(L-R) Finalist Lynne Brawn, Finalist Robin Edwards, Retired Detective
George Almond, 2008 Winner George Daniels, Finalist Donna Pell,
and Finalist Myron Guthrie
The PBA has long held the reputation for educating the public about the
daily work of law enforcement officers and the sacrifices they make to
keep their communities safe. Through these education efforts many
relationships with the community have led to partnerships that have
benefited members of the PBA. The PBA also has an extensive history for
creating solid and sustainable relationships with elected officials to
affect positive change for our members. The Cary chapter continues to
take this process of education, partnerships, and relationship building
to a new level. Every year the Cary Chapter brings together elected
officials, officers, and the community to showcase the talents of police
officers and honor the legacy of retired Detective George Almond. The
Cary Chapter Board, in their first year chose to sponsor an Officer of
the Year award in honor of retired Detective George Almond. Almond, a
PBA member was shot in the line of duty in October of 2001. He survived
the shooting and returned to duty as a detective in juvenile
investigations before retiring in August of 2004. The award recognizes
outstanding achievement in the areas of leadership, community service,
mentoring, excellence in performance, and valor.
On February 21, 2009, Detective George Daniels was named the recipient
of the 2008 “George Almond” Officer of the Year award in festivities at
the Embassy Suites in Cary, N.C. Daniels was selected from a group of
five finalists by the Cary chapter board. The other finalists were Myron
Guthrie, Robin Edwards, Donna Pell, and Lynne Brawn.
Detective Daniels was nominated by Sgt. Randy Byrd. In his nomination,
Sgt. Byrd mentioned the many years of experience and the solid
reputation that Detective Daniels has throughout the department, the law
enforcement community as a whole, and the district attorney’s office.
The nomination also highlighted his informal leadership, mentoring, and
his community service. In 2008, Detective Daniels served as the lead
detective on three homicide investigations. These homicides occurred
over an eight month period and required numerous man hours and
investigative work. Although many detectives and officers worked on
these cases, two detectives (Jim Young and Adam Dismukes) worked with
Detective Daniels extensively. According to Sgt. Byrd, “Detective
Daniels not only provided tremendous leadership and direction with these
cases, but served these detectives as a mentor and an informal leader.
Both of these detectives have grown professionally because of working
with Detective Daniels and have developed a deep and profound respect
for him that words alone can’t measure. This is due in part to his
unassuming approach to individuals that wants those working with him to
achieve their maximum potential. His approach works because he doesn’t
seek credit or recognition for himself but because he is always focused
on the greater good. He has always been willing to sacrifice for this
greater good and lead by quiet example. This is the true test of
leadership and one that George has mastered.” In continuing his
nomination Sgt. Byrd noted that Detective Daniel’s commitment to service
doesn’t end with the Cary Police department. According to Byrd,
“Detective Daniels has been involved with the Raleigh Parks and
Recreation department as a coach of various youth league teams for many
years. In 2008, he was nominated for the Fletcher Award for his
volunteerism.” Nikki Spear the Director of the Millbrook Exchange Center
offered comments about Detective Daniels in her nomination for that
award and Sgt. Byrd included them in his comments. Spear wrote, “It’s
often difficult to find volunteer coaches who care and are committed to
working with youth in the leagues. As I began thinking about the many
coaches who work with our leagues, one specific coach came to mind.
George Daniels has become a staple and invaluable asset to District B
athletics.” Speer added the following about him in her nomination,
“George has always worked hard to follow our Code of Conduct by teaching
and displaying positive sportsmanship while giving all players the
opportunity to succeed. It is the dedication of volunteer coaches like
George that make the difference in the lives of their players and the
quality of our youth athletic leagues.” Sgt. Byrd offered these final
thoughts in submitting George’s name for nomination. “The George Almond
Officer of the Year award was created to recognize the sacrifice that
George Almond made for the community he served. As part of George
Almond’s sacrifice, he and Detective Daniel’s lives became forever
intertwined. As in 2008, George Daniels demonstrated his informal
leadership and selfless commitment to duty in 2001, as the lead
detective in the investigation that sought, captured, and prosecuted
George Almond’s shooter.”
Detective Daniels upon realizing his nomination for this award had these thoughts about George Almond and what the award means to him. Detective Daniels said this, “I have a special connection with George that started when we worked together on patrol. I later went to Investigations, and George later went to SBI, where we stayed in contact with each other. When he came back to the department and worked on patrol, I was in contact with him all the time, which later included investigating the crime that ended his career. The thing that stuck with me is that through all the pain and agony that he went through he never seemed to give up on who he was. His character has always been what has made him a special person. I watched him use this internal character to make it back to what many thought would never happen. I see the award as a way of honoring a special person in a special way.
Daniels was raised in Newark, N.J. and graduated from Union High school
in that same city. Detective served in the United States army for a
number of years and was assigned to the criminal investigations division
where he worked numerous cases and assignments. This included assignment
to the personal security detail for the Secretary of Defense and the
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His military service included
assignments in Central America, Korea, and Japan. Detective Daniels also
taught English as a second language while stationed in Korea and Panama.
He joined the Cary Police department in 1991 and his investigative
skills were soon put to use when he transferred to investigations.
Throughout his career with Cary, Detective Daniels has served as the
lead detective on some of the hardest and most difficult cases the town
has known. He is a past recipient of the Knights of Columbus and the
American Legion officer of the year awards and holds a bachelor’s degree
in criminal justice from St. Leo College. He is married to Marsha and
they have three children and grandchildren.
Before the awards ceremony Crime Stoppers of Cary held a silent and live
auction as part of the evening’s festivities. Ben Farrell a police
officer with the Morrisville Police Department and a professional
auctioneer led the live auction. His lighthearted interaction with those
in attendance was one of the most memorable parts of the evening. A
portion of the proceeds were donated to the Police Benevolent
Foundation.
The Cary Police Honor Guard presented the colors and Katherine Fritsch
returned for the third straight year to sing the national anthem to
start the awards program. Rep. Paul “Skip” Stam the Minority Leader in
the NC House of Representatives gave the invocation. Cary chapter
President Randy Byrd welcomed those in attendance before introducing
Attorney General Roy Cooper to give the opening remarks. In his remarks,
he thanked George Almond for his friendship and inspiration and for the
example that he had set for others to follow. Cooper said of Almond,
“You had this terrible event happen to you and you bounced back and you
continue to do good things.” Cooper continued with his opening remarks
by thanking the PBA for their work and recognizing the officers that
work to keep Cary safe. “There is a reason that Cary is a safe place…the
people in this room right here.” Cooper also offered insight into the
needs of law enforcement and his commitment to keep the public safe.
Byrd then returned to the podium to recognize the hosts and sponsors of
the event along with the special guests in attendance. He also
introduced Gerald Owens who was returning for the second time as the
Master of Ceremonies. Owens is the anchor for the 10 o’clock news on Fox
50 and the anchor of the 11 o’clock news on WRAL-TV 5. He is also the
Host of NC Wanted on Fox 50 a show dedicated to solving unsolved cases
and capturing wanted fugitives. Before introducing State Treasurer as
the keynote speaker Owens mentioned how honored he was to be in
attendance and how awe inspiring the nominations are that he gets to
read. He said, “It really brings it home..how much officers are
sacrificing on a personal and professional level every day.”
Cowell was elected as the State Treasurer in 2008 and is the state’s
27th popularly-elected treasurer. Cowell has been a friend of the PBA
since her days as a Raleigh City Council member. She moved on to the
State Senate where she continued to be an advocate for the PBA. In her
opening remarks, she took time to thank the officers for the work that
they do on a daily basis and for the support of the PBA that she has
received through the years. She also expressed how honored she was to be
at an event honoring George Almond and the finalists. Cowell is the sole
fiduciary of more than $60 billion in public assets and oversees the
retirement system for 820,000 public employees, including teachers,
firefighters and other government employees. In her speech, she focused
on the critical time that the retirement system is going through and the
challenges that lay ahead. She also asked for support in defending the
retirement system of public employees and creating a level of
understanding about the binding nature of an employee’s pension.
According to Cowell, “This is a contract and is something that we need
to keep whole and sound.”
Gerald Owens continued with the program by recognizing the achievements
of the five finalists as Almond presented each of them an awards plaque.
Almond was joined on stage by Jim Young the 2007 award winner to present
the final award to Detective Daniels.
In closing out the banquet, Byrd offered a few words about the Police
Benevolent Foundation before turning the podium over to Steve Wilkins
who offered the benediction to a truly remarkable evening.