This past Saturday, members of Hardison & Cochran had the opportunity to attend the George Almond Officer of the Year Award put on by the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association Cary Chapter. The Cary Chapter Board, in their first year chose to sponsor an Officer of the Year award in honor of retired Detective George Almond. Almond, a PBA member was shot in the line of duty in October of 2001. He survived the shooting and returned to duty as a detective in juvenile investigations before retiring in August of 2004. The award recognizes outstanding achievement in the areas of leadership, community service, mentoring, excellence in performance, and valor.
Along with the awards, attendees had the pleasure of hearing from Roanoke Rapids police officer, John Taylor, who in November of 2010 was shot five times in a traffic stop on I-95. Taylor spoke on his recovery and the pride he has in his community after seeing them come together after the shooting. In April, the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association will be holding a 5K run to raise funds in helping offset medical and personal expenses for Officer Taylor. For more information, please check out the Facebook page of the event by clicking here.
The winner of the 2010 Officer of the Year award was Officer Matt Pearson. Congratulations to Officer Pearson for his dedication to making Cary, and ultimately North Carolina, a safer place to live. If you would like to see more pictures of the event, please view the North Carolina Police Benevolent Association Facebook page.
* Photo: Justin Fagge and Ben Cochran at the George Almond Officer of the Year Award in Cary, North Carolina.
