Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Street Survival and Medal of Valor Presentation




Region 9 recently served as a host for the Calibre Press Street Survival Seminar. We had a great turnout of over 120 attendees. Thanks again to Deb, Brenda, Mary Pat, Cynthia and Kim for volunteering!
During the seminar, we were able to take some time and present Seattle PD Officer Britt Sweeney with the 2010 IAWP Medal of Valor. The actual presentation had been at the conference in Minneapolis but Britt was unable to attend due to prior commitments. We were also able to recognize Ben Kelly for his heroic actions when confronted by Maurice Clemmons, the killer of the 4 Lakewood Officers.





Britt composed a great acceptance letter that was read at the award ceremony, she graciously provided me with a copy so you can read it here....

To the Members of the IAWP:
First, I must apologize for my inability to be present to receive this award in person today. It came as a great disappointment to me when I realized I would not be available to attend the IAWP conference.

When I received the email from Ms. Masson notifying me I was being awarded the Medal of Valor I was beyond humbled and honored. We all have opted to partake in law enforcement for different reasons; to help the community, to give back, because we have family members in LE... but none of us do it to receive awards, or be patted on the back. As flattered as I am to be the recipient of this award, it's difficult to swallow all of this attention. None of us see ourselves as heroes... we are merely people who wear a uniform with a shiny badge and get to do a really freakin' cool job.

It has been an emotionally trying year for me. While a mere 30 days into FTO I was involved in an ambush where my FTO was killed. Initially I questioned whether I had made the right decision by becoming a cop. I knew that it was a dangerous job, but I had never expected something so unfathomable, so soon into my career. As days went by and I began to get hugs from colleagues (most who I didn't even know) and receive phone calls, emails and cards from fellow officers around the country it became very clear that joining the Seattle Police Dept was the best choice I had ever made. The love and support that the law enforcement community boasts is no lie; I can certainly attest to that. I feel confident that I can conquer the world because of all the support I have, and continue to receive from all of you. As humbling as it is to receive an award like this, it is also what keeps me going... remembering that I am not forgotten, that Tim (Brenton) is not forgotten and that should I ever have a weak moment, someone will be there to help me through. The words "Thank You" really are not near enough to convey what is in my heart, but all that I can find at this time.

I do want to take this opportunity to thank my department for being amazing. The Seattle Police Dept and Chief Diaz have shown me an immense amount of support and were very instrumental for me being able to get back on the horse. I am proud to be a part of SPD. So, thank you Chief Diaz and the men and women of the Seattle PD.

To all of you, I ask you to please stay safe out there and continue to be the woman warriors that you are... and truly, from the deepest crevices of my heart... thank you.


Sincerely,

Britt Sweeney

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Interesting Article

If anyone is interested, the Seattle Times is doing a series of articles about Maurice Clemmons, the murderer of the 4 Lakewood Officers. I can't get a link to work but if you go to the Times website and search for Maurice Clemmons, the articles will come up.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Region 9 first blog entry

Greetings Region 9 Members and Guests! I am trying to meet my goal of having this blog up and running within two weeks of getting home from Minnesota so here goes.....

Had a great time at the 2010 Conference, kudos to the committee and volunteers for a well run training curriculum and very fun....networking opportunities. I will get some photos posted soon.

Getting ready for the Street Survival Seminar in Seattle. Region 9 is serving as the host agency.

So, this blog will depend on updates from all IAWP Region 9 Members about things going on in your area and lives.....keep me posted!