Lt. Chris Hoina, a Cary chapter member, was recognized as the 2007 Officer of the Year by the American Legion Post 67 in Cary on February 12, 2008. The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic, war-time veterans organization, devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is a not-for-profit community-service organization which now numbers nearly 3 million members, men and women, in nearly 15,000 American Legion posts worldwide.

Hoina was nominated by Capt. Don Hamilton of the Cary Police Department for his response to a call of gunshots being fired off of Northwoods Village Drive in December of 2007. Several officers responded to the scene as the incident evolved. During the incident the shooter called and Lt. Hoina was able to speak with him. The shooter was intoxicated and dealing with several issues. The shooter wanted to commit suicide or have a police officer shoot him. During the conversation, the shooter continued to fire several more rounds. Using his crisis intervention and negotiation skills, Hoina quickly developed a rapport with the shooter. Hoina was able to convince the shooter to give up. Upon entering the apartment weapons, ammunition and illegal drugs were located. Amazingly no one was hurt during the incident. According to Capt. Hamilton, “I am convinced that Lt. Hoina’s calm, professional skills as a negotiator saved lives that day.”

Hoina was raised in East Meadow, New York; in the suburbs of New York City, and has served with various agencies and in various roles throughout his 25 year career. This includes his current assignments as the leader of the Crisis Intervention Team and as Field Operations Commander. During his career he has been at the forefront in developing programs for youth, domestic violence intervention, Hispanic outreach, and those with mental health issues. He has been recognized with numerous awards including Town of Cary Employee of the Year in 1990. Hoina has attended several colleges and universities, including North Carolina State University, Shaw University and the University of Virginia. He is also a graduate of the FBI National Academy. Hoina also serves as the Criminal Justice Director for Campbell University at RTP. Hoina has been married to his wife Mirna for 26 years. They have two sons, Chris and Matthew. He has been active with the Boys Scouts for a number of years and worked with his sons, as they both became Eagle Scouts. In his spare time Hoina enjoys carpentry, backpacking, sailing, hiking, jogging, and gardening.