Sally Ann Shipman receiving award from FBI Director Christopher Wray. Photo Courtesy FBI
2022 DCLA group photograph taken at FBI Headquarters. Photo Courtesy FBI
FBI NEWS RELEASE
FBI Director Christopher Wray on Friday presented New Mexico Crusaders for Justice with the FBI Director’s Community Leadership Award (DCLA) for their service to the people of New Mexico. Receiving the award on behalf of the organization was Sally Ann Shipman, a co-founder of the organization. The advocacy group supports families that have lost a loved one to gun violence and works to ensure that criminals are properly sentenced.
The FBI established the DCLA in 1990 to publicly acknowledge the achievements of those working to make a difference in their communities through the promotion of education and the prevention of crime and violence. The FBI’s 56 field offices select the recipients annually for this honor.
New Mexico Crusaders for Justice has more than 800 members statewide, and their advocacy also extends to one another. In addition to helping each other navigate the legal system, members also support gun violence initiatives and collective community outreach efforts. Along with the FBI, their partnership includes local law enforcement departments.
During today’s ceremony, Director Christopher Wray told the recipients: “Like the 38,000 employees of the FBI, you don’t do what you do for fame – and certainly not for fortune. You do it out of kindness, out of compassion for others, out of a hope and a dream for safer communities….to leave your towns and cities better places than when you got there. And that’s how I’ve defined success here within our organization, too. Success to me is if everyone leaves the FBI a better place than they found it.”
Director Wray hosted the 2022 DCLA winners in a special ceremony at FBI Headquarters today, emphasizing the importance of partnerships in keeping our shared communities safe. These partnerships—as exemplified by the breadth of the work by the DCLA recipients—have led to a host of crime prevention programs that protect the most vulnerable in our communities, educate families and businesses about cyber threats, and work to reduce violent crime in our neighborhoods. Learn more about the Director’s Community Leadership Award Program, the FBI’s general outreach efforts, and the Albuquerque Field Office.