Detective society has annual award dinner

    An organization that began 20 years ago as a way for three friends to socialize has evolved into an international organization dedicated to solving cold cases.

    An organization that began 20 years ago as a way for three friends to socialize has evolved into an international organization dedicated to solving cold cases. The Vidocq Society is holding its annual award dinner on Sunday and plans to honor Philadelphia’s District Attorney Lynn Abraham.

    Listen:
    [audio: 091025spsleuth.mp3]

    The Vidocq Society is named for an early nineteenth century crook, famous for his jailbreaks, who became a groundbreaking detective. 20 years ago, retired Philadelphia police officer and FBI Agent William Fleisher cooked up the idea of the group over lunch with two friends – a forensic sculpter and a profiler.

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    Fleisher: I’m not saying we’re not a little bid odd. I think you have to have a passion for unsolved murders, unsolved cases. And you get a little jaded over the years in this business. Things that might have turned your stomach a few years ago become routine. You never lose our passion for the victim and trying to help solve it and bring closure for families.

    Today, there’s about 80 members, and some continue to meet over lunch to discuss unsolved homicides. They’ve helped solve several cases. Fleisher says new DNA evidence and other forensic techniques can help shed light on cases that have gathered dust.

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