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2 Central Falls Police officers receive nation’s highest award in policing
Photo: (L-R): Major Reed, Mayor Rivera, Detective-Sergeant Araujo, Colonel Roberson, US Attorney Cuhna.
U.S. Attorney Zachary A. Cunha presented the U.S. Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing to two Central Falls Police Department officers – one of the nation’s highest awards in policing.
Detective-Sergeant Jeffrey Araujo and Major Christopher Reed were honored for their work which solved a decades-old murder case, bringing justice to the victim’s children and family. The award’s year-long selection process was rigorous, and included over three hundred officers from all over the nation.
Participants in the event held on Friday, April 8th were United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha, Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera, and Central Falls Police Colonel Anthony Roberson, and attendees at the Central Falls City Hall.
From the Justice Department:
The Justice Department today announced the recipients of the Fifth Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing. This year’s awards recognize the exceptional work of 18 law enforcement officers and deputies from 12 jurisdictions across the country.
Attorney General Garland announced the award recipients in Atlanta, Georgia. Later, he attended a ceremony for three award recipients from the DeKalb County Police Department.
“The work of law enforcement has always been difficult—but perhaps no more so than in the recent past, as officers have faced a host of significant challenges. The officers and deputies receiving this year’s awards demonstrate how so many go above and beyond, even in the midst of trying circumstances,” he said. “Every day, thousands of people who work in law enforcement forge and maintain strong community ties that are essential for ensuring public safety. The recipients of this award represent quintessential examples of such critical efforts. It is an honor to recognize them.”
United States Attorney Zachary A. Cunha added, “Doing justice is about a lot more than arrests and convictions – it’s about working hand-in-hand with every one of our communities to understand their needs and to serve as partners in keeping our families and neighbors safe. Today’s awards represent well-earned recognition of exactly that kind of partnership in policing. I am proud to congratulate Central Falls Police Department Investigative Bureau Major Christopher Reed and Central Falls Police Department Detective Commander Sgt. Jeffrey Araujo on their superb work as reflected by this award.
The Attorney General’s Award recognizes individual state, local, Tribal, and territorial police officers, deputies, and troopers for exceptional efforts in community policing. The awarded officers and deputies have demonstrated active engagement with the community in one of three areas: innovations in community policing, criminal investigations, or field operations. This year, the Department received 185 nominations from 145 agencies, recognizing a total of 347 individual officers, deputies, and troopers. There were 39 states represented in the nomination pool, covering state, local, campus, sheriff, and other agency types.
The work being honored this year reflects numerous examples of law enforcement officers working closely with the community to build trust, solve problems, reduce crime, and improve public safety.
The Department of Justice works closely with national law enforcement stakeholder groups during the award review period, taking advantage of their expertise and experience to determine the recipients in a competitive nomination process. The Department also works closely with its components, utilizing the breadth of knowledge within the Department to ensure a successful program that honors the exceptional service of our nation’s law enforcement officers and deputies.
Complete information on the Fifth Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Community Policing can be found at https://www.justice.gov/ag/policing-award.
More details from the U.S. Justice Department:
In July 2007, a cab driver was shot in his cab and died by the time he was transported to the hospital. Witnesses reported seeing three young men run from the scene, some tossing their baseball caps as they ran. When processing the scene, Detective (now Detective-Sergeant) Jeffrey Araujo and Detective (now Major) Christopher Reed discovered two baseball caps in the vicinity of the shooting. The detectives later spoke with the victim’s wife, who said she was on the phone with her husband just before the shooting. She said her husband had called to say he was not comfortable with the three men in his taxi and wanted to keep her on the phone in case something went wrong. Shortly after, his wife heard a struggle and the phone disconnected.
Detectives Araujo and Reed were later contacted by a confidential informant, who identified a man he said had shot the driver. The detectives also received information about the other two men in the car. The detectives continued to pursue the investigation over the years but lacked hard evidence. Through their continued efforts, however, in May 2017, the detectives spoke with a subject who wanted to talk about the taxi driver’s murder and provided information on the suspects who were involved. At the same time, the detectives spoke with another individual who reported the suspects had talked about the murder the day after it happened. Araujo and Reed then resubmitted both baseball hats and requested they be tested against the profiles of the three suspects. There was a match, and thanks to this match and other evidence, the detectives secured an indictment. After a trial, the suspect was convicted and sentenced. Although the victim’s wife had passed away in the interim, because of the detectives’ tenacious work, the victim’s children and family were able to see that justice was finally served.