On Thursday, Canyon County deputy prosecuting attorney Erica Kallin received the 2011 Prosecutor’s Award of Excellence from the Governor’s Task Force on Children at Risk.

“Erica’s dedication to her work, her passion for the field of special victims, and her vigor in the courtroom is contagious to other members of my staff,” Prosecutor Bryan Taylor said in a letter recommending her for the honor. “ She sets the standard in seeking truth, pursuing justice, and protecting our community, especially for those voices who often aren’t heard: our children.”

Kallin, who heads the special victims unit of the prosecutor’s office, has successfully prosecuted 100 criminal defendants in the past 18 months. Her caseload focuses on child abuse and sexual abuse.

“It is my honor to fight for these children, and continue to hear, see and believe them in this battle against child abuse,” Kallin said.

Another recommendation came from the mother of a 2-month old boy who was brutally shaken by his father, who was prosecuted by Kallin and sentenced to 10 years in prison. The woman wrote: “Erica was there from the beginning. … He (the father) has served 3 years and Erica has still kept in contact with me and always asks how my son is doing and if there is anything she can do for us.”

The award honors a prosecutor who has done an outstanding job and gone beyond the call of duty to advance the cause of protecting children from abuse or neglect.

Kallin has worked in the Canyon prosecutor’s office for seven years and for the past five years “has committed herself to become one of the foremost prosecutorial experts on child maltreatment and crimes of abuse in the state of Idaho,” according to a county news release.

She was a driving force behind the creation of Canyon County’s Child Mortality Review Board and is an active member of the county’s multidisciplinary team that focuses on protecting children from abuse and neglect. She also serves as coach for the Vallivue High School mock trial team.