The Clermont Police Department COPPS Unit was awarded the Crime Prevention Unit of the Year Award for 2022! It was given out by the Florida Crime Prevention Association at its 53rd Annual FCPA Training Conference. This particular award was for smaller agencies, less than 100 sworn.
The COPPS Unit was nominated by their supervisor Lieutenant Nicholas Bloom for the following:
- Rad Ride – Bicycle Safety and Rodeo event with a BMX stunt show and an anti-bullying message.
- Honor the Fallen 5K – Event to raise funds in the memory of fallen officers.
- Youth Basketball Camp – 2 day camp for kids to play basketball with officers and to work on drills and skills development.
- Conrad Buckley Memorial Golf Tournament – Event in honor of one of their own fallen officers, providing scholarships to new recruits in his name.
- Holiday with Heroes – After funding from a major shopping chain backed out of annual shop with a cop events, the COPPS Unit partnered with a local business to provide a shopping experience for 50 children with an officer.
- Cookie with a Cop – New spin on Coffee with a Cop, to reach more of the community in a fun and engaging way.
- 2 Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run events.
- Several Tip-a-Cop events to raise funds for Special Olympics.
- Youth Academy – 1 week program teaching youth about law enforcement and providing them with training and hands on experiences related to the job of being a police officer.
- 7 Coffee with a Cop events at different local businesses.
- 5 blood drives with the Big Red One Blood Bus.
- Fraud and Safety presentations at different community/HOA meetings.
- Annual National Night Out event with attendance as much as 5,000.
- Anti-bullying and Bicycle Safety presentations at schools.
- Hosted Read to Sydney events in which kids got to meet and interact with therapy dogs while listening to a story.
- Drive-Thru Trunk or Treat event with several hundred attendees who drove through.
- Koda the Fluff safety videos for social media about Traffic Safety, Bicycle Safety, Anti-Bullying, and other safety messages.
- Hosted Battle of the Badges, an annual charity event with Lake County Sheriff’s Office. Cost of admission is one unwrapped toy. Toys are distributed to community children on Christmas Eve.
- Several Stuff-a-Cruiser events to collect gifts for children in the community for Christmas.
Clermont police officers did not stop there, however. After Hurricane Ian, they coordinated a supply drive for people affected by the hurricane in Southwest Florida. Many other LEO agencies participated. K9 Koda shared about how to contribute to the event in this video. Photos of officers and K9 Koda distributing supplies are also below. I.U.P.A. Local Clermont Police Officers/Sgts. Union, #6013 and #6014, President Chris Martin was the coordinator for the supply drive.
The I.U.P.A. and LEORF Hero Spotlight shines a light on LEOs whose heroism, quick thinking, and dedication are examples to those in our profession and remind us all why we put on the uniform every day. Previous Hero Spotlights have included:
