Those Who Serve
Short profiles of the Jefferson County neighbors who answer the call in public safety, social work, and community care.
Judy Tufts Brings Order, Integrity and Care to Hillsboro Police Evidence Room
The Hillsboro Police Department evidence manager was named the 2026 MPOA Non-Sworn Civilian of the Year for work that helps protect the integrity of criminal cases.
By The Jefferson Review Staff
HILLSBORO — Most people will never see the inside of a police evidence room, but the work performed there can determine whether officers, prosecutors and courts have what they need to successfully handle a case.
For Judy Tufts, evidence manager for the Hillsboro Police Department, that responsibility has meant carefully reviewing thousands of case files, reorganizing years of evidence and creating procedures that will continue serving the department well into the future.
Her work recently earned her recognition as the 2026 MPOA Non-Sworn Civilian of the Year.
Tufts said she was surprised to learn she had received the award because she did not know Police Chief Brian Carroll had nominated her.
When Tufts took responsibility for the evidence room, it had fallen behind following years of employee transitions. Officers had previously handled many of the evidence-room duties themselves, but responding to calls and completing their other responsibilities often had to come first.
Tufts began by organizing the department’s current evidence and then working backward through previous years. During her first full year, she reviewed more than 7,000 case files covering approximately 15 years.
“I just kind of came in and started and did it,” Tufts said. “I didn’t realize, as I started chugging my way through, that I had actually gone through that many cases.”
The work required her to move between modern electronic records and older paper files. She carefully reviewed case information to determine what evidence had to remain secured, what could be returned and what could be destroyed under court authorization.
Some evidence, particularly evidence connected to homicides, missing-person investigations or sensitive cases, may need to be preserved for decades.
“You see cases that are solved 20, 30, 40 years later,” Tufts said.
Tufts has also developed procedures and trained officers on properly packaging, categorizing and submitting evidence. Items that require laboratory testing, refrigeration or specialized storage must be separated and documented correctly.
An organized evidence room allows the department to retrieve items quickly while preventing contamination, loss or questions about the integrity of a case.
Tufts said one of her proudest accomplishments is knowing the department could undergo an evidence audit at any time with confidence that its records and procedures are in order. She also wants the system she created to remain useful long after her own service ends.
Although her name appears on the award, Tufts said the achievement belongs to the entire department.
“I’m really proud of it, but everyone here has put a part in it,” Tufts said. “I kind of feel like it’s a big group plaque.”
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