Justice Department Honors Rank-and-File Law Enforcement Officers and Deputies
JUSTICE DEPARTMENT HONORS RANK-AND-FILE LAW ENFORCEMENT OFFICERS AND DEPUTIES IN THIRD ANNUAL ATTORNEY GENERAL’S AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED SERVICE IN POLICING
Three Detectives Recognized in District of Rhode Island
WASHINGTON – Attorney General William P. Barr and Justice Department leadership today announced the recipients of the Third Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing, recognizing the exceptional work of 19 law enforcement officers and deputies from 12 jurisdictions across the country.
United States Attorney General William P. Barr honored Providence Police Detectives George Duarte, Jeff Richards, and Anthony Roberson during a ceremony in the Great Hall at the Robert F. Kennedy Justice Department Building.
“Honoring and supporting the work of law enforcement officers and deputies is a top priority for the Trump Administration, and today is an opportunity for me to personally express my gratitude and commitment to those who risk their lives daily to protect our communities,” said Attorney General Barr. “The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing honors exceptional police officers and the vital public service they provide. The brave men and women in law enforcement are engaged in an unrelenting and often unacknowledged fight to keep our communities safe each and every day. It is an honor to thank them for their service.”
United States Attorney Aaron Weisman added, “Exemplary police investigations like those carried out by Providence Police detectives Jeffrey Richards and George Duarte are at the heart of the vital role served by urban law enforcers, day in and day out; investigations which do so much to make our communities safe and livable places. I also commend the truly outstanding and beyond-the-call-of-duty community activities of Providence Police Detective Anthony Roberson. While so many here in Providence are already aware of the really remarkable impact that Detective Roberson’s outreach programs have had, especially with the youth, on making Providence safer and more pleasant, I am gratified that his incredible outreach activities have come the attention of the Department of Justice.”
Providence Police Chief Hugh T. Clements, Jr., added, “The Providence Police Department is truly honored to win the Attorney General Award in two categories for ‘Distinguished Service in Policing’. Our Community Police foundation is built on a balanced focus of keeping our city safe and promoting positive interactions to engage with all of our citizens. Our comprehensive approach with our community partners has led to great success with continued reductions in violent crime and solid trust within the community. This recognition from the Attorney General validates our commitment.”
President Donald J. Trump established clear directives for the Department of Justice – with three Executive Orders – demonstrating his strong support of the law enforcement community. These Executive Orders commit the Department to working in tandem with state and local law enforcement to restore the rule of law, reduce violent crime, dismantle criminal gangs, and combat the growing drug epidemic. Today the Department of Justice continues to support the President’s directive to honor law enforcement officers by announcing the third annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing.
The Attorney General’s Award recognizes individual state, local, and tribal sworn rank-and-file police officers and deputies for exceptional efforts in policing. The awarded officers and deputies have demonstrated active engagement with the community in one of three areas: criminal investigations, field operations or innovations in community policing. The Department received 199 nominations for 414 individuals ranging from state police departments, to local police, to campus public safety agencies. This award highlights the work that troopers, officers and deputies do to prevent, intervene in, and respond to crime and public safety issues.
Providence Police Department detectives George Duarte and Jeff Richards were honored for their outstanding work tracking down and arresting an individual who allegedly kidnapped, drugged, and sexually assaulted a high school student as she walked to school in February 2017. The detectives had limited information available to them because the victim had been drugged and was disoriented, and therefore able to provide only a few details of the kidnapping and attack.
In investigating the alleged kidnapping and sexual assault of the high school student, Detectives Duarte and Richards painstakingly retraced the path the suspect took while in contact with the victim. This included canvassing any possible video camera footage that might have captured the suspect’s vehicle while it was travelling around areas that the victim could recall. Several glimpses of the vehicle were found, and as the detectives followed the trail through video they were able to observe the suspect’s vehicle in a gas station; a license plate was revealed, giving them a break in the case. Following the arrest of the alleged perpetrator, a subsequent investigation by detectives Duarte and Richards resulted in the identification of two additional young women who were allegedly assaulted by the suspect, as seen on his cellphone video. Additionally, six other sexual assaults allegedly filmed by the same person had female victims whom the detectives were never able to identify. These victims were allegedly unconscious during the assaults.
Providence Police detective Anthony Roberson, a 17-year veteran of the Department, not only serves the community he grew up in while rising through the ranks but spends a large part of his personal time volunteering in many ways to further serve the community at large.
On many days when Detective Roberson’s shift is over, if he is not finishing up additional schooling, teaching driver’s education, or volunteering at the Sojourner House, his innovative approach to community policing includes, among other programs, his “Shop with a Cop” program for kids. He encourages businesses big and small to donate dinners, items, and the like, which are raffled off to raise money to buy gift cards for use by kids who might otherwise not be able to purchase essentials and school supplies. To date, around 300 kids from around the city have participated this program, strengthening the relationship between law enforcement and the community they serve and protect.
Additionally, Detective Roberson’s “Handshake Initiative” in Providence, Cumberland, and East Providence, brings nearly 200 successful adults from all walks of life, dressed in work uniform, to welcome students to school in the morning with encouragement, handshakes, and high-fives. The program emphasizes to students that they can pursue any career they choose. There is also the Bicycle Safety Initiative that Detective Roberson started with Walmart, along with grant money and volunteer police officers, providing dozens of kids a year with a bicycle and a helmet.