Two Officers Win Officer of the Year Awards in DBA’s Law Day Program
In years past, despite all the excellent candidates, the Law Day Award judges have been able to select a single candidate for the honor of Officer of the Year. This year, however, there were two nominees who went so far above and beyond the call of duty that it was decided that the tie could not be broken and both officers were deserving of the title “Officer of the Year.”
Officer of the Year Award presented to Ruth Stringer by Javoyne Hicks White
Lt. Ruth Stringer of the DeKalb Sheriff’s Department is a 20-year veteran who loves to run the five-mile trek around the base of Stone Mountain. Based on her training in law enforcement, as well as her experience as a marine, detention officer and internal affairs officer, Lt. Stringer was able to come to the rescue last September, while on a run in Stone Mountain Park.
She observed a man sitting on a bench watching everyone as they went by in a manner that caught her attention. She watched him, until she lost sight of him. She then went into the ladies restroom, where she noticed male feet sticking out from under one of the stalls, “as if he were kneeling.” At that time she was unsure if it was a helpful father, or the man she’d seen earlier, so she paused. She then heard the muffled cries of a child and knew it was time to act. Lt. Stringer ordered the man to release the child and after repeating the command, he finally complied. A frightened 13-year-old girl then emerged form the restroom stall, saved from this predator.
Lt. Stringer is the mother of a 4-year-old, and not only loves running, but also eating healthy and playing chess. She is being promoted to the rank of Captain in the Sheriff’s Department and when asked why she would get involved in something like this when she was on her day off, she indicated that “you’re on-duty 24 hours a day.”
Officer of the Year Award presented to Fidel Espinoza by Javoyne Hicks White
Officer Fidel Espinoza was a veteran of the DeKalb Police Department before joining the newly created Dunwoody Police Department in 2009. Officer Espinoza wanted to find a means to reduce crime in his patrol area. Part of his patrol area included neighborhoods in depressed economic circumstances, which were worsened by increased unemployment, encroaching gang activity, prostitution, narcotics violations, and poor housing conditions in violation of municipal ordinances.
Even though Officer Espinoza speaks Spanish, he still faced a lack of trust from even the Spanish-speaking residents there. In an effort to respond to the needs of this community, he needed to find a window to gain the trust of these citizens and to encourage cooperation with the police department. Officer Espinoza recommended that the department initiate a “Christmas for Kids” program to bring traditional Christmas cheer to children who would otherwise have no opportunity to celebrate. He submitted his proposal to the Chief of Police and received permission to go forward, along with the department’s commitment to provide the support he needed to implement the first annual “Christmas for Kids” program in Dunwoody.
While on routine patrols, officers worked to identify children in need. Officers also contacted apartment managers to help in identifying children and families most likely to need assistance during the Christmas holidays. Through the efforts, drive, and commitment of Officer Espinoza, 60 such children were identified as being in need, and invitations were issued for a Christmas for Kids dinner. Each child in attendance received age-appropriate gifts from Santa Claus and volunteer “elves” from the department.
We are grateful for Lt. Stringer’s and Officer Espinoza’s ideals and service to our county, which have gone above and beyond the call of duty. They are both truly deserving of the title “Officer of the Year”!