May 10, 2024 – CBI – Lakewood, CO –The Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is pleased to announce that Agent-in-Charge James Fuller, Agent Travis Peck, and Agent Richard Tifft have all been selected as Honorable Mention Award Winners of the Thirty-First Annual TOP COPS Awards. The TOP COPS Awards are sponsored annually by the National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), which represents over 241,000 sworn law enforcement officers through 1,000 police units and associations nationwide.
Agents Fuller, Peck, and Tifft all worked a case that led to the safe recovery of two missing and endangered children and the arrest of their fugitive grandmother in Hotchkiss, Colorado for the alleged noncustodial kidnapping of the 2 kids. The months long investigation involved 12 search warrants, surveillance, and intensive data and records research that eventually led to the successful recovery of a 10-year-old boy and his 9-year-old sister.
“I’m so incredibly proud of these agents and the work they did not just in this case, but in their everyday work pursuing justice for the citizens of Colorado,” said CBI Director Chris Schaefer. “I already knew of their relentless dedication to piece together the puzzles of some of our most complicated cases, but it’s gratifying to see them be deservedly recognized on the national level for their efforts.”
The TOPS COPS Awards pay tribute to law enforcement officers from across the country for outstanding service to their communities during the preceding year. The TOP COPS were nominated by fellow officers and selected from hundreds of nominations by an independent Awards Committee. Officers, Agents, and Deputies from the top ten cases have been chosen as the 2024 TOP COPS. This year there are 46 TOP COPS representing the top cases. In each remaining state, cases have been selected from which an officer or group of officers will receive Honorable Mention Awards.
The Thirty-First Annual TOP COPS Awards Dinner will take place during National Police Week in Washington, D.C. The ceremony is scheduled for Sunday, May 12, 2024