Attorney General Merrick B. Garland Delivers Remarks at the Seventh Annual Attorney General’s Awards for Distinguished Service in Community Policing

Remarks as Delivered

Thanks, Ben, for that overly generous introduction. And thank you Hugh and to the whole COPS team for everything you do every single day.

Thanks also to the Howard University Color Guard and the Justice Department’s own Rhea Walker for getting us started today.

And thank you to everyone who has joined us for the seventh annual Attorney General’s Awards for Distinguished Service in Community Policing.

Our mission at the Justice Department is to uphold the rule of law, to keep our country and our communities safe, and to protect civil rights. Our nation’s law enforcement officers are our indispensable partners in that work.

Since becoming Attorney General nearly four years ago, I have met with state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement officers from across the country. And everywhere I have gone, I have seen their bravery and their resolve.

Their work is often dangerous. And most of it happens out of public view. Officers and their families make enormous sacrifices to keep the rest of us safe.

I know, as Hugh alluded, that this sacrifice is weighing particularly heavy on our six honorees from the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office.

Last month, just before Thanksgiving, three of their office’s deputies were killed in a horrific car accident while they were conducting traffic enforcement.

Today, my heart is with the families of Corporal Luis Paez, Deputy Ralph Waller, and Deputy Ignacio Diaz, and with all of the law enforcement families across the country mourning someone who was lost in the line of duty.

We owe these fallen officers, and the people who loved them the most, an immeasurable debt of gratitude. I know I speak for all of us when I say we are committed to honoring them through our continuing work.

Much of the Justice Department’s work to partner with state, local, Tribal, and territorial law enforcement is led by the COPS Office, which just marked its 30th anniversary. As Ben said, I have been in the Justice Department a very long time, long enough to have been there at the creation.

For the past three decades, the COPS Office has worked to advance a model of policing based on the idea that public trust is essential to ensuring public safety.

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 protect their communities.

Among them is a detective who earned the trust of victims of unspeakable sexual violence — and secured justice for them.

A deputy sheriff who gained the confidence of community members impacted by violent crime — and convinced eyewitnesses to come forward.

A lance corporal who believes so strongly in maintaining open lines of communication with his community that he gives out his cell phone number to the people he serves and encourages them to call.

A detective and an officer who partnered with groups that have faced discrimination to ensure they feel protected in the expression of their culture and their faith.

A detective who never gave up on solving a decades-old homicide — and helped the victim’s family finally get answers using advanced investigative techniques.

A detective who discovered a pattern while investigating a local street gang — and through painstaking work, built a criminal enterprise case that led to charges and arrests of 19 gang members.

A police officer who personally fielded more than 1,200 calls for service in a single year.

A detective and community policing officer whose recruitment efforts put his department on track to be fully staffed for the first time in decades.

A master police officer who went out of his way to develop and improve programming for parents who were worried about addressing at-risk behaviors.

Officers who worked with community members and business owners to design spaces that promote crime prevention.

And teams throughout the country that have worked with their communities to address some of our nation’s most entrenched issues — like homelessness, mental illness, and substance abuse — with empathy and care.

Each of you works each day to ensure that when Americans face their darkest moments, they never have to face them alone. You represent the best of community policing, and the best of our country. I am proud of you.

I am equally proud of your loved ones, many of whom are here today. I know that law enforcement careers require sacrifice from the entire family. You are there at the end of every shift. You are there through difficult days and long nights. You offer support and compassion as the people you love carry the burden of the toughest jobs out there. Thank you for making their sacrifices possible and for making their service possible. We know they would not be here without you. So, we celebrate you today as well.

Serving as Attorney General for the past four years has been a tremendous honor.

It has been an honor to work alongside the extraordinary professionals of the COPS Office who have committed their careers to advancing community policing.

And it has been a true honor to work alongside the kinds of heroes who we recognize today.

Thank you for everything you have done for your communities. And thank you for all that you will continue to do.