Activity at the International Association of Chiefs of Police conference in San Diego hit full stride today. A full day of workshops covered a wide array of law enforcement topics. IACP Committee and Section meetings got under way, and the NLEOMF presented at several of them.
Probably the biggest activity for the day was the opening of the Exhibit Hall, at 10 am. The San Diego Convention Center is massive, with more than 750 exhibitors, featuring every law enforcement product and service you could ever think of.
Several of the exhibitors are NLEOMF Corporate Partners, and our Chairman and CEO, Craig Floyd, joined members of the Development team in visiting these supporters and providing them with shields to display at their exhibits booths recognizing them as NLEOMF supporters. Some of our largest corporate partners – DuPont, Motorola and Advanced Interactive Systems – have the Memorial Fund and the National Law Enforcement Museum prominently displayed in their regular exhibit.
At the NLEOMF exhibit (Booth #4523), a steady stream of friends, supporters and newcomers to the organization came by the booth. They picked up information about the Memorial Fund and Museum, plus a variety of give-aways—lapel pins, patches, 2009 calendars, remembrance bracelets and more.
At 2 pm, Craig Floyd joined the leadership of “The Force,” a law enforcement uniform supplier and another NLEOMF Corporate Partner, for a special award. For the last four years, “The Force” has presented the Positive Force Award to a law enforcement officer who goes above and beyond the call of duty and displays exceptional courage, dedication or excellence. Nominations for the award come from a variety of sources, including the NLEOMF “Officer of the Month” awardees, who are automatically entered.
This year’s Positive Force Award winner is Officer Brian Bobick of the Metropolitan Police Department of Washington, DC. Last December, Officer Bobick selflessly pushed his bike patrol partner out of the way as a speeding stolen vehicle, driven by a 15 year old who was intentionally trying to run the officers, came barreling toward them. Officer Bobick was the March 2008 Officer of the Month of the NLEOMF.
In the evening, the California Chiefs of Police Association hosted a reception in support of the Museum project at the Harbor House in Seaport Village. Several hundred friends and supporters heard impassioned—and sometimes humorous—remarks by Craig Floyd, Marine Gunnery Sgt. (and actor) R. Lee Ermey, and Pulitzer-Prize winning author Jospeph Waumbuagh. Wambaugh, a former Los Angeles Police officer and a member of the National Honorary Campaign Committee of the National Law Enforcement Museum, gave out signed copies of his newest novel Hollywood Station, which is set in the LAPD. Organized by Cynthia Brown, of American Police Beat magazine, the event was sponsored by several corporate friends, including LexisNexis, Glock, 5.11 Tactical, American Police Beat, and AIS.