Mr. Matthew Ruel —an active SEARCH Member and leader for more than a decade—is the 2024 recipient of the Gary R. Cooper Meritorious Service Award, SEARCH’s top Membership honor.
Mr. Ruel was nominated for the award by fellow SEARCH Members Jason Bright (Montana) and Bob Wessels (At-Large) and was selected by the SEARCH Board of Directors earlier this year.
Mr. Ruel was presented with the award July 23 at SEARCH’s 2024 Annual Membership Group Meeting in Las Vegas by Mr. Bright, who is Chair of the SEARCH Board of Directors.
Mr. Ruel is Director of the Maine State Bureau of Identification within the Maine State Police, which serves as the central repository for all fingerprint-based criminal history records for the state. The Bureau also processes all criminal history record checks for both law enforcement and civilian purposes, maintains the Automated Fingerprint Identification System (AFIS), and oversees the state Sex Offender Management Program.
Mr. Ruel has served as Maine’s governor-appointed representative to the SEARCH Membership Group since 2013. The Board’s selection of Mr. Ruel recognizes his efforts and contributions to the field of criminal justice information systems in Maine and nationally—but in particular the significant commitment he has made to the success of SEARCH.
“Matt understands the technical, operational, and policy issues surrounding the creation and use of criminal history record information and is a leader in mining the significant research potential of criminal history information,” said Chair Bright. “His steadfast support of SEARCH has significantly contributed to the success of the organization.”
Mr. Ruel:
- Has served on the SEARCH Board of Directors since 2014, and is currently a perpetual member on the Board, serving as the representative of the Open Justice Broker Consortium.
- Is a founding member and Chair of the Open Justice Broker Consortium, SEARCH’s technology arm, which is dedicated to improving justice information-sharing through the reuse of low-cost, standards-based integration software.
- Is a founding member and Chair of SEARCH’s CCH Metrics Working Group, which is working to build consensus around an evolving set of universal metrics designed to support the day-to-day operations of criminal history repositories and to assist SEARCH in developing and executing a robust short- and long-term research agenda that leverages criminal history record information.
- Is current Chair of the National Crime Prevention and Privacy Compact Council, which promotes rules and procedures for the effective use of the Interstate Identification Index (III) system for noncriminal justice purposes.
In February 2024, Mr. Ruel participated in a meeting at the White House, together with his fellow SEARCH Members, Lt. Col. Larry Newton (KY) and Adam Dean (NY), to provide key insight to the Office of Gun Violence Prevention. The meeting, with OGVP Deputy Director Rob Wilcox, addressed the challenges and successes related to the states’ implementation of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA). Mr. Ruel’s participation in meetings such as this illustrates his willingness to help communicate the role and value of SEARCH and strengthen ties with key partners.
“Although Matt doesn’t like the limelight, he provides valuable input to all meetings and committees in which he is involved,” noted Chair Bright.
Members and Staff congratulate Mr. Ruel on receiving this honor.
