Sheriff Boyer Receives Hopeline Champion Award at National Sheriff's Convention

Jefferson County Sheriff Oliver “Glenn” Boyer received the Hopeline Champion Award during the National Sheriffs’ Association annual conference in St. Louis Tuesday.

Verizon Wireless presents the award to law enforcement officers who focus on preventing domestic violence in the local community, a company spokesman said in a news release.

Boyer created the Domestic Violence Enhanced Response Team (DVERT) with the help of a federal grant, the news release said. The team has sheriff’s detectives work with victims’ specialists to recognize and solve domestic violence.

During 2010, five DVERT members—Dawn Davison, Kris Detmer, Ashley Cox, Detective Scott Woodward and Detective Jonas Allen—helped more than 1,000 Jefferson County residents who were domestic violence victims.

Comtrea Inc., a Jefferson County community health center offering domestic violence services, received a $10,000 donation from Verizon Wireless, the news release said. Comtrea was founded in 1974 and also helps sexual assault victims and adolescents suffering from substance abuse.

In receiving the award, Boyer joins other sheriffs around the country, from California to Florida and the New England area, who have created programs to make their communities safer.

For more information on HopeLine from Verizon, visit www.verizonwireless.com/hopeline. A complete list of past recipients of the HopeLine Law Enforcement Partnership Award is also available online at http://aboutus.vzw.com/communityservice/lawenforcement.html.