Washington, DC – The United
States Marshal for the Northern District of Ohio has been selected
as a TOP COPS Award® winner by the National Association of Police
Organizations (NAPO), sponsor of the Fourteenth Annual TOP COPS
Awards®.
U.S. Marshal Pete Elliott has created a new concept that is sweeping
the nation and is making our streets safer from fugitives on the
run. The program, Fugitive Safe Surrender, has proven to reduce the
risk to the law enforcement officers who pursue fugitives, to the
neighborhoods in which they hide, and to the fugitives themselves.
Marshal Elliott’s creation is unique and highly successful. To date,
in just three cities, nearly 3000 fugitives have peacefully
and voluntarily surrendered. His high-quality work and enormous
effort go above and beyond the call of duty.
Pete Elliott will be honored at a ceremony in Washington, D.C. on
Saturday, May 12, 2007, at 7:00 p.m., at the Warner Theatre.
“For each fugitive that peacefully and voluntarily surrenders, law
enforcement and residents face one less dangerous confrontation on
the streets,” said Elliott. “Desperate people commit desperate acts,
sometimes with tragic consequences. I saw too many of my brothers
and sisters in law enforcement and innocent bystanders killed by the
desperate actions of those wanted and on the run. I started Fugitive
Safe Surrender to take the desperateness out of the situation, to
make it safer for our law enforcement officers, our residents and
neighborhoods, and to build a new trust between law enforcement and
the community.”
The Master of Ceremony for the 2007 TOP COPS Awards® is John Walsh;
host of Fox’s America’s Most Wanted. Barring any schedule
changes we expect the following celebrity award presenters: Richard
Belzer from NBC’s Law & Order: SVU and Milena Govich from
Law & Order; Football’s Hall-of-Famer Jim Brown; Correspondent
Beth Karas from Court TV; Liza Lapira from CBS’s NCIS;
Jack McGee of FX’s Rescue Me; Jeremy Ratchford of CBS’s
Cold Case; Rex Linn from CBS’s CSI: Miami; and actor
Chris Bauer.
The TOP COPS Awards® pay tribute to law enforcement officers from
across the country for outstanding service to their communities
during the preceding year. The TOP COPS® were nominated by fellow
officers and selected from hundreds of nominations by an independent
Awards Committee. Officers from the top ten cases have been chosen
as the 2007 NAPO TOP COPS®. This year, there are 20 TOP COPS®
representing the top ten cases.
NAPO, a national law enforcement group, represents 238,000 sworn law
enforcement officers from 2,000 police associations and units across
the country. Based in Washington, D.C., NAPO fights for the rights
of law enforcement officers through federal legislation, legal
advocacy, and education.
NOTE TO MEDIA: TOP
COPS® Award winners will be available for print and broadcast
interviews on Saturday, May 12, at the Warner Theatre prior to the
ceremony. To schedule an interview or to obtain tickets, please
contact Nina Kunkel or Jill Sizelove at (202) 842-4420. |
