Colleyville Police Department to be internationally recognized for contributions to high-profile cases

Colleyville’s Police Department will receive two awards from the International Association of Chiefs of Police for its work in solving two high-profile cases relating to sex trafficking and elder fraud.

The department will receive the 2021 IACP/Thomson Reuters Excellence in Criminal Investigations Award for its collaborative effort with Homeland Security Investigations’ Dallas Field Office and the United States Secret Service, among others, in taking down a prostitution and sex trafficking global website.

The team identified multiple minors listed in website advertisements, including a 13-year-old recovered in North Texas.

The second award is the 2021 IACP Leadership in the Prevention of Transnational Crime Award for the team’s success in helping apprehend offenders from a West African fraud ring that was targeting elderly victims across the country, including a local victim—which prompted the investigation. At least $200,000 out of over $4 million scammed has been secured, with plans to return money to the victims.

“It is a feat for any agency to win one award, but for a department the size of Colleyville to win two agency awards in one year is absolutely incredible,” Colleyville Police Chief Michael Miller said in a news release. "It speaks to the capabilities of our team, the interesting and meaningful work we are doing here, and the quality of our partnerships.”

The IACP is the largest professional association for police leaders with over 31,000 members in over 165 countries. Every year, the IACP honors law enforcement officers and agencies with a total of 15 awards.

The Colleyville Police Department will be presented with these awards at the IACP’s Annual Awards Banquet in September and will be featured in the January 2022 issue of The Police Chief magazine.