PURCELLVILLE, Va. December 21, 2018 — The Purcellville Police Department’s newest officer, David A. Camp, Jr., recently received the top award in the 139th session of the Northern Virginia Criminal Justice Academy. Officer Camp graduated on December 18, 2018 and was presented with the highest honor in the class, the Thomas L. Shaw Award. The Shaw Award is the academy’s most distinguished award for excellence and is given to only one individual each session who exhibits the most professionalism, dedication and leadership. The award recipient is selected by the academy’s basic training instructors and it is in honor of Thomas L. Shaw, recognizing his 42 years of service to the Northern Virginia region in the Criminal Justice arena. Mr. Shaw’s commitment to the preparation of law enforcement professionals was integral to the development and implementation of rigorous training standards in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The instructors selected Officer Camp for this prestigious commendation out of a class of 108 recruits, from 14 different participating agencies, as they feel he best exhibits the high quality of standards set by Mr. Shaw.
“We are so proud of David. To be recognized with the highest achievement given to a recruit by the basic law enforcement instructors who are with them every day of training, is an incredible honor,” said Chief Cynthia McAlister. “To have this recognition bestowed upon a Purcellville police officer among so many other dedicated men and women is a testament to his hard work and commitment to the law enforcement profession,” she added.
The challenging six month academy program for police officers and sheriff deputies, from the Northern Virginia area, covered every phase of law enforcement principles and procedures. Participating agencies include City of Alexandria Police Department, City of Alexandria Sheriff’s Office, Arlington County Police Department, Arlington County Sheriff’s Office, Fairfax City Police Department, George Mason University Police Department, Town of Leesburg Police Department, Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, Manassas City Police Department, Manassas Park City Police Department, Metro Transit Police Department, Metro Washington Airports Authority Police Department, and the Northern Virginia Community College Police Department.
Officer Camp joins the Purcellville Police Department with over ten years of law enforcement experience during his time serving at the rank of both officer and sergeant in North Carolina. He has four additional weeks of local law enforcement training, which he will complete in conjunction with the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, and then an additional three months of field training with the Purcellville Police Department. Officer Camp is expected to be a solo beat officer for the Town of Purcellville in early spring of 2019. Please join us in congratulating and welcoming him to our Department!
