Maryland Cop Named AMW All-Star Finalist

Being Crime Victim As A Child Inspired Officer To Serve Her Community

A police officer devoted to her neighborhood has been chosen as a finalist in the 2011 America's Most Wanted All-Star Contest, sponsored by Sprint. Sergeant Suzie Johnson of the Hyattsville, Maryland Police Department is the seventh weekly finalist chosen by the public through online voting in the contest, which honors the work of first responders.

Sergeant Johnson was just six years old when robbers broke into her home. When cops arrested them before they could get away, she knew she wanted to be a police officer. The first police officer in her family and the highest-ranking female officer in the Hyattsville Police Department, Sergeant Johnson has spent nearly eighteen years serving the community she calls home.

Sergeant Johnson started in law enforcement in 1990 with the Metropolitan Police Department in Washington, DC. Since joining the force in Hyattsville in 1993, she has served as a patrol officer, led the Community Action Team, and now heads the Criminal Investigation Division. Her work has gone well beyond the typical responsibilities of a police officer. Sergeant Johnson spent seven years coordinating the Sonny Frazier Toy Drive, a program that reached more than 2,000 children during the holidays, and she chaired her city's "National Night Out Against Crime" for six years. She has also served as a softball and basketball coach through the Catholic Youth Organization and Northwestern High School.

Known as "Officer Suzie" in the community, she knows kids by name and never hesitates to reach out to help. Most recently, when a fire burned a home to the ground and claimed the lives of two of the family's four daughters, Sergeant Johnson personally raised more than $8,000, in addition to gathering donations of clothing and household goods to aid the family.

Sergeant Suzie Johnson is the seventh of eight weekly finalists to be chosen by the public in this year's AMW All-Star Contest. Each weekly finalist will be profiled on America's Most Wanted (Saturdays, 9:00-10:00 PM ET/PT on FOX). Through online votes, the public will choose the grand-prize winner. In May, AMW Host John Walsh will present the 2011 AMW All-Star winner with a check for $10,000 at a ceremony in Washington DC and the winner will receive a trip to the NASCAR SPRINT Cup Series™ All-Star Challenge at the Charlotte Motor Speedway in Charlotte, North Carolina.

Members of the public may vote for their favorite first responder once a day, every day. Finalist voting runs through midnight April 10th. Grand-prize winner voting will run April 21st through May 8th.

Please visit AMW.com/allstar for more information.