A Penn Hills detective was recognized May 5 for “outstanding accomplishments as a law enforcement officer.”
Detective Dustin Hess was the first Pennsylvania law enforcement member to be honored by the Oakmont Elks Lodge with the Enrique Camarena Award, a national award that recognizes excellence and community-oriented policing.
According to the Pennsylvania Elks State Association, the award was created in honor of Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, an 11-year veteran agent of the DEA. He was kidnapped, brutally tortured and murdered by the Mexican drug cartel in 1985.
“Detective Hess embodies the best qualities we want our people in uniform to have,” Allegheny County District Attorney Stephen Zappala said in a statement. “His performance has been nothing short of impressive.”
According to a statement from Zappala, Hess has completed 54 gun arrests in relation to the Violations of the Uniform Firearms Act, 27 felony drug arrests and has completed more than 300 hours of traffic patrol.
Hess joined the Penn Hills Police Department as an officer in August 2015.