In an effort to support the officers in the North Texas community, 7-Eleven and SOS Security joined the Irving Police Department in Irving, TX, to honor its officers and staff for their accomplishments during 2017. The annual event gives the department an opportunity to spotlight outstanding examples of leadership and excellence with their officers and staff. Among the prestigious awards given were the Officer of the Year and the Brass Pig award.
The Officer of the Year Award went to Detective Jose Delfierro. In 2016, Attorney General Lynch also presented Detective DelFierro with the Missing Children’s Law Enforcement Award, which is given to a law enforcement officer who has made a significant investigative or program contribution to the safety of children, an award he received for his diligent investigative efforts to recover a group of girls ranging in age from 11 to 14.
The humorous Brass Pig Award, which honors an unusual service of duty, went to Officer Julia Durham. Luckily, she was not injured and was able to laugh at herself. Thank you, Officer Durham for allowing us to laugh along with you and for bringing back the Brass Pig Award!
In addition to honoring the men and women of the IPD, the silent auction proceeds from the event help support the Irving Family Advocacy Center. The Irving Family Advocacy Center (FAC) functions in partnership with the City of Irving to provide free counseling services to the city’s youth and families. These services include free counseling for victims of crime, domestic violence and families with high-risk juveniles in family, couple or individual therapy settings, as well as education classes. Group counseling and education classes are offered for parenting, overcoming domestic violence, trauma from crime victimization, child abuse and others.
Additionally, the FAC offers education classes for First and Subsequent Offender programs to juveniles referred by the police and Teen Court. Referrals for all services come from the schools, police officers, Child Protective Services, Irving Police Dept. Victim’s Services, domestic violence shelters, other agencies, and concerned family members.
“The FAC and IPD’s partnership has been in response to families in need and victims of crime in the Irving Community,” says Byron Smith, corporate asset protection manager with 7-Eleven. “We are very thankful for the tremendous support the Irving Police Department has offered at our Store Support Center and surrounding 7-Eleven locations”
Strong relationships with our law enforcement partners is a key initiative for every loss prevention department. Finding ways to celebrate the men and women who serve our communities every day is something that we should all actively support.