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January 2025 | Volume 18 | Issue 1


On December 4, 2024, Attorney General Merrick B. Garland announced the recipients of the Seventh Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing. This award recognizes individual state, local, or tribal sworn rank-and-file police officers, deputies, and troopers for exceptional efforts in effective policing. The recipients of this award have demonstrated active exceptional performance in one of three areas: Innovations in Community Policing, Criminal Investigations, and Field Operations.

The nominations went through several stages of review, starting with a panel of representatives from nine leading law enforcement stakeholder associations and groups:

  1. Association of State Criminal Investigative Agencies (ASCIA)
  2. Fraternal Order of Police (FOP)
  3. Hispanic American Police Command Officers Association (HAPCOA)
  4. International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
  5. Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA)
  6. National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE)
  7. National Organization of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE)
  8. National Sheriffs Association (NSA)
  9. Police Executive Research Forum (PERF)

The initial evaluation was followed by a federal panel of executive-level reviewers from several U.S. Department of Justice components. Recommendations resulting from those two processes were then submitted to the Attorney General for selection, who determined the 21 recipients of the award.


Attorney General Merrick B. Garland and Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer at the Seventh Annual Attorney General’s Award ceremony.

In addressing the awardees during the ceremony, Attorney General Merrick Garland said, “All 21 of today’s awardees have demonstrated what community-oriented policing looks like in practice. They come from all different parts of the country. They represent communities of all shapes and sizes. Their typical days might not all look the same. But they are united by a deep commitment to protecting their communities.”

Principal Deputy Associate Attorney General Benjamin C. Mizer told the honorees, “We celebrate a remarkable truth: the profound and positive impact that law enforcement officers and deputies have on the communities they serve every single day. These awards honor those who exemplify the very best of the profession and showcase these individuals as pillars of trust, empathy, and unity.”

COPS Office Director Hugh Clements was the master of ceremonies for the program, telling the recipients that he was “inspired by their actions and service.” The recipients were joined at the ceremony by family and friends, and in many cases their law enforcement executives and the U.S. Attorney representing their district. Ceremony attendees also included the heads of several U.S. Department of Justice components as well as representatives from law enforcement stakeholder groups.


COPS Office Director Hugh T. Clements, Jr. addressing ceremony attendees and award recipients.

The 2024 recipients of the Seventh Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing:

Category: Criminal Investigations

Category: Field Operations

Category: Innovations in Community Policing

For additional information about the recipients and their outstanding efforts, visit the official Attorney Generals’ Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing web page.

Visit the Office of Public Affairs (OPA) website to read the official press release.

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