Inaugural National Officer Safety and Wellness Awards Presented

Late last year, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, in partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) and BJA’s VALOR officer safety initiative, launched the Destination Zero Project to highlight agency-level achievements in the area of officer safety and wellness. The primary objective of the program is to drive down causal factors that kill and injure law enforcement officers, and to help officers live safer, happier, healthier lives.

The result of this project culminated with presentation of the inaugural National Officer Safety and Wellness Awards at the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund’s annual Chairman’s Dinner on Tuesday.

2015 Officer Safety and Wellness Award winners:

• General Officer Safety: Dallas (TX) Police Department

• Officer Traffic Safety: Yolo County (Calif.) Sheriff’s Office

• Officer Wellness: Indianapolis (Ind.) Metropolitan Police Department

• Comprehensive and Strategically-Implemented: Orange County (Fla.) Sheriff’s Office

The National Officer Safety and Wellness Awards will be presented annually, and agencies are encouraged to submit details about their successful safety and wellness programs to Nick Breul, Director of the Memorial Fund’s Officer Safety & Wellness Initiative, at www.DestinationZero.org .

About the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund

Established in 1984, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund is a private non-profit organization dedicated to telling the story of American law enforcement and make it safer for those who serve. The Memorial Fund maintains the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, DC, which contains the names of 20,538 officers who have died in the line of duty throughout U.S. history. The Memorial Fund is now working to create the National Law Enforcement Museum, which will tell the story of American law enforcement through high-tech, interactive exhibitions, historical artifacts and extensive educational programming. For more information, visit www.LawMemorial.org .

About the Bureau of Justice Assistance

The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. BJA's mission is to provide leadership and services in criminal justice policy development and grant funding and administration to support local, state, and tribal justice stakeholders to achieve safer communities. BJA supports programs and initiatives in the areas of law enforcement, justice information sharing, countering terrorism, managing offenders, combating violent crime , adjudication, advancing tribal justice, crime prevention, protecting vulnerable populations, and capacity building.

For more information about BJA, visit www.bja.gov . For more information about VALOR, visit www.valorforblue.org .