Sheriff's Office Awarded for Outstanding Partnership with HSI

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Kansas City’s Acting Special Agent in Charge Taekuk Cho recently presented its 2023 Agency Partnership Award to Sheriff Will Akin, who accepted the award on behalf of the Clay County Missouri Sheriff’s Office (CCSO).

“I’d like to thank CCSO and the professional men and women from both agencies for the strong partnership that exists between us,” said Acting SAC Cho. “This award is but a token of the gratitude our agency has for the variety of mission essential resources CSSO provides throughout the year. Resources such as, Task Force Officers (TFO), subject matter experts, cross training, and joint investigations, all of which empower both agencies to achieve our law enforcement goals and keep our community safe in a more efficient and effective manner.”

The partnership award is presented annually to the group which performed duties that notably foster and facilitate cooperative interagency working relations. Such duties include successful negotiations/agreements with interagency partners; development of interagency programs/initiatives that enhance homeland security efforts; providing manpower, technical advice, assistance, and training to interagency partners; and/or supporting joint law enforcement initiatives to enhance homeland security efforts.

"Our partnership with HSI Kansas City has been instrumental in our efforts to combat human trafficking in Clay County," said Clay County Sheriff Will Akin. "They're ready to assist and provide resources whenever we need their help on all kinds of investigations, and that relationship makes our community safer."

Homeland Security Investigations (HSI)

HSI is the principal investigative arm of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), responsible for investigating transnational crime and threats, specifically those criminal organizations that exploit the global infrastructure through which international trade, travel, and finance move. HSI’s workforce of more than 8,700 employees consists of more than 7,000 special agents assigned to 237 cities throughout the United States, and 93 overseas locations in 56 countries. HSI’s international presence represents DHS’s largest investigative law enforcement presence abroad and one of the largest international footprints in U.S. law enforcement.

KPGZ News - Brian Watts contributed to this story