The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO) recognized the bravery and heroism of dozens of law enforcement officers from across the country at its 31st annual Top Cops Awards dinner during National Police Week in Washington, D.C., on May 12.

Each year, members of federal, state, county, tribal and local agencies nationwide nominate their partners and colleagues for actions above and beyond the call of duty during the preceding year. From the hundreds nominated, an independent committee of national law enforcement representatives selects the finalists, of which 10 are named Top Cops Awards winners.

Congratulations to all the 2024 honorees for their incredible service!

ALABAMA

On March 28, 2023, Huntsville Police Officers Albert Morin and Garrett Crumby responded to an apartment where a woman had been shot. They entered the unlocked apartment and an armed suspect opened fire on them. Crumby and Morin were struck multiple times. Morin, who wounded the suspect in the leg, was unable to bring Crumby to safety and moved from the scene to radio for help. When backup arrived, the suspect surrendered. The female victim received medical treatment for a non-life-threatening wound. The officers were both rushed to the hospital where, tragically, Crumby succumbed to his injuries.

CALIFORNIA — LOS ANGELES

On March 8, 2023, the LAPD received a tip that a man with a felony warrant was hiding at a residence. A K-9 unit located him and attempted to make contact, but the man ignored them. Officers eventually introduced OC vapor to force the man outside. Officer Steven Wills acted as a cover for Officer Daniel Cota, who deployed the OC canisters. The man unsuccessfully tried to escape, and after officers advised him to surrender, he opened fire on them. Officers Wills, Alan Ramirez and Adrian Bonilla were each struck by gunfire. The officers returned fire, joined by Officers Steven Jenkins, Christopher Jones and Ruben Chavez, while taking cover and evacuating the garage area. The suspect was shot multiple times, succumbing to his wounds. Officers Maricela Corral, Hans Almaraz and Thomas Onyshko provided immediate medical attention to the wounded officers, who made a full recovery.

CALIFORNIA — SAN DIEGO

On December 7, 2023, San Diego Police Sergeant Anthony Elliott, along with Officers Tanarat Crowe, Samuel Hernandez, Alicia Steidley, Darrion Talalele and Trevor Wright, responded to a stolen vehicle report. The officers located the stolen vehicle in a supermarket parking lot with a female passenger, who told the officers the suspect was inside the market. Steidley, Crowe and Hernandez went inside, while Elliott, Wright and Talalele remained outside. The man ran out of the store, and the officers outside quickly gave chase and closed in on him. The man pulled out a handgun, striking Elliott in the head and firing at the other officers. Officers returned fire and neutralized the threat. Elliott miraculously survived and recovered from his injury.

LOUISIANA

On August 5, 2023, Lafayette P.D. officers responded to a residence where they heard a woman screaming for help. Officer Raynard Ford attempted to open the door, but someone inside forced it closed. Ford kicked the door in and ordered the suspect to come outside, but he refused. Ford quickly evacuated two young children and a young woman from inside the residence. Ford and Officer Alan Cortez drew their service weapons, while Officer Hali Bradford had her Taser ready. The suspect re-emerged and fired on the officers, striking Bradford. Ford and Cortez returned fire while providing Bradford with cover. Cortez was struck. Bradford, who was paralyzed from the waist down, dragged herself out of the line of fire before losing consciousness, with Ford further dragging her to safety. Corporal Adam Bradford, her husband of just three weeks, and Corporal Maverick Morvant arrived on scene. They rushed Officer Bradford to the hospital, where she received lifesaving treatment. She and Cortez survived and recovered from their wounds, and the suspect, who was captured alive, has since been indicted for second-degree murder and other charges.

NEW YORK

On December 3, 2023, a man violently stabbed five members of his family, four of them fatally, including two children, at his home. A child was able jump out of a window to escape and call 9-1-1. Within minutes NYPD Officers Edmond Decio and Richard Gonzalez arrived at the home, which had been set ablaze by the suspect. The man lunged at the officers with a large knife, stabbing Decio in the neck and slashing Gonzalez in the temple. Despite his injury, Decio unholstered his firearm and shot the man, ending the threat. Both officers recovered from their wounds.

NORTH DAKOTA

On July 14, 2023, Fargo Police Officers Zachary Robinson and Andrew Dotas responded to a routine traffic accident with Officers Jake Wallin and Tyler Hawkes and the fire department. As the first responders were working the scene and helping the injured victims, a suspect opened fire on them, severely wounding Dotas and Hawkes and killing Wallin immediately. Robinson engaged in a gun battle with the suspect, eventually bringing him down. Robinson then administered first aid to his fellow officers. The injured officers and a civilian were transported to the hospital, where they received lifesaving treatment.

OHIO

On September 3, 2023, the Alliance P.D. received a 9-1-1 call about a man holding a knife to a woman’s throat in an apartment. Patrolman Lee Rose arrived on scene, where he saw the suspect and elderly victim through a window. The man ignored commands to drop the knife and retreated farther into his apartment. Rose gained entry to the building and heard voices coming from inside a locked room. Sergeant Steve Minich arrived and helped Rose try to breach the door. Detective Robert Toussant and Patrolmen Shane Tallman and Chad Caughey arrived, and Minich and Tallman managed to open the door. The officers confronted the suspect, who was ignoring their commands to drop the knife and using the victim as a human shield. Toussant fired at the suspect, ending the threat and saving the victim’s life.

TENNESSEE

On March 27, 2023, a heavily armed suspect entered the Covenant School and immediately shot and killed a custodian, three 9-year-old students, the school principal and a substitute teacher. Within minutes, Metro Nashville Police Sergeant Jeff Mathes, Detectives Ryan M. Cagle, Michael Collazo and Zachary Plese, and Officer Rex Engelbert responded and rushed into the building. They heard gunshots coming from the second floor and immediately ascended a flight of stairs, where they discovered the suspect opening fire on officers arriving on campus. Acting quickly, Engelbert and Collazo fired at the suspect, striking and killing them.

TEXAS — AUSTIN

On November 11, 2023, the Austin P.D. received a 9-1-1 call from a woman who had just escaped from a home where she and two family members had been stabbed by her brother. Responding officers breached the front door after attempts to contact the suspect were unsuccessful. They were met with gunfire from the suspect, who was using the family members as human shields. Austin SWAT was called, and Sergeants Jeff Bauzon and Kevin De La Rue and Senior Police Officers Chandler Carrera, Jared Carruth, Michael Castillo, John Conner, Andrew S. Kabbah, Robert Keith, Kevin Olejar and Matthew Schill immediately entered the residence to take down the suspect and rescue the hostages. Amid heavy gunfire, they stopped the threat, but not before Conner and Officer Jorge Pastore were shot. Conner was seriously injured but survived, and Pastore tragically succumbed to his injuries. The two victims inside the home were also killed by the suspect.

TEXAS — HOUSTON

On December 2, 2023, Houston Police Sergeant Mauricio Valle was conducting a follow-up burglary investigation when he was ambushed by a suspect in a parking lot. The suspect shot at Valle’s vehicle numerous times. Valle’s tactical vest took several bullets, but he was still hit multiple times in both his arms and legs. He managed to get out of his vehicle and return fire on the suspect, striking him as he tried to escape the scene. Valle radioed for backup, and responding officers located the suspect, who was pronounced dead at the scene, brought down by Valle’s return fire.