FBI Director to Honor Award Recipient

Ann Dugger, the recipient of the Jacksonville Field Office’s 2008 Director’s Community Leadership Award, will be honored in a ceremony tomorrow at FBI Headquarters in Washington, D.C.  FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III will recognize Mrs. Dugger, as well as a number of other award recipients from around the country.

Mrs. Dugger was presented with the award locally last December by James Casey, the Special Agent in Charge of the Jacksonville Field Office, for her work as Executive Director of the Justice Coalition, Jacksonville’s victim advocacy organization.  Mrs. Dugger oversees the production of the Victims’ Advocate, a monthly newspaper with a circulation of 35,000 that features stories about crime victims, wanted fugitives, missing persons, and unsolved murders, and offers rewards for information about related matters.  Since the newspaper’s inception ten years ago, nearly 1,700 fugitives have been caught and 148 missing persons have been located.  Mrs. Dugger also provides training to businesses, civic groups and other organizations about the Justice Coalition’s Community Watch Program, which lends additional eyes and ears to law enforcement by encouraging citizens to become volunteers on the job by reporting suspicious activity.

Established in 1990, the Director’s Community Leadership Award is presented each year by FBI Field Offices to individuals whose achievements in the areas of crime prevention, drug deterrence, or similar educational programs have made a positive difference in their communities.  Past Jacksonville recipients of the award include Terry Lane of Metro Kids Konnection, Delores Barr Weaver, former Sheriff Nat Glover, Pastor Lee Harris of the Mt. Olive Primitive Baptist Church, and Diane Kerr, former Jacksonville “Weed and Seed” chairperson.