The Police Chiefs Committee of the Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) today presented awards to local law enforcement officials for their outstanding leadership in pioneering innovative training techniques.

The Annual Police Training Awards honor individual officers and departments of law enforcement agencies, criminal justice organizations and training centers throughout the metropolitan Washington region who have created new ways to prepare law enforcement officials for public service. The award program was first established nine years ago to recognize sworn and civilian officers whose innovative training techniques make a difference in the way law enforcement agencies serve the public.

This year’s awards were presented to individuals whose work in 2002 included leading Prince George’s County officers on tours of the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum to foster racial sensitivity, training Fairfax police in effective radio communication, and preparing law enforcement officials for increased security concerns associated with terrorism. The Police Trainer of the Year award went to Sergeant Joseph Watson of the Alexandria Police Department and Officer Mary McDonnell of the Maryland National Capital Park Police’s Montgomery County Division. Mr. Vince Wang of the Fairfax County Police Department was named Police Civilian Trainer of the Year, and Prince George's County Police Department received the Police Training Program of the Year award for its Authority Awareness Training Program.

“This year’s recipients are a testament to the commitment of our officers to meet any challenges we face,” Lt. Col. Elliott Grollman, chair of the Police Training Subcommittee. “It’s a lot of work for agencies to train their staff, and these individuals and departments were able to go the extra step in preparing their officers to better serve their communities.”

Award recipients are selected from a pool of candidates nominated by police chiefs serving the metropolitan Washington region.