Officer of the Month LaShonda Watson invited her girls basketball team to the awards ceremony. DPD photo
An officer stationed at our neighborhood’s Northeast Substation, LaShonda Watson, an eight-year veteran of the force, received the Department’s Officer of the Month Award.
Watson previously received a commendation for saving a life after she managed to talk a reportedly suicidal woman off of a bridge from which the woman was threatening to jump.
This monthly award, decided by the Dallas Community Police Awards Committee, goes to police who not only do an outstanding job professionally but who also are civically engaged. And that describes Watson, on the nose. Despite her busy career, she dedicates her off time to coaching a young women’s basketball team, the DC Queens.
LaShonda Watson and Northeast Commander Avery Moore at the awards ceremony. DPD photo
Her passion for basketball started when she was in high school playing on the varsity team as a freshman. She played basketball through college and even played for a semi-pro team in the Dallas Women Blue Chip Basketball League, her contemporaries note.
“She has become such a strong mentor to these young girls and even invited them as her guests to the award ceremony. Officer Watson also volunteers for the Police Athletic League and participates in the Guns-and-Hoses events.”
Notes Lieutenant Rickey Lewis in a recommendation letter, “A police officer must be able to connect with the community we serve beyond the boundaries of enforcing the law. We may only get paid for time on the clock, but we truly operate twenty-four hours daily. I believe Officer Watson epitomizes all the above, and for that reason I proudly nominate her for Officer of the Year.”
