Attorney General's 2007 Law Enforcement Office of the Year Award
A 27-year veteran of the Tampa Police Department was named the Attorney General’s Law Enforcement Officer of the Year for 2006 at a ceremony in Tallahasse that honored 14 officers for their hard work and dedication serving Florida.
Detective Sergeant James R. Contento received the award from Attorney General Bill McCollum, honoring Contento for his history of innovation and commitment to his community. At the ceremony, McCollum praised Detective Contento as a proven leader and stated his approach to policing will be passed on to the next generation of Tampa police officers.
As Detective Contento received his award, dozens of members of the law enforcement community, including 12 additional nominees, gave the Tampa detective a standing ovation.
Detective Contento was nominated by the Florida Retail Federation, who named Contento their Officer of the Year last November. He was recognized for his reputation for building successful partnerships between the Tampa police department and the public it serves.
His nomination from the Florida Retail Federation mentioned a particular program developed by Detective Contento to combat shopping crime during the last holiday season. Detective Contento coordinated a team of patrol officers including crime prevention, undercover, bicycle and mounted patrol officers to work with mall managers and retailers.
As a result of this unified approach, the number of serious offenses in targeted areas dropped more than 25 percent.
Each nominee for the Attorney General’s award had previously been recognized as an “Officer of the Year” by a Florida law enforcement agency or organization that sponsors such a statewide award.
A selection committee appointed by the Attorney General considered the distinguished group of nominees from state agencies and organizations including the Florida Sheriff’s Association, the Florida Police Chiefs Association, the State Law Enforcement Chiefs Association, the Florida Gang Investigators Association and the Florida Wildlife Federation.
Detective Contento is the fourth recipient of the Attorney General’s annual award. Last year’s recipient was Detective Kevin Kuschel of the Palm Beach County School District Police Department. The recipient in 2004 was Tallahassee Police Officer Chuck Perry, and Marion County Deputy Sheriff Mike Rolls was honored as the first recipient of the award in 2003.
A copy of the news release from the event is available here.
Top row, left to right: Detective John Esslinger, Lieutenant Michael Byrne, Deputy Sheriff Thomas Frank, Wildlife Officer Rick Francis, Lieutenant Charles Russo
Bottom row, left to right: Trooper Jorge Lopez-Torres, Trooper Carlos Austin, Attorney General Bill McCollum, Detective James Contento, Officer Richard Hackett, Special Agent Claudia Mulvey, Sergeant Steven Sharpton, Deputy Sheriff John Sleigher, Officer Byron Smith