The Italy Police Department is proud to announce that one of its officers will receive the 2012 State of Texas Law Enforcement Achievement Award for Public Service.

The department received notice from the Texas Commission On Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE) on April 2nd, 2013 that Sgt. Tierra Mooney will receive the award at an awards ceremony at the State Capitol in Austin on June 13th, 2013 at 10:00am.

Each year, the Texas Commission on Law Enforcement Officer Standards and Education (TCLEOSE) accepts nominations for the annual State of Texas Law Enforcement Achievement Awards. The awards are presented to selected peace officers, reserve officers, jailers, and custodial officers who are licensed by TCLEOSE. Nominees exceed the normal expectations of job performance through acts of professional achievement, public service, or valor.

Diron Hill, the Chief of Police for the Italy Police Department, nominated Sgt. Mooney for the Public Service Achievement Award for her efforts with the Italy “Shop with a COP” program.

The following are some of the excerpts from the nomination letter:

Sgt. Mooney has used a tremendous amount of initiative and dedication to serving her community and fostering community relations and good will by creating, organizing, and executing our local “Shop with a COP” program. This program has made an everlasting and far reaching impact on the lives of many children in this community. It has also brought together our citizens to work for a common goal, which is for the community to engage in a partnership with the police department and improve the lives of all Citizens.

Sgt. Mooney has been involved in every aspect of this program including but not limited to: fundraising, a process to select the children, organizing the “Shop With A Cop” event, and delivering the toys on Christmas morning. She has brilliantly planned every detail of this program. For a fundraising idea, she planned a Police versus Fire Softball game with a community firework show during the July 4th, which brought the community together for a common goal. She has been instrumental in raising thousands of dollars for this program. She is definitely worthy to receive this award for community service.

Sgt. Mooney has been with the Italy Police Department since 2008. She started with the department as a part-time officer and quickly rose through the ranks to become the department’s patrol sergeant in 2012. Late in 2012, Sgt. Mooney decided to pursue a career in the private sector but remains with the department as a reserve officer. She stated that she wanted to remain with the department because she cares for the community and would like to remain a part of the “Shop with a COP” program that she implemented in 2011.

Tierra has been a valuable asset to this department and has made many lasting contributions to the community. She is a dedicated officer and cares about the welfare of every citizen.