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Virginia Police Chiefs Select Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard & VACP Executive Director Dana Schrad to Receive 2021 Outstanding Contribution to Law Enforcement Award
The OCLE Award recognizes an individual's conspicuous act or achievement in the performance of their duty that results in an exceptional and responsible contribution to the law enforcement profession here in the Commonwealth.
The Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police & Foundation (VACP) on August 23, 2021 presented Herndon Police Chief Maggie DeBoard, 2020-21 VACP President; and VACP Executive Director Dana Schrad with the Award for Outstanding Contribution to Law Enforcement. The award was presented at the VACP Annual Conference held this year in Williamsburg, Virginia.
The Award for Outstanding Contribution to Law Enforcement (OCLE) is rarely bestowed, simply because the bar is so high. This award recognizes an individual's conspicuous act or achievement in the performance of their duty that results in an exceptional and responsible contribution to the law enforcement profession here in the Commonwealth.
Ashland Police Chief Doug Goodman, VACP Awards Committee Chairman, remarked during the presentation that the past 14 months have been absolutely extraordinary for the law enforcement profession in Virginia. In the wake of the murder of Mr. George Floyd in Minnesota, a special session of the General Assembly was convened by Governor Ralph Northam to consider police reform. Within 10 days of that tragic death in Minnesota, the VACP board met with Governor Ralph Northam and his senior staff to offer five key areas of professional improvement, almost all of which were eventually put into action. However, many of the bills that were submitted or discussed in the early days of the special session would have been devastating to Virginia Law enforcement if passed in their original form.
“What followed was a whirlwind of activity that was chaotic and difficult to follow due to the virtual nature of the legislative session,” Chief Goodman said. “The VACP Awards Committee and the VACP Executive Board knew Chief DeBoard and Director Schrad dedicated countless hours to conference calls, virtual meetings and the occasional face-to-face meeting to discuss the proposed legislation with members of the General Assembly. Many of these meetings occurred at night, on weekends, and even in the wee hours of the morning. The commitment by our OCLE Award recipients during this difficult time in our profession undoubtedly saved Virginia law enforcement from the passage of bills that would have stripped us of our abilities to maintain the safety and security of our communities. Their heroic efforts certainly met the criteria of this award in that they provided an exceptional and responsible contribution to the profession.”
The Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police and Foundation is proud to present Chief DeBoard and Director Schrad with the 2021 Outstanding Contribution to Law Enforcement Award.
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The Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police & Foundation (www.vachiefs.org) is a statewide charitable organization of federal, state and local police chiefs and other law enforcement executives dedicated to improving the professionalism of police agencies in Virginia and to providing training and education programs for law enforcement executives. The Association was founded in 1926 and has more than 600 members.
Photos are available at https://photos.vachiefs.org/VACP-Conferences/2021-VACP-Annual-Conference/
Contact: Ms. Erin Schrad, Communications Manager
Mobile: (804) 512-5162 Email: erin@vachiefs.org
For Immediate Release
