LAPD Officers, Employees Honored

It was an Academy Awards-like day for Central City police and other law enforcement staffers Tuesday when employees of the Los Angeles Police Department’s Central Division were honored in an annual ceremony at the downtown Hyatt Regency Hotel.

Mayor Richard Riordan praised the Central Division, which is based on skid row, citing an 8% drop in reported violent crime and a 12% drop in nonviolent crime over the last year.

Robert Lamont was honored as detective of the year. Lamont, who has been assigned to skid row for 21 years, was praised for what fellow Officer Terry Cammack described as possessing the “driving force to see a job completed and a motivation you usually only see in young officers.”

Other honored employees of the Central Division were Orlando Chandler as patrolman of the year, Sgt. Ronald Waugh as supervisor of the year, Archie Nagao as support officer of the year, Brenda Hickie as civilian employee of the year and Jennifer Duke as volunteer of the year.

The third annual event was sponsored by the Central City Police Boosters, a group of businesses in the downtown area that support the police station and donated a $500 travel certificate to each winner.