SACRAMENTO - The Association of Criminalists-Department of Justice (AC-DOJ), an affiliate of the California Statewide Law Enforcement Association (CSLEA), very proudly welcomes DOJ Criminalist Danielle Tani and Senior Criminalist Sonya Botero to its dedicated Board of Directors.

"This is Sonya’s second time being on the Board," said AC-DOJ President John Miller. “She did a great job in Richmond several years ago, so she should hit the ground running this time. We’re delighted to have her back. Danielle Tani solved a big problem for us by stepping up to the plate in the north. We hadn’t had a northern representative for quite a while, and then Danielle volunteered to take on the burden. The rest of the Board watched out for the northern labs as best we could during that time, but there is no substitute for having your own rep."

By joining the AC-DOJ Board, Tani and Botero provide representation for the Bureau of Forensic Services Northern Labs (Santa Rosa, Redding, Chico and Eureka) and the Southern Labs (Riverside, Santa Barbara and Freedom).

Danielle Tani started her career as a DOJ criminalist five years ago. She works in the Controlled Substances and Biology disciplines at the Bureau of Forensic Sciences Santa Rosa Regional Laboratory. "I love the work that I do because the field of forensic science is constantly changing which provides a challenge and also gives me the opportunity to continue learning new things," said Tani. "I feel it's important to become involved with the association because it allows me to interact with my colleagues on a regular basis, especially with those from other laboratories within BFS."

Sonya Botero has worked for the State of California for nearly 11 years, first at the Jan Bashinski DNA Laboratory in Richmond and now at the Bureau of Forensic Services Riverside Crime Lab where she works in the DNA section that serves both Riverside and Imperial Counties. Despite growing caseloads, Botero took on the role as a CSLEA/AC-DOJ site representative. "My passion when I first took site rep training was to help the new people and mentor them," said Botero. "There's a lot of things, I feel, employees don't know about their rights and benefits, what the contract says, how we are hired and promoted, it's a huge frustration for a new State employee."

Solving things is in Botero's nature and is what lead her to pursue a career as a criminalist. "At first it was difficult for me to find the career path I wanted," said Botero. "I had my degree in biochemistry, I liked science, liked solving puzzles, liked helping others."

"Both the northern and southern regions are in good hands with Danielle and Sonya," said Miller. "The rest of the Board is relieved to have their help as we head into a critical period of negotiations for our new contract."