At the Arlington Convention Center, some of Arlington Police Department's best officers met up with citizens and business leaders for an afternoon of awards and special honors.
More than 450 guests were seated for the annual ceremony on February 22. This event is made possible by the Arlington Police Foundation and a memorial fund established by John V. and Jerri Millan family.
A host of Arlington area businesses also pitched in to help honor outstanding officers and professional staff whose contributions in 2016 made a positive impact on the communities around them. Live music was provided by the Arlington High School Jazz Band and a posting of colors from the award winning APD Honor Guard.
For their role in helping to make PAL Camp 2016 a big success, Trinity Methodist Church was presented the Community Partnership Award. Church members made it possible for more than 150 youths to engage in fun and safe activities with officers. Accepting the award was Pastor Scott Heusel.
In 2016, the Arlington Baptist College campus served as a training ground used to test the region's readiness for disaster recovery. For their role in this training exercise, Arlington Baptist College was bestowed the 2016 Business Partnership Award.
During the awards ceremony, officers from each of the city's four police districts were honored for their dedication to public safety operations.
Other officer highlights were also celebrated. Officer Shardae Spencer was presented the Rookie Officer of the Year Award, Officer Jesse Lathrop was presented the Detective of the Year Award and Sergeant Jakisha Jones was presented the Supervisor of the Year Award.
Corporal Damien Gary was recognized as the 2016 Overall APD Employee of the Year. Two nonsworn awards were also presented. Christina Benitez and Steven Bartoluzzi for their contributions in the areas of report entry and overtime management.
During his presentation of the Year in Review, Chief Will Johnson thanked all Arlington Police Department employees for their commitment to high standards of service.
"The standard of excellence requires an unwavering emphasis on procedural justice and commitment to serving others with integrity, compassion and fairness. The nobility of our profession demands it. It is an honor to stand here and serve as your Chief."
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