Thursday, March 30, was a proud day for the Garland Police Department when Detective Tony Godwin received the Career Achievement Award and was inducted into the National Law Enforcement Officer Hall of Fame in. Godwin, who works in GPD’s Internet Crimes Against Children Unit, is the first Garland officer to ever receive this honor.
According to the Texas Municipal Police Association, the judges received numerous nominations that detailed “outstanding performances by law enforcement professionals.” Choosing this year’s inductees wasn’t an easy job.
Godwin has served as an Internet Crimes Against Children investigator for many years. It’s a tough job in which he hears about and sees horrendous crimes committed against children. The detective said in a previous interview with The Garland Texan that the job often weighs on him. He expressed gratitude for the support his wife and kids provide. He also cited hobbies like word working and metal work as sources of relaxation and stress relief.
In addition, he is one of the hosts of the Catfish Cops podcast. Godwin is also a nationally recognized expert about Internet Crimes Against Children. Their website includes extensive lists of resources to help parents.
About The National Law Enforcement Hall of Fame:
To preserve the history of law enforcement, honor its excellence and foster an appreciation for its historical development and its impact on our culture by collecting, preserving, exhibiting and interpreting its collections for a global audience as well as honoring those who have made outstanding contributions to the profession while providing mental health assistance to current and former law enforcement officers.
The National Law Enforcement Officer Hall of Fame was created in 2017 to honor law enforcement officers. The purpose is to recognize those officers that have gone above and beyond in the line of duty.
The hall of fame looks forward to honoring LEO’s each and every year, although most say they don’t do the job for the recognition, we feel their stories need to be heard.
About TMPA:
The Texas Municipal Police Association (TMPA) is the voice of Texas Law Enforcement. TMPA was founded in 1950 and has protected the interests of law enforcement officers ever since. As the largest law enforcement association in Texas, TMPA is proud to represent more than 30,000 local, county and state law enforcement officers across Texas.
About Catfish Cops:
This podcast delves into the stories of internet predators attempting to lure kids into their sexual traps. Your hosts are two current law enforcement detectives who proactively hunt these predators to bring them to justice and protect and rescue children. Join them as they discuss the cases and give behind the scenes details that go into catching these heinous offenders.