Several Denver Sheriff Department employees and community members were awarded medals and certificates Friday as part of the department’s annual awards ceremony. 

Deputies and other employees were honored for going above and beyond to support the department and the local community through acts of courage on the job, outreach and social service efforts.

“Your selfless sacrifice is why we are here today,” Sheriff Elias Diggins said to the crowd seated at the McNichols Civic Center Building Friday afternoon. “Each of you represents the very best of the Denver Sheriff Department, the community and the critical partners that makes our agency run every day.”

“I see the work you do every day and, when I am talking to folks like our mayor and leaders, I remind them of the dedication, courage and sacrifices you make for our community,” Denver Department of Safety Director Armando Saldate said.

Two employees, Sgt. Jeremy Heinrichs and Deputy Adam Espinoza, were honored for both putting their safety on the line to save inmates with the Life Saving Award. 

Four deputies and a captain were honored for their community outreach efforts while working at the department, including Capt. Stephanie Laing.

Laing, who has been at the department since 2014, is a community engagement chair for the Denver African American Commission and is the vice president of the Black Sheriff’s Protective Association.

“My aspiration, as I look forward, is to continue to be a voice for people who may not have a voice,” Laing said. “The department allows me to be a valuable partner to our clientele. Whether they are inside our jails and I am hoping for them to leave and do better, or whether I see them as our community. Our goal is to always make sure that people leave our facilities and thrive in our community.”

Two members of the Denver District Attorney’s Office — Senior Assistant City Attorney Jennifer Jacobson and Special Counsel Wendy Shea — won the Alvin J. LaCabe Jr. Award, named after the former city safety manager who retired in 2010.

LaCabe spent five years as an assistant U.S. attorney for the District of Colorado and also was a deputy district attorney and chief deputy district attorney in Denver from 1983 to 1994 before eventually taking up the manager mantle.

“The people I worked with were so dedicated,” LaCabe said of his time in the city, beginning to shed tears. “It feels good to know that you have dedicated yourself to something extremely important. Something you will carry with you till the day you die.”

Award winners:

• Deputy Alicia Rodriguez Keller – Merit Award
• Sgt. Jeremy Heinrichs – Life Saving Award
• Deputy Adam Espinoza – Life Saving Award
• Capt. Stephanie Laing – Community Service Award
• Deputy Giovanni Flores Lopez – Community Service Award
• Deputy Juarez Socorro – Community Service Award
• Deputy Guadalupe Vega – Community Service Award
• Deputy Phong Vo – Community Service Award
• Rudolph Gonzales – Social Service Award
• Jennifer Jacobson – Alvin J. LaCabe Jr. Award
• Wendy Shea – Alvin J. LaCabe Jr. Award