Officers Receive "True to Atlanta" Award

The Dunwoody Police Department is proud to announce that five Police Officers and one Sergeant have been chosen as the most recent recipients of the Atlanta Hawks' True to Atlanta award, which is presented in partnership with Kaiser Permanente.

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Incident:    Officers Receive "True to Atlanta" Award
Date:          January 20, 2017
Location:   Dunwoody, Georgia

On November 15, 2016, during a routine business check, D-Team officers came into contact with three homeless individuals. It was immediately evident to the officers that the individuals were in need of assistance. Each was underdressed for the cold weather, and the items they were wearing were dirty and tattered. During a conversation with the officers, the three individuals explained that they were just trying to stay warm and stay out of trouble. Rather than taking on a hardline approach to the situation, the officers decided to help.

Using their own money, officers purchased a one-way bus ticket to Biloxi, Mississippi for one of the individuals in order for him to return home and visit his grandfather, who is terminally ill.

Officers took to social media platforms to ask for the public’s help in collecting warm clothing items for the other two individuals that planned to remain in the metro Atlanta area. As expected, the community responded by donating warm clothing items for the two individuals, along with many extra items for the Department to provide to others in the future.

News of the officers' compassion reached executives of the Atlanta Hawks basketball team. They made the decision to present the True to Atlanta award to members of the Dunwoody Police Department’s D-Team. According to the Atlanta Hawks’ website, the True to Atlanta award serves "to recognize individuals throughout Metro Atlanta who are building bridges in their community." The awards "strive to honor leaders who are using impactful volunteerism to empower their communities."

"The Atlanta Hawks Foundation and Kaiser Permanente will support the great work of all True to Atlanta Honorees by presenting them with a $1,000.00 donation to a charity of their choice, four tickets to an Atlanta Hawks game and a personalized jersey."

On Thursday, January 5th, representatives from the Atlanta Hawks and Kaiser Permanente met with D-Team officers at the Dunwoody Police Department in order to make the official announcement and present the True to Atlanta award. Recipients of the award are:

Sergeant S. Lenahan
Officer J. Carruth
Officer J. Hensal
Officer J. Sanders
Officer G. Wiencek
Officer Z. Woodburn

Following the announcement at the Dunwoody Police Department, D-Team officers were also honored at halftime during last Sunday’s Hawks game against the Milwaukee Bucks. Each member was presented with a personalized Hawks jersey, and the department received a $1,000.00 check, which will be donated to Special Olympics Georgia.

For more information, please contact Community Outreach / Public Information Officer Mark Stevens via telephone at 678-382-6917 or via Email at mark.stevens@dunwoodyga.gov.

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