The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) today announced the winners of the Destination Zero National Officer Safety and Wellness Awards, which highlight agency-level achievements in the areas of officer safety and wellness.
The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund launched Destination Zero in 2014 with a goal to identify agencies conducting unique and innovative programs aimed at reducing risk factors for line-of-duty deaths and to share the design and outcomes of these programs with the national law enforcement community. Agencies with successful programs are asked to submit details of their initiatives and be considered for a national officer safety and wellness award.
Awards are presented in the following five categories:
• General Officer Safety: Programs that directly affect officers’ physical safety while performing their jobs.
• Officer Traffic Safety: Initiatives designed to reduce automobile crashes and limit the risk factors of operating a motor vehicle or managing traffic. Programs that increase seatbelt use, limit distractions, or reduce driving speeds are also included in this category.
• Officer Wellness: Fitness programs, mental health programs and initiatives, such as peer support groups and nutrition.
• Comprehensive Wellness: Robust approaches to wholistic wellness and resilience programs.
• Comprehensive Safety: Programs that demonstrate the most comprehensive approach and implementation of well-rounded safety efforts.
Following months of review and evaluation of the submitted programs, eight finalist agencies were selected by a diverse committee of experts representing federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies. They carefully considered each finalist program and ultimately selected the award recipients for each of the five categories.
The NLEOMF 2022 National Officer Safety and Wellness Award winners are:
•General Officer Safety — San Antonio (TX) Police Department
•Officer Traffic Safety — West Palm Beach (FL) Police Department
•Officer Wellness — Stanislaus County (CA) Sheriff’s Department
•Comprehensive Wellness — Los Angeles (CA) Police Department and Police Protective League
• Comprehensive Safety — Chesterfield County (VA) Police Department
In addition to the five winning agencies, the following finalists are also acknowledged:
•General Officer Safety — Chesterfield County (VA) Police Department, Gloucester Township (NJ) Police Department, and West Palm Beach (FL) Police Department
•Officer Traffic Safety — Chesterfield County (VA) Police Department, Herndon (VA) Police Department, and Gloucester Township (NJ) Police Department
•Officer Wellness — Herndon (VA) Police Department, Colorado State Patrol, and San Francisco County Sheriff’s Department (CA)
•Comprehensive Wellness — Oklahoma City (OK) Police Department, West Palm Beach (FL) Police Department, and New York City (NY) Police Department
•Comprehensive Safety — Herndon (VA) Police Department, Gloucester Township (NJ) Police Department, and West Palm Beach (FL) Police Department
The awards, sponsored by Verizon, will be formally presented to the winners at the National Law Enforcement Museum in Washington, DC, during the organization’s Awards Ceremony and Reception in Washington, DC, on Sept. 30.
“The primary objective of Destination Zero is to drive down causal factors that kill and injure our nation’s law enforcement officers,” said Marcia Ferranto, CEO of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund. “The ultimate goal of Destination Zero is to have no new names added to the walls of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial. The National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund’s board of directors, staff, affiliates and our corporate partner, Verizon, are grateful to all participating agencies and extend congratulations to the five winners and finalists for 2022.”
Law enforcement agencies are encouraged to submit details about their successful safety and wellness programs by applying for the annual 2023 Officer Safety and Wellness Awards through an online application process at nleomf.org.
About NLEOMF
Established in 1984, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to honoring the fallen, telling the story of American law enforcement, and making it safer for those who serve. The first pillar of this mission, the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial in Washington, D.C., honors the names of all of the 23,229 officers who have died in the line of duty to date throughout U.S. history. Additionally, NLEOMF maintains and publishes comprehensive details on the circumstances surrounding official line-of-duty deaths. The Officer Safety and Wellness pillar uses that data, coupled with best-practice program models, to produce programming directed at solutions to improve survivability and enhance wellness. NLEOMF’s third pillar, the National Law Enforcement Museum (LawEnforcementMuseum.org) is committed to preserving the history of American law enforcement and sharing the experiences of service and sacrifice for generations to come.
