The Redmond Police Department received several honors on behalf of the Auto Theft Tactical Analysis Center of King County (ATTACK) at the recent Washington Auto Theft Prevention Authority (WATPA) Annual Conference.

ATTACK was recognized as the 2009 Auto Theft Special Project of the Year for the collaborative work among 300 individuals across 60 law enforcement agencies. The center has been instrumental in reducing auto theft in King County by 55 percent since its inception in 2006. Redmond Police’s Lieutenant Doug Shepard, Lead Analyst Craig Werre, and Crime Analyst Maureen Messmer were acknowledged for their work with ATTACK.

Werre was awarded the 2009 Auto Theft Crime Analyst of the Year through a statewide nomination process, with the final determination made by the WATPA Board of Directors.

Retired Chief Steve Harris was at the ceremony and presented the first Chief Harris Award for Auto Theft Officer of the Year to Washington State Patrol Trooper Jeffrey Laeuger. This annual award was named for Chief Harris in recognition for his ground breaking efforts to reduce auto theft in King County.

These are the latest in a long, distinguished string of accomplishments for ATTACK, which was a finalist for the coveted Weber Seavey Award last year presented by the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP). While Redmond Police representatives were recognized, that is the complete opposite of what ATTACK reflects.

“We are proud of these accomplishments, but accept them on behalf of the hundreds of analysts, officers, detectives, and prosecutors who collaborate to fight auto theft,” said Lt. Shepard. “This is a team effort and it will continue to be, just as Chief Harris envisioned.”

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