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Federal awards recognize Northern Californians for contributions to public safety

Four federal awards from the U.S. Marshals Service went to honor Northern Californians this week in Washington D.C.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. — This week, a handful of Northern Californians were included in a prestigious group of people receiving the highest honors of the U.S. Marshals Service.

The ceremony happened at the Robert F. Kennedy Main Justice Building in Washington D.C., Wednesday.

Lasha Boyden is the acting U.S. Marshal for the Eastern District of California and she described the Director’s Honorary Awards as “the highest award you can receive in the Marshals Service."

Her office successfully nominated four of the award-winners recognized at the 41st Annual Director’s Honor Awards Ceremony.

“We won the Citizen of the Year Award. Only two people received that [nationwide]," she said, among the country’s 94 districts.

That person is Paris Dye, Managing Director of Impact Sac, a Sacramento-based, youth-serving non-profit organization that ABC10 has featured in previous reporting.

“That was awesome,” said Dye of winning the award. “It was given for our collaboration with the Marshals Service and some of the work and exposure we've been able to collaborate on for young people in our communities."

Boyden personally wrote Dye’s award nomination.

“She’s been instrumental in me connecting with the community and her sharing her relationships and her partnerships with me,” said Boyden. “I’m just proud of all the recipients because it was well-deserved.”

The Eastern District of California also had a winner of the Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Awards. There were only two winners in that category nationwide.

“One of our task force officers was acknowledged for the great work that he did in finding a fugitive that shot a 9-year-old in the face,” Boyden explained, adding that the winner is with the Stockton Police Department but his identity should remain concealed, given the nature of his undercover work.

A Northern Californian also won the Harry Belluomini Court Security Officer Award for playing an instrumental role in restoring the security and computer system at the Robert T. Matsui U.S. Courthouse and Federal Building after that system experienced a failure.

The fourth award — for Group Task Force — went to the Pacific Southwest Regional Fugitive Task Force, of which the Eastern District of California is a part.

“That involved our team assisting with, locating and apprehending six escapees from Merced County Jail, and we were able to get all of them,” said Boyden. “Without the work of the Marshal Service, those six violent offenders — who had murder warrants, assault warrants, they were violent fugitives — and Merced County asked us for help and we partnered with them.”

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