Seven local law enforcement officers from agencies in Alamance County will be recognized for their significant contributions to the community, and how they personify DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena’s belief that “one person can make a difference.”
The recognition ceremony will take place next Thursday, October 22, at Graham Civic Center, 503 McGee Street in Graham. Doors will open at 3:45 p.m. with the ceremony beginning at 4:00 p.m.
Invited guests/presenters include: Wanda Wiggans, U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Atlanta Divisional Office; Luke Perrin, N.C. Department of Justice; and Honorable Larry Brown, Alamance County District Court Judge. Local youth will present awards.
Alamance Citizens for a Drug Free Community, a local non-profit organization in Alamance County, works through a coalition representing various sectors of the community, including law enforcement, to prevent substance misuse and build protective factors that promote safe homes, schools and communities. As part of Red Ribbon Week, a national substance misuse awareness campaign, these awards will be given to officers nominated by their chiefs and sheriff.
DEA Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena grew up with dreams of making a difference. Camarena worked his way through college, served in the Marines, and later became a police officer. In 1985, while serving with the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, he was kidnapped and murdered in Mexico during an undercover operation to gather information and evidence about drug lords. When he decided to join DEA, his mother tried to talk him out it. “I can’t not do this,” he told her. “I’m only one person, but I want to make a difference.”
