Two police officers from DeKalb County received recognition at a recent statewide law enforcement conference.
DeKalb County police Detective Casey Benton was named Georgia’s outstanding police officer of the year, while Dunwoody police Sgt. Robert Parsons was named the state’s outstanding police supervisor of the year. Both awards were presented last week at the Summer Conference for the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police in Savannah, according to news releases.
Benton, a 15-year veteran with DeKalb police, has spent the past five years assigned to the department’s special victims unit. Since 2018, he’s also been part of the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force.
Over the past year, he received 115 cyber tips as part of the ICAC, leading to 14 arrests for sexual exploitation of children, child pornography and other sting operations, a release said. He also made four sex trafficking arrests.
In addition, he’s credited with helping develop a sex trafficking research tool for the Georgia Institute of Technology. The release said, “When complete, it is believed that this tool will be at the forefront of investigations for ICAC units across the country.”
Parsons, a 12-year veteran with Dunwoody police, is currently the department’s public information officer. He was recognized for his handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, several personnel changes within the department and last summer’s widespread protests against racism and police brutality.
He received credit for how he handled the department’s social media accounts during times of protests and threats of violence. He was “very responsive to media inquiries and provided accurate, detailed information regarding threats or incidents in the city,” the release said.
At the same conference, Peachtree City police Chief Janet Moon was sworn in as the next president of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police and Fayetteville police Chief James “Scott” Gray was named the organization’s vice president. The GBI was also awarded an award for law enforcement excellence.
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