John Hootman Memorial Award
CPP Socal, Crime Prevention Program of Southern California, is an organization on the forefront of theft and fraud prevention for the construction industry. The group specializes as a liaison between its members and trusted law enforcement partners throughout Southern California, serving its community since 1984 with a proven, multifaceted approach to prevention and response.
Each year, CPP SoCal is proud to present a unique award––in fact the only one of its kind, to individuals or agencies in law enforcement who serve the construction industry by providing an essential service to the field through their efforts to raise awareness of, and combat, construction crime.. It’s a welcome opportunity for CPP to express its gratitude and give well-deserved recognition to its valued partners.
History of the John Hootman Memorial Award
Named for the late Highway Patrol Investigator, John D Hootman of CHP’s Inland Division, the award honors the time, effort, and enthusiasm of a dedicated officer. It also celebrates the success of the last major case he spearheaded––a particularly noteworthy victory involving one of the largest construction equipment recovery stories in the US, totalling around $10 million worth of machinery recovered. Most importantly, the award signifies the resounding impact of a single individual on his community.
In reception of the award, the winner is given a plaque, and passed down a hard hat engraved with the names of the award’s historic recipients, a tradition he or she will carry on by passing the hat down to the following year’s winner.
2022 Winners Announced
The 26th Annual John Hootman Memorial Award was presented by Melissa Somers, the Executive Director of the construction industry’s Crime Prevention Program of Southern California. She opened with an introduction to Austin Meechan-Maddon, a CPP Executive Board member and affiliate of Coastline Equipment in Long Beach. Meechan-Maddon expressed his gratitude for law enforcement agents and emphasized the overwhelming amount of crime that officers face each year, specifically in the construction industry. He thanked officers for their meaningful support of CPP, its members, and the industry as a whole.
The 26th Annual John Hootman Memorial Award was then presented to Deputies Randy Stanley and John Francis, partners of the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department’s Rural Crime Task force––a unit tasked with a variety of investigations ranging from animal cruelty to heavy equipment and metal theft. The dedication of these two Deputies resulted in over $1.1 million worth of recovered machinery, a service providing immense relief and aid to individual owners, small businesses, CPP members, and the partners’ entire community. CPP is honored to present the award to Randy and Francis.
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