Michael Geissler, Battalion Chief / Lead Fire Investigator of the Grand Chute Fire Department (left), and Jason F. Knecht, Fire Inspector at Eau Claire Fire & Rescue (right) present the Fire Investigator of the Year Award from The Wisconsin Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators to Joel Clausing, Special Investigator at Acuity Insurance (center).
The Wisconsin Chapter of the International Association of Arson Investigators (WI-IAAI) named Joel Clausing, Special Investigator at Acuity Insurance, Fire Investigator of the Year. This award is given to a person who has demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in fire investigations in both civil and criminal fields of arson control.
“This award recognizes Joel’s outstanding investigative skills in a fire investigation at a business in southeastern Wisconsin,” said Jason Knecht, WI-IAAI Awards and Scholarship Committee Chair. “Ultimately, Joel’s persistent work led to arson charges being filed in this case.”
“We congratulate Joel on being named Fire Investigator of the Year. His achievement reflects Acuity’s commitment to fight arson and other types of insurance fraud,” said Melissa Winter, Acuity President.
Insurance fraud costs American consumers and businesses $80 billion per year, according to the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud.
“We work hard to detect and fight fraud to ensure that our honest customers don’t end up paying the price,” said Ben Salzmann, Acuity CEO.
Joel is part of Acuity’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU), a team of investigators with a diverse background of training, experience, and advanced certifications. He joined Acuity in 2016 with an extensive background in law enforcement. Joel worked as a Deputy Sheriff from 1995 to 2001 and as a Detective from 2001 to 2016, both in the Washington County Sheriff’s Office. He earned a bachelor’s degree in law enforcement from the University of Minnesota-Mankato and also holds the Certified Insurance Fraud Investigator designation.
The International Association of Arson Investigators is an international professional association of more than 11,000 fire investigation professionals, united by a strong commitment to suppress the crime of arson through professional fire investigation.
Acuity Insurance, headquartered in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, insures over 130,000 businesses, including 300,000 commercial vehicles, and nearly a half million homes and private passenger autos across 31 states. Rated A+ by AM Best and S&P, Acuity employs nearly 1,600 people.