Police officer honored for recovering stolen cars

Newport Beach Police Officer Elijah Hayward received an award for his efforts in recovering stolen vehicles at the 17th annual Auto Theft Advisory Committee awards ceremony. He and nearly 30 other Orange County law enforcement officers were honored at the Irvine Marriott Hotel on Thursday for their efforts.

Hayward, 25, has been with the department for about three years. In the last year, he recovered 10 stolen vehicles, Sgt. Evan Sailor said.

Among the key speakers were Orange County Sheriff Michael Carona and Robert Bouttier, president and chief operating officer of the Automobile Club of Southern California.

Last year, 10,900 vehicle thefts were reported in Orange County, event organizers said. Orange County officers recovered 9,337 of those vehicles, representing an 85.7% recovery rate.

The 28 officers honored Thursday together recovered 342 vehicles, valued at approximately $2,769,626 and arrested 202 suspects, according to event organizers.

Hayward works as a wrestling coach at a local high school, Sailor said. Last year he won a silver medal for his weight class in the sport at the Police Olympics.

On top of his car retrieval numbers, Hayward “has made quite a number of large drug arrests,” Sailor said. “His time on a proactive patrol has put a good dent in the drugs out there on the street.”

— Kelly Strodl