Pasadena Officer Recognized Statewide for Drug Prevention Work

The same Pasadena police officer who chases gang members and seizes narcotics on the city’s streets has now been recognized for a quieter part of the job: teaching people, especially young people, why the drugs exist to seize in the first place.

Officer Raymond Cardenas Jr. received the Enrique S. Camarena Award from the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks on May 15 at the organization’s California-Hawaii convention in Rancho Mirage, according to a statement from the Pasadena Police Department and the City Manager’s Office. The award honors law enforcement officers who demonstrate outstanding commitment to drug prevention and community education.

The award carries the name of DEA Special Agent Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, who was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by drug traffickers in Mexico in 1985 after helping dismantle a major cartel marijuana operation. His death inspired the creation of Red Ribbon Week, the nation’s oldest and largest drug prevention campaign, and the Elks — whose Drug Awareness Program is described as the largest volunteer drug awareness effort in the country — have presented the award annually in his memory.

Cardenas is assigned to the Pasadena Police Department’s Street Crime Unit, which was formed in May 2023 to target street-level criminal activity, with a focus on criminal street gangs, narcotics, and quality-of-life crimes. The department’s statement said he was selected for the award based on his drug prevention efforts, community outreach, youth education, and investigative accomplishments.

The statewide recognition comes shortly after Cardenas received honors within his own department. On May 7, the department named him Officer of the Year at its 53rd Annual Police and Citizens Awards Ceremony at the Pasadena Convention Center. He also received a Life Saving Medal for his role in rescue and evacuation operations during the Eaton Fire in January 2025.

Chief Eugene Harris and Commander Marcia Taglioretti, who oversees the Criminal Investigations Division that includes the Street Crime Unit, attended the ceremony in Rancho Mirage along with Lieutenant Carlo Montiglio.

The Camarena Award is presented in each state to a law enforcement officer who, according to the Elks’ criteria, best exemplifies the qualities for which Agent Camarena gave his life: involvement in the community, a commitment to a drug-free lifestyle, and contributions to drug awareness or prevention that go beyond normal duties. Nominations begin at local Elks lodges and are forwarded to state-level selection.

Cardenas has been with the Pasadena Police Department since 2019, when he was sworn in as an officer.

The department’s Street Crime Unit, which combined the former Criminal Intelligence Unit and Neighborhood Action Team, recovered 43 firearms and made 124 gang- and narcotics-related arrests in 2024, according to department records cited in local news coverage.