The Lamplighter Project
Jul 30, 2022
Executive Director
Posted By:
Shannon Spalding is the 2022 recipient of the Lamplighter Award for Moral Courage in Law Enforcement
July 30, 2022 – The law enforcement whistleblower organization Lamplighter Project announced on social media that it has bestowed the Lamplighter Award for Moral Courage in Law Enforcement upon Chicago Police Officer Shannon Spalding. The award is given annually on National Whistleblower Day to a sworn or civilian member of law enforcement for acts of moral courage against corruption, injustice, or misconduct in the criminal justice system.
Attorney Josh Tepfer of the Exoneration Project says that it is hard to imagine a more worthy candidate than Shannon. “At great cost to herself, Officer Spalding and her partner Daniel Echeverria exposed the misconduct of former Chicago Police Sgt. Ronald Watts and his corrupt team. The ripple effect of her doing so is still be felt. To date, over 240 individuals have been exonerated for false drug crimes that happened during this era of corruption.”
Shannon says that unlike her decision to become a police officer, being a whistleblower was “a choiceless choice.” “I swore to seek justice for everyone and see that criminals were held accountable for their crimes; there was no disclaimer on my oath that says, ‘everyone except police officers.’”
The Lamplighter Project commends Shannon Spalding for her courage. The world would be a darker place without lamplighters like Shannon who not only shed light on corruption, injustice, and misconduct, but serve as shining examples to other enforcement officers around the country who bear witness to violations of their oath.