Mission
The Friends of Dallas Police was founded in 1982 with a mission to raise and provide funds to be used to host a major awards banquet each year honoring Dallas Police Department personnel for outstanding performance in the line of duty. Over the years, approximately 4,867 awards have been presented to officers and civilian staff, and more than $49,000 in educational scholarships have been awarded to their children.
Each year during its annual awards banquet, Friends of the Dallas Police honors 200-250 police officers and nonsworn employees who have been recognized by the Dallas Police Department in the past year for their strong leadership, courage and exceptional service. Award nominees and winners are selected by the Dallas Police Department's Meritorious Conduct Board with the exception of the top two awards - the Departmental Officer of the Year Award and the Departmental Non-Sworn Employee of the Year Award - these award winners are chosen by the Chief of Police from nominations given by the DPD's Meritorious Conduct Board.
Awards given include: Police Cross, Police Shield, Medal of Valor, Life Saving , Police Commendation , Meritorious Conduct , Departmental Officer of the Year and Nonsworn Employee of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Field Training Officer of the Year, Supervisor of the Year, Detective of the Year, and Reserve Officer of the Year.
Friends of the Dallas Police also honors top division nonsworn employee and officer of the year award recipients in the following areas: Administrative and Support Officer of the Year, Administrative Nonsworn Employee and Officer of the Year, Communications Nonsworn Employee of the Year, Community Outreach Nonsworn Employee and Officer of the Year, Criminal Investigations Non-sworn Employee and Officer of the Year, In-Field Support Nonsworn Employee of the Year, Operations Nonsworn Employee and Officer of the Year, Chief of Police Nonsworn Employee and Officer of the Year, and Patrol Bureau Nonsworn Employee and Officer of the Year.
The Dallas Foundation is the fiscal sponsor of Friends of the Dallas Police, a component fund of The Dallas Foundation, a 501(c)(3), publicly supported charity.