Release Date: Wednesday, February 24, 2010

            Carolynn Stephens has dedicated herself to finding the proverbial needle in a haystack.

            And many times, she has succeeded.

            “Carolynn has been a tremendous asset to the Pensacola Police Department, and we will miss her professionalism, investigative skills and upbeat attitude,” said Chief John W. Mathis.

Stephens, 61, is retiring Sunday after working more than 25 years in crime scene investigations with the Pensacola Police Department.

            It has been her job to search various crime scenes for clues that would identify criminals, and that has often meant entering places many people couldn’t handle. Stephens has approached every scene like a professional and done her best to gather evidence…except one time.

            “I remember working a crime scene and there were big old iguanas loose in the house. They scared me so bad I had to call another CSI person to come work the scene. There were about five of them and they were HUGE! They were hanging on the curtains. I don’t like reptiles. Period. I could handle a little lizard but this was huge full-grown big iguanas,” she said.

            Stephens was initially hired by the Pensacola Police Department on Aug. 20, 1984. Prior to that, she spent two years as an auxiliary patrol officer, but went into crime scene investigations when a job opening occurred. Four years ago she was promoted to Crime Scene Investigations supervisor.

            Perhaps one of her most notable cases occurred July 29, 1994 when Paul Hill shot and killed a doctor and a volunteer escort and injured a woman outside a Pensacola clinic that did abortions. On Sept. 3, 2003, Hill became the first person in the United States to be executed for murdering a doctor who did abortions.

            “The crime scene was massive. Another crime scene investigator and I spent two solid days processing the area for evidence. The case went to both federal and state courts because it was the first federal case after the buffer zones were established outside clinics and someone actually went over the buffer line. So (Hill) was tried on federal charges for going over the buffer zone and on state charges for the homicides and shooting,” Stephens said.

            Stephens’ plans for retirement are simple: “I’m going to travel and rest for awhile. I’ve been working 42 years non-stop.”

           

           Carolynn Stephens