TPD Officer Jesse Guardiola receives national honor
WASHINGTON – Officer Jesse Guardiola of the Tulsa Police Department has been honored as a recipient of the Third Annual Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished Service in Policing, recognizing the exceptional work of 19 law enforcement officers and deputies from 12 jurisdictions across the country.
Guardiola was recognized by U.S. Attorney General William P. Barr and the Justice Department for his community policing work.
Guardiola developed a comprehensive outreach program to build relationships between the Tulsa Police Department and the Hispanic community. The program provides survival Spanish language training for officers and educates law enforcement and the community on the immigrant Hispanic culture.
The program has received national recognition and is being promoted as a national model for Hispanic community outreach.
The U.S. Attorney’s office in Tulsa said that through his efforts, Guardiola is building bridges and making a difference in Tulsa.
“Officer Guardiola is truly one of Tulsa’s finest. His Hispanic Outreach Program is a national model for community policing,” said U.S. Attorney Trent Shores. “His extraordinary passion to improve the status quo is most admirable. I’m thankful for the selfless service of Tulsa Police Officer Guardiola.”
The Attorney General’s Award recognizes individual state, local, and tribal sworn rank-and-file police officers and deputies for exceptional efforts in policing. The awarded officers and deputies have demonstrated active engagement with the community in one of three areas: criminal investigations, field operations or innovations in community policing.
“The Attorney General’s Award for Distinguished
Service in Policing honors exceptional police officers and the vital public service they provide,” Barr said. “The brave men and women in law enforcement are engaged in an unrelenting and often unacknowledged fight to keep our communities safe each and every day. It is an honor to thank them for their service.”
The Department received 199 nominations for 414 individuals ranging from state police departments, to local police, to campus public safety agencies. This award highlights the work that troopers, officers and deputies do to prevent, intervene in, and respond to crime and public safety issues. The individuals recognized today also include: