis & Applications;
  • Elective Course 1; 
  • Elective Course 2; and,
  • Elective Course 3

The Fricke Cooper Achievement Award recognizes individual and organizational commitment to continued professional development and to delivering the best, most professional traffic crash investigation and reconstruction services to the community. This award represents a cumulative total of hundreds of hours of course work, homework, study, and exams. 

Applications for the 2024 award are due no later than October 15, 2024. Recipients will be notified by mail and invited to an awards luncheon to be held in the Chicago area on a date to be announced. Attendance at the luncheon is not required to become a Fricke Cooper Achievement Award recipient.

Download FCA 2024 Application & Instructions

 

Fricke Cooper Achievement Award Recipients

  • 1st Lt. / Engineer Mohamed Alali, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Mar. 2023
  • Capt. / Engineer Sultan Alali, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Mar. 2023
  • 1st Lt. / Engineer Ahmed Alhammadi, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Mar. 2023
  • 1st Lt. / Engineer Saif Alharthi, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Mar. 2023
  • Capt. / Engineer Murshad Almarar, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Mar. 2023
  • 1st Lt. / Engineer Abdulla Almenhali, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Mar. 2023
  • Capt. / Engineer Bader Alqahtani, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Mar. 2023
  • Capt. / Engineer Mansour Alsaedi, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Mar. 2023
  • Maj. / Engineer Ibrahim Alshamsi, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Mar. 2023
  • 1st Lt. / Engineer Yousif Althabahi, Embassy of the United Arab Emirates, Mar. 2023
  • Adjunct Instructor Roger Barrette, Northwestern University Center for Public Safety / Lake Villa (IL) Police Dept., Nov. 2022
  • Det. Loy Berry, Shreveport (LA) Police Dept., Nov. 2023
  • Ronald Bodenheimer, Jefferson Parish (LA) Sheriff's Office, Nov. 2023
  • Officer Robert J. Brenka, Berwyn (IL) Police Dept., Jan. 2024
  • Det. Frank Cardamone, New York City Police Dept., Nov. 2022
  • Officer Michael Carlson, Buffalo Grove (IL) Police Dept., Jan. 2024
  • Adjunct Instructor Gary Cooper, Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, Nov. 2022
  • Lt. Kevin M. Curlee, Louisiana State Police, Nov. 2023
  • Sgt. Joshua Duhon, Louisiana State Police, Nov. 2023
  • Sgt. Trey Elliott, Louisiana State Police, Nov. 2023
  • Adjunct Instructor Lynn Fricke, Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, Nov. 2022
  • Sgt. Nicholas M. Funk, Boone County (IL) Sheriff's Office, Jan. 2024
  • Sgt. Tom Hall, Forest Park (IL) Police Dept., Nov. 2022
  • Det. Steven Horn, New York City Police Dept., Nov. 2022
  • Sgt. Lance A. Lavigne, Louisiana State Police, Nov. 2023
  • Sgt. Jonathan L. Leger, Louisiana State Police, Nov. 2023
  • Sgt. Thomas Leonard, New York City Police Dept., Nov. 2022
  • Sgt. David A. Levy, Louisiana State Police, Nov. 2023
  • Sgt. Thomas Lex, Lake County (IL) Sheriff's Office, Nov. 2022
  • Trooper 1st Class Trey L. McNeal, Louisiana State Police, Nov. 2023
  • Sgt. Brian T. Melvin, Louisiana State Police, Nov. 2023
  • Alexandra Kitty Nelson, Arlington Heights (IL) Police Dept., Jan. 2024
  • Sgt. Kathryn H. Slaughter, Louisiana State Police, Nov. 2023
  • Sgt. Angela Smith, Wheaton (IL) Police Dept., Jan. 2024
  • Sgt. David Spera, Jr., Jefferson Parish (LA) Sheriff's Office, Nov. 2023
  • Adjunct Instructor John Stelly, Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, Nov. 2022
  • Adjunct Instructor Andrew Thomas, Northwestern University Center for Public Safety, Nov. 2022
  • Commander Christopher L. Weinbrenner, Addison (IL) Police Dept., Jan. 2024
  • Master Trooper Nathaniel L. Westphal, Louisiana State Police, Nov. 2023

 

 

 

About Fricke & Cooper

Lynn Fricke Gary Cooper

Lynn Fricke and Gary Cooper (pictured center and right alongside Crash Director Adam Hyde)  are internationally respected authorities in traffic crash investigation and reconstruction as well as legendary NUCPS instructors. 

Lynn B. Fricke is a licensed engineer and educator specializing in vehicle crash reconstruction. He began his career at the Northwestern University Traffic Institute  (renamed in 2000 as the Center for Public Safety) in 1975, and was appointed director of the Traffic Institute's Accident Investigation Division in 1981. Under J. Stannard Baker's helmsmanship, he initially authored several topics in the classic texts Traffic Crash Reconstruction and Traffic Crash Investigation prior to becoming the primary author of the current editions. In 1992, he teamed up with Gary Cooper to form the firm Fricke Cooper Engineering, from which he retired in 2001. During his retirement, he has continued to work with NUCPS as a consultant, crash investigation instructor, and as an on-going editor of our authoritative textbooks. Fricke graduated cum laude from St. Louis University with a B.S. in Aerospace Engineering. He earned a M.S. in Traffic Engineering from the Univeristy of Illinois Champaign-Urbana and a M.A. in Teaching from National Louis University.

Gary Cooper began his career with the Indiana State Police in 1976, where he served through 1984. During his tenure as a state trooper, he attended several specialized courses on crash investigation and reconstruction at the Northwestern University Traffic Institute. Cooper graduated summa cum laude from Purdue University with a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering, and following his career with the ISP, he joined our team of crash investigation and reconstruction instructors, while also working as an independent consultant and an expert witness. In 1990, Cooper was named director of what was called the Accident Investigation Division and developed several courses for crash and reconstruction professionals. While at NUCPS, Cooper began co-authoring several topics in multiple editions of Traffic Crash Reconstruction. He is now the new primary author of the upcoming edition of this classic text. Following Fricke's 2001 retirement from Fricke Cooper Engineering, the firm has continued as Cooper Barrette Consulting, LLC, adding partner Roger Barrette, also a NUCPS instructor. 

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