The Commission’s 55th Annual Awards Dinner will be held on Thursday, November 13th, 2008 at the Hilton Wichita Airport Hotel. This year’s keynote speaker will be Congressman Ted Poe, 2nd District of Texas. Poe, a former judge in Harris County, Texas, was the keynote speaker in 1998 and is the first person ever to be invited to speak a second time. He is the only republican to ever serve as congressman from the 2nd District of Texas since the position was established in 1846. Congressman Ted Poe is a no nonsense legislator who strongly supports law enforcement in their efforts to secure the southern border. He continues to lead the efforts to appeal to President Bush to commute the sentences of U.S. Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean being held in a federal penitentiary on what Poe and many other members of Congress believe are bogus charges.
The traditional awards will be presented including the 20th Criminal Justice Professional of the Year, 19th Annual Law Enforcement Officer of the Year, 10th Annual Willard Garvey Crime Prevention Awards to a citizen activist and law enforcement officer and the Twelve Apostles of Justice Award to a standout member of the Crime Commission.
More than 500 Commission members, spouses, business associates, friends and members of the criminal justice community attend this outstanding event.