January 27, 2003

Lansing - The Criminal Law Section of the State Bar of Michigan has presented its annual "Donald S. Leonard Award" to Detective Lieutenant Garth A Burnside. He is currently the team leader of the Jackson Narcotics Enforcement Team (JNET), a part of the Southeastern Criminal Investigation Division (SECID).

The Donald S. Leonard Award was established in 1977, in memory of the late Detroit Recorder’s Court Judge Donald S. Leonard, 1903-1976. Judge Leonard was commissioner of the Michigan State Police from 1947 to 1952. The award that bears his name recognizes a Michigan State Police officer who has excelled in the pursuit of continuing education.

Burnside began a Masters of Science in criminal justice from Michigan State University in the summer of 2000. He demonstrated great commitment to this program considering the extra energy and initiative he needed to complete the work via the Internet and without face to face contact with a professor. Burnside was the only one of seven students in the class, all of which where full-time state or federal officers, to complete the program in two years. He graduated in May of 2002, with a grade point average of 3.85 on a 4.0 scale.

Burnside demonstrated great ability to balance his family life, work requirements and his pursuit of higher education. While participating in the course, he continued to complete his day to day assignments with JNET. These assignments included street narcotics enforcement administrative duties, managing the unit’s property room and overseeing confidential informants and personnel. Burnside also serves as a mentor to younger officers who participate with JNET.

Burnside has developed relationships with local, state and federal agencies that have enhanced his capabilities as a team leader and are beneficial to the Michigan State Police as a whole. Due to his educational background, the Livingston and Washtenaw Narcotics Enforcement Team (LAWNET) continues to call on Burnside to represent them on several special committees.

Burnside enlisted with the department in 1988 and graduated as a member of the 103^rd Trooper Recruit School. He was assigned to the Flat Rock Post as a trooper until 1993, when he was transferred to the SECID Down River Area Narcotics Organization (DRANO) where he was promoted to Detective Sergeant in 1996 and again to Detective Lieutenant in 2001, when he began working with SECID LAWNET. Burnside currently lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and two children.

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