A worldwide law enforcement organization has honored the Forsyth County Sheriff’s crime scene unit for its investigative techniques and practices.

The unit received the International Association of Chiefs of Police 2011 August Vollmer Excellence in Forensic Science Award for Significant Investigative Value in a Major Crime.

Sheriff Ted Paxton and Katrina Murdock, crime scene unit supervisor, were recognized in October at the association’s annual conference and exposition in Chicago.

In a statement released Thursday, Paxton said the award is a “tremendous honor” for the unit.

“Our crime scene unit is staffed by professional investigators whose expertise in forensic technology is second to none,” he said. “Under the leadership of supervisor Katrina Murdock, the unit is recognized as a leader in the field of forensic crime scene investigation.

“Being recognized by our peers of the IACP further solidifies our commitment to provide the community the most professional law enforcement product which we can produce.”

According to the report, the unit, which has a staff of four, is one of two in the state that consistently examines and collects shoe print evidence.

“The use of shoe prints and training deputies and investigators to recognize them as valuable investigative tools was crucial to solving a series of robberies, one of which included the murder of a security guard, in 2010,” the report shows.

The organization, known as the world’s oldest and largest association of law enforcement executives, was founded in 1893 and has some 21,000 members in more than 100 countries.