Florida Office of the Attorney General issued the following announcement on Feb. 25.
Attorney General Ashley Moody is recognizing the two-year anniversary of the Back the Blue campaign. The Back the Blue Award is presented to law enforcement officials, individuals or organizations who have either gone above and beyond the call of duty, shown extraordinary support of law enforcement or made significant inroads in building positive relationships between law enforcement and the local community. Since the inception of the award program, Back the Blue Awards have been given to more than 30 police officers, sheriff’s deputies, highway patrol officers, police K-9s, private citizens and community organizations.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “Florida law enforcement officers risk their lives daily to protect us, and as the wife of a law enforcement officer, I have witnessed personally the sacrifice and courage necessary to keep that commitment. That is why I created the Back the Blue campaign—to highlight law enforcement officers, citizens and organizations taking extraordinary steps to forge positive relationships between law enforcement and the communities they serve. I am so grateful for each of the recipients’ contributions to building a Stronger, Safer Florida.”
The inaugural Back the Blue Award was presented in February of 2019 to Zechariah Cartledge, a then-10-year-old boy from Winter Springs who supports law enforcement by running one mile to honor every fallen law enforcement officer. Attorney General Moody has issued awards to law enforcement officers, community groups and even police K-9s.
In April 2020, Attorney General Moody issued a Back the Blue Award to recognize the thousands of law enforcement officers, citizens and organizations throughout the state coming together to support one another during the COVID-19 pandemic. Most recently, Attorney General Moody presented the Punta Gorda Police Department’s Veteran Crisis Assistance Team a Back the Blue Award for its innovative approach to help local military veterans in need.
Since the award’s inception in February 2019, Attorney General Moody has recognized outstanding officials, citizens and groups from Escambia County to Palm Beach County, and from Jacksonville to Fort Myers, with plenty of stops in between.
Original source can be found here.