INIA Annual Awards Application and Guidelines

INIA Annual Awards Application and Guidance for Submissions
The International Narcotics Interdiction Association Awards will be presented annually to those interdiction units and individuals who have distinguished themselves through dedicated service, cooperation, and achievement in drug interdiction duties. Nominees must be active law enforcement related professionals working cases associated with the field of domestic or international drug interdiction. Group awards must consist of three or more officers who conducted a particularly noteworthy investigation, series of investigations/seizures, or innovative interdiction techniques that resulted in significant seizures. The above activities should have been conducted and documented during the rating period of July 1, 2023 –  April 1, 2024. Submission of applications must be completed and returned (post-marked) to INIA no later than April 15, 2024. Nominations received after this date will not be considered for the NIUY award. Nominators can be any co-worker, supervisor, law enforcement officer or employee, or INIA member. All of the group members need not to be members of INIA. However, a representative of the group should be present at the INIA annual conference to accept the award.

Groups may submit one nomination per award category.

Awards will be given in the following categories:

Interdiction Effort of the Year
Investigative Effort of the Year
Cooperative Effort of The Year
Community Impact Investigative Effort of The Year
Public Health and Public Safety Effort of The Year
Officer of The Year
Intelligence Analyst of The Year
Prosecutor of The Year

Awards/Guidelines/Applications listed below.

2024-Application-For-INIA-Annual-Awards

INIA-Awards-Guidance-for-Submissions

I. Interdiction Effort of The Year
The principal criterion for nominating an initiative is outstanding success in using interdiction as an effective counter-drug measure. The following areas should be addressed in support of the nomination:
1) The background of the group
2) the nature of the interdiction and how this effort resulted in success;
3) key approaches employed, especially the use of innovative and unique techniques;
4) key success achieved as a result of these approaches, including significant seizures, arrests, indictments, and forfeitures; and
5) any derivative cases that have occurred as a result of the interdiction effort.

II. Investigative Effort of The Year
The principal criterion for nominating an initiative is the investigation’s disruption/dismantlement of a major drug trafficking organization (DTO). The following areas should be addressed in support of the
nomination:
1) The background of the group
2) the nature and scope of activities of the targeted DTO,
3) key investigative steps taken in dismantling/disrupting the DTO, including the
employment of innovative investigative techniques
4) key success achieved against the DTO, including significant seizures, arrests, indictments and forfeitures, especially against the organization’s command and control hierarchy; and
5) any derivative cases that have occurred as a result of the investigative effort.

III. Cooperative Effort of The Year
Same criteria as Investigative Effort, with special emphasis on multiagency cooperation and coordination.

IV. Community Impact Investigative Effort of The Year
This award recognizes the initiative that has exceled in identifying and dismantling DTOs, criminal organizations, gangs, or violent organizations that negatively impact a specific community. The following areas should be addressed in support of the nomination:

1) the nature of the effort utilized and how this effort resulted in success;
2) key techniques that were employed in bringing about the noted success, especially the
use of innovative and unique techniques
3) acts of violence utilized by perpetrators to support the criminal enterprise.
4) the scope of the involved organization’s activities and how its activities impacted the
specific community; and
5) key accomplishments achieved against the organization, including significant seizures,
arrests, indictments, and forfeitures.

IV. Public Health and Public Safety Effort of The Year
This award recognizes a group that has excelled in promoting Public Health and Public Safety in combatting illicit drug use and its availability across the United States.

IV. Officer of The Year
This award recognizes the Officer who has had outstanding initiatives, investigations or interdictions. The following should be addressed in the nomination: A description of the nominee’s accomplishments in their work assignments including specific significant cases  involving the interdiction of narcotics, innovative techniques in interdiction, and overall statistical performance; The nominee’s contribution to their agency or agencies in the  nominee’s law enforcement community; The nominee’s accomplishments personally, as a citizen, in their community, and/or any additional qualifying information that will assist in selecting the most worthy nominee for this award.

V. Intelligence Analyst of The Year
This award recognizes the intelligence analyst who has consistently developed and utilized an innovative and/or unique approach to case support narcotics initiatives. The recipient of this award will be an intelligence analyst who has committed herself/himself to the cooperative spirit of the task force approach, mainly through the development and application of reciprocal intelligence sharing.
The following should be addressed in the nomination: Describe specific ideas, investigative techniques/strategies, imaginative or unique approaches in supporting an initiative, and/or innovative concepts applied by the nominee. Cite specific examples of how these ideas supported the investigation in areas such as identifying vulnerabilities of a DTO and identifying key players or in other areas of case
support.

VI. Prosecutor of The Year
This award recognizes the prosecutor who has consistently utilized an innovative and/or unique approach to case support for narcotic initiatives.
The following should be addressed in the nomination: the nominee should demonstrate her/his commitment and dedication to the cooperative spirit of narcotic investigations and the application of legal tools for the arrest, prosecution, and conviction of individuals engaged in illegal drug activities.