LAPPL announces nominations for Golden Badge Foundation awards
For Immediate Release
Contact: Eric Rose (805) 624-0572
or Paul Haney (626) 755-4759
LAPPL announces nominations for Golden Badge Foundation awards
LOS ANGELES, April 30, 2010 -- The Board of Directors of the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) today announced its endorsements and nominations for this year's Golden Badge Foundation awards.
LAPD Officers Orlando Diaz and Erick Hernandez were nominated for the Heroism Award, Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley was nominated for the Civic Leadership Award and civic leader Arthur M. Kassel was nominated for the Humanitarian of the Year Award.
Heroism Award Nomination
The LAPPL nominated Officers Orlando Diaz and Erick Hernandez for the Heroism Award, presented annually to law enforcement officers who have served beyond the call of duty.
Their heroic act occurred April 17, 2009, while working the plainclothes Criminal Surveillance Team. They encountered a gunman running across a busy grocery store parking lot, shooting at another man who was fleeing in a car. The gunman was heading for the crowded store. After identifying themselves as LAPD officers, Diaz and Hernandez commanded the gunman to stand down but he refused. The officers and the suspect exchanged gunfire and the suspect was fatally wounded before he could enter the store.
"It is impossible to say what could have happened inside the market - perhaps a hostage situation or a robbery - but what is undisputable is the fact that the officers saved lives that day," the LAPPL Board of Directors stated in its Golden Badge Foundation nomination submission.
Civic Leadership Award Nomination
The Civic Leadership Award is awarded to city and county administrators who have consistently acted in the best interest of public safety and law enforcement.
The LAPPL nominated Los Angeles County District Attorney Steve Cooley for the Civic Leadership Award for further developing and leading the nation's premiere local prosecution agency. During his first term, Cooley accomplished an extensive office reorganization, based on his years of experience as a trial attorney and as a reserve police officer with the Los Angeles Police Department. He has developed a team equally capable of fighting crime in the streets and in the corridors of justice, resulting in an unparalleled breadth and quality of prosecution efforts.
Cooley has been relentless in his pursuit of public corruption and of lawbreakers within the justice system. He has not only jailed swaggering politicians whose malfeasance had gone unpunished for years, but also obtained prison sentences for crooked attorneys who were accustomed to a mere slap on the wrist or a referral to the State Bar.
His emphasis on forensic sciences has helped assure the optimal use of DNA in solving criminal cases and the prosecution of cold cases. From prosecuting gang members to going after high-tech criminals, experts on Cooley's staff of prosecutors and investigators are working with front-line law enforcement to take on all challenges.
Humanitarian of the Year Nomination
The Humanitarian of the Year is awarded to a noteworthy member of the community whose actions and/or contributions greatly benefited law enforcement.
The LAPPL nominated Arthur M. Kassel for the Humanitarian Award for his decades of support for the community and law enforcement.
Kassel is currently Chief of Law Enforcement Services and Assistant to the Director of the California State Department of Mental Health, and Chairman of its Security Committee. In the private sector, he has been involved in the production of commercial television and police educational and training films.
Kassel has long been a supporter of community and law enforcement projects. As the President of the Tichi Wilkerson Kassel Parkinson's Foundation, named for his late wife, he works tirelessly to raise funds for Parkinson's research and special equipment for those with the disease.
He is the first President of the Los Angeles Police Protective League's Eagle and Badge Foundation and has raised more than $5 million for law enforcement causes and homeless veterans in recent years. He also arranged for 70 airline tickets to be donated to the LAPD Centurions Football Team, which raises money for the Blind Childrens Center of Los Angeles.
While Kassel was Executive Producer of the Jack Webb Awards, he helped raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for the Los Angeles Police Historical Society. He has chaired a number of other charity events, such as the U.S. Veterans fundraisers and the Sheriff's Youth Foundation. Additionally, working with Judge Harry Pregerson and Steve Mayberg, he helped raise $3.9 million for the Salvation Army Bell Shelter.
About the Golden Badge Foundation: The Golden Badge Foundation is dedicated to strengthening relations within California's law-enforcement community, as well as between members of law enforcement and the citizens they protect and serve. Each year, the foundation hosts an awards banquet to honor law enforcement and civilians for heroic acts of bravery and deeds that improve the safety and quality of life in California. The Golden Badge Foundation assists pro-law-enforcement organizations such as the California Peace Officers' Memorial Foundation, which honors fallen peace officers and makes financial contributions to their families.
About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents the more than 9,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education. The LAPPL can be found on the Web at www.lapd.com.
