November 9, 1999

SIXTH ANNUAL TOP COPS AWARDS®
A NIGHT TO REMEMBER

Nearly 700 people were on hand for a dinner ceremony to honor the winners of the Sixth Annual TOP COPS Awards®, sponsored by the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), Friday, October 22, 1999 at the Hilton-Washington & Towers in Washington, D.C. The mood for the prestigious awards ceremony had been set the day before when President Clinton honored the 32 TOP COPS® (representing the top ten cases of 1999) at the White House. The TOP COPS® were treated to a special meeting with the President in the Oval Office prior to a ceremony that took place in the Rose Garden. Friends and family members of the winners watched their TOP COPS® proudly as they stood behind President Clinton while he praised them and the hundreds of thousands of other officers who protect us.
At the dinner ceremony on Friday, Vice President Gore took time out of his busy campaign schedule to serve as NAPO's keynote speaker. He thanked the TOP COPS®, the 45 Honorable Mention winners and the 20 nominees in attendance for their heroism. The Vice President then paid a special tribute to the families of all law enforcement officers, "You who are family members, I want you to know that the country is grateful to you for the sacrifices that you make, to make the service of these men and women possible. We are intensely proud of the work that's being honored here and we're proud of you as families too."

Returning as the Masters of Ceremony for the prestigious event were Richard Belzer of NBC's Law and Order: Special Victims Unit and Lynne Russell of CNN's Headline News. Ms. Russell is also a Fulton County deputy sheriff and certified jail officer. Celebrity awards presenters included S. Epatha Merkerson of NBC's Law and Order, Jason Wiles and Molly Price of NBC's Third Watch and Yaphet Kotto of NBC's Homicide: Life on the Street. Other awards presenters included Congressman Brad Sherman (D-CA); Under Secretary of the Treasury for Enforcement Jim Johnson; Director Tom Frazier, U.S. Dept. of Justice, Office of Community Oriented Policing Services; former Attorney General Edwin Meese; Craig Floyd, Chairman of the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial; and Debbie Geary, President of the Concerns of Police Survivors. Annamaria Lazzaretto, the widow of a detective killed in the line of duty, made the courageous and heartfelt awards presentation to the California officers who tried to save her husband.

The winner of this year's Citizen's Choice Award, which is not announced until the end of the ceremony, was Sergeant James McMullin of the Chicago Police Department, awarded for his actions that potentially saved the lives of hundreds of elderly persons in danger from a gas main break and the resulting fire. For a list of this year's winners and their courageous stories, or to nominate an officer for a 2000 TOP COPS Award®, visit our web site at www.napo.org. Mark your calendars for the Seventh Annual TOP COPS Awards® ceremony! The ceremony will be held at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. on August 5, 2000, in conjunction with our 22nd Annual Convention.