Top Management Award
Chief Roberta Abner
Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department
Chief Roberta Abner's activities in community service exemplify her commitment to helping others and promoting the image of the LA County Sheriff's Department as well as law enforcement in general. Chief Abner has been involved in the Special Olympics for many years. In 2002, she took over as the Southern California Law Enforcement Torch Run (LETR) Director for the Special Olympics. Under her leadership, the fund raising effort has dramatically grown each year from $475,000 in 2002 to over $900,000 this past year. The mission of the Torch Run is two-fold, to raise awareness for individuals with disabilities by officers carrying the "Flame of Hope" through communities, as well as fund raising efforts to support athletes in sports competitions.
As a result of Chief Abner’s efforts, the participating number of officers from Southern California has also grown during this same time. The 2008 Southern California Law Enforcement Torch Run involved more than 3,500 officers who proudly carried the Special Olympics Torch more 1,500 miles and through more than 200 communities. For the first time, an aquatic route was added, taking the "Flame of Hope" across the LA/Long Beach Channel. The officers, representing law enforcement agencies throughout the state, collected donations for their participation and are sponsored by civic groups, local businesses and generous friends.
Officers also raised money through Tip-A-Cop dinners, Plane/Fire Truck Pulls, 5K 110K runs, Raffle s, Car Shows, Bike Rides, Polar Plunges, Adopt-a-Cop programs, golf tournaments and other special events. Officers volunteer their time to support their local athletes. Donations are directed into program support and development, expenses for athlete participation in local, regional, state and international competitions as well as training workshops and conferences. Special Olympics is a year round sports training program wherein athletes compete at no charge to their families.
Chief Abner also sits on the Board of Directors for Special Olympics Southern California (SOSC) as well as the Executive Committee for (SOSC). Participation is voluntary on the part of officers who support the program on behalf of the Special Olympic Athletes. Recognizing the value of sports in her own life, Chief Abner has seen first- hand the impact of sports and friendship on the lives of Special Olympic athletes.
Special Olympic athletes gain confidence, become healthier, and develop friendships. They are also more likely to be involved in their communities and hold jobs. The law enforcement officers involved in the Southern California Torch Run are committed to the effort each year. It has been their enthusiasm and involvement which has so positively impacted the program. Chief Abner enjoys working alongside these officers who are so dedicated to Special Olympics and the athletes they serve.
Chief Abner's commitment and leadership in the Special Olympics makes her unique and worthy of recognition for helping bring awareness and funding to children with disabilities and for improving the image of law enforcement in our communities. For her dedication and effort, the Golden Badge Foundation presents the 2009 Top Management Award to Roberta Abner.
Top Management Award
Senior Commander Michael Loyd
Imperial County Narcotic Task Force
Beyond the call of duty is an apt description of the daily law-enforcement life of Mike Loyd, senior commander of the Imperial County Narcotic Task Force (ICNTF), Special Agent Supervisor for the California Department of Justice's Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, and president of the Association of Special Agents-Department of Justice.
Along his 30-year journey as a sworn peace officer, Loyd has racked up his share of recognitions and citations, including a Commendation of Heroism award from the state DOJ in 1995, but it is in his daily duty as the “linchpin” leader of a coordinated national, state, and local task force that he excels at preventing one of America's more troubled border areas from descending into lawless chaos. They average 15 peace officers and 5 to 10 support staff that Loyd leads is drawn from the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency, Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Border Patrol, the state of California's Department of Justice and Highway Patrol, Imperial County's district attorney's office, probation department, and Child Protective Services, and at various times from the police departments of Brawley, Calexico, EI Centro, and Imperial.
This elite unit of ICNTF officers has its own compound, uniforms, marked and un-marked cars, surveillance trucks, and K-9. With every 911 call they assist; with every request for backup; with every traffic stop; and with every knock on the probation violator or parolee’s door brings with it the double danger from a native population of criminals, and also any number of the more than 60,000 people a day who stream back and forth along the borders of two nations.
Each year Loyd's team bests its previous-year's record in the amount of high-powered weapons, contrabands and drugs seized. When he is not participating directly in his team's operations, he has the challenging task of filling out many of the grant proposals for money that the task force survives on. For him, 14 hours is an average day, but then ICNTF is not just any task force. It is the state's oldest, founded in 1973. And the torch lit by one of its original members, heroic DEA Agent Enrique 'Kiki' Camarena, continues to burn intensely in the pride Mike Loyd takes in his job.
