Press release here:
ASHEVILLE – On the evening of 3-31-11, the City of Asheville Police Department held its annual Awards Banquet to celebrate the many achievements of the department from the previous year.
Asheville’s own local celebrity Harry Anderson, (from TV’s Night Court and Dave’s World), very graciously and hilariously provided the evenings entertainment and expertly shepherded the award recipients through the night’s festivities. Another of Asheville’s own, Caleb Johnson (of American Idol fame), was kind enough to sing the national anthem for the ceremony.
Among the many receiving awards this year:
Sarah McDevitt: Volunteer of the Year.
Myjenta Spivey: Explorer of the Year.
Lt. Rae Ferguson: Chaplains Award.
Christine DeVico: Civilian Employee of the Year.
Senior Police Officer Sonia Escobedo: Officer of the Year.
K9 Officer Sonia Escobedo, a 15 year veteran of the department, constantly proves herself to be a valuable asset to both the police department and the City of Asheville. She is relied upon for her assistance with language interpretation; many times serving as an interpreter for APD, the local DEA office, ALE Office, etc… In one particular case, language skills were instrumental in the prosecution of a multiple state Human Trafficking Ring.