{"id":4483,"date":"2013-02-09T11:06:35","date_gmt":"2013-02-09T16:06:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/?p=4483"},"modified":"2013-02-10T23:48:47","modified_gmt":"2013-02-11T04:48:47","slug":"ags-office-announces-state-officers-of-the-year","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thinblueflorida.com\/?p=4483","title":{"rendered":"AG’s Office Announces State Officers of the Year"},"content":{"rendered":"
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L to R: Sgt. Lounge, AG Bondi, Ofc. Weaver
Photo: Steven Rodriguez\/WFSU<\/p><\/div>\n

Press release from the Attorney General’s Office:<\/p>\n

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.\u2013Attorney General Pam Bondi today named St. Petersburg Police Department Sergeant Karl Lounge and St. Petersburg Police Department Officer Douglas Weaver the Attorney General’s 2012 Law Enforcement Officers of the Year. Sergeant Lounge and Officer Weaver were joined by seven fellow officers from around the state at a ceremony recognizing them for their dedication to law enforcement and public safety.
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\n\u201cEach nominee is a hero who selflessly serves their communities,\u201d stated Attorney General Pam Bondi. \u201cI am proud to name Sergeant Lounge and Officer Weaver as the 2012 Law Enforcement Officers of the Year. Their courage in the face of danger and dedication to saving the lives of their fellow officers is truly admirable.\u201d
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\nIn January 2011, Sergeant Lounge and Officer Weaver were involved in a shoot-out with a fugitive where two law enforcement officers lost their lives, and others, including Officer Weaver, were injured. Because of their bravery in a life-threatening circumstance, Sergeant Lounge and Office Weaver are the well-deserved recipients of the Attorney General\u2019s award.
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\nEach nominee for the Attorney General’s award had previously been recognized as an \u201cOfficer of the Year\u201d by a Florida law enforcement agency or organization that sponsors such a statewide award. Sergeant Lounge was nominated by the Fraternal Order of Police, and Officer Weaver was nominated by the Florida Police Chiefs Association. A selection committee appointed by the Attorney General considered the distinguished group of nominees from state agencies and organizations including the Florida Sheriffs Association, the Florida Police Chiefs Association, the State Law Enforcement Chiefs Association, the Florida Gang Investigators Association and the Florida Retail Federation.<\/span><\/p>\n

–I have heard nothing but good things about Sgt. Lounge from many of his co-workers. \u00a0AG Bondi shook my hand and thanked me for my service recently. \u00a0I know Doug Weaver from SWAT over the years and he is a great guy.\u00a0 After reading the Pinellas\/Pasco State Attorney’s report<\/a> on the deaths of Tom Baitinger and Jeff Yaslowitz, I have nothing but profound respect for these two men and others at the scene.\u00a0 I would only hope we would all react with such selfless bravery in a situation like they faced that day…<\/p>\n

Randall<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Press release from the Attorney General’s Office: TALLAHASSEE, Fla.\u2013Attorney General Pam Bondi today named St. Petersburg Police Department Sergeant Karl Lounge and St. Petersburg Police Department Officer Douglas Weaver the Attorney General’s 2012 Law Enforcement Officers of the Year. Sergeant Lounge and Officer Weaver were joined by seven fellow officers from around the state at a ceremony recognizing them for their dedication to law enforcement and public safety. \u201cEach nominee is a hero who selflessly serves their communities,\u201d stated Attorney General Pam Bondi. \u201cI am proud to name Sergeant Lounge and Officer Weaver as the 2012 Law Enforcement Officers of the Year. Their courage in the face of danger and … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_bbp_topic_count":0,"_bbp_reply_count":0,"_bbp_total_topic_count":0,"_bbp_total_reply_count":0,"_bbp_voice_count":0,"_bbp_anonymous_reply_count":0,"_bbp_topic_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_reply_count_hidden":0,"_bbp_forum_subforum_count":0,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[407,72,349,48],"tags":[164,160,81],"class_list":["post-4483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media","category-officer-down","category-politics","category-swat","tag-attorney-general-pam-bondi","tag-florida-attorney-general","tag-st-petersburg-police"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t