VASSALBORO (AP) — Maine State Police have bestowed the “Trooper of the Year” award on a woman for the first time.

State Police Detective Lauren Edstrom of Biddeford received the honor Tuesday at the annual state police awards ceremony at the Maine Criminal Justice Academy in Vassalboro.

Col. John Cote, the state police chief, said Edstrom is regarded as one of Maine’s experts in children’s deaths. He called her a “seasoned investigator who has been involved in some of the toughest and heart-breaking death investigations in recent years.”

She is also a member of the evidence recovery team and serves on the state’s child death review board. She previously served as crisis negotiator, bomb dog handler and drug recognition expert.

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