Fullerton : Officer of Year Named by Latino Police Assn.

A nine-year veteran of the Fullerton Police Department was named officer of the year by the Orange County chapter of the Latino Peace Officers’ Assn., the department has announced.

Detective Tommy De La Rosa, 42, a decorated Vietnam War veteran, was chosen by the organization for his “outstanding work as an officer, especially in the field of narcotics law enforcement,” according to a statement issued by the department.

During his nine years on the force, De La Rosa has worked as a patrolman and an investigator, both in the narcotics bureau and in the division investigating crime scenes.

As a narcotics investigator, De La Rosa has helped the department arrest more than 100 suspected drug dealers, confiscate more than 400 pounds of cocaine and seize more than $400,000 in cash, department officials said.

De La Rosa, born and raised in Houston, lives in North Orange County with his wife, Leslie, and 7-month-old daughter, Ashley Marie.

While serving in the Marine Corps in Vietnam, De La Rosa earned two Purple Hearts for wounds received in action, as well as the Navy Achievement Medal and the Cross of Gallantry with Oak Leaf Cluster.