And the Tony Award goes to ... the NYPD?

[May 18, 2010]  NEW YORK (AP) -- And the Tony Award goes to ... the New York Police Department?

Two New York City police precincts will be joining the casts of show like "American Idiot" and "Lend Me A Tenor" at this year's Tony Awards.

They will be awarded the Tony Honor for Excellence in the Theatre for their work in the city's theater district.

On May 1, police dealt with a potential car bomb that had been parked outside the theater where "The Lion King" plays. In December, a plainclothes officer killed a suspected scam artist near a landmark Broadway hotel after a gunfight.

The Tony Honors are given to people or organizations with extraordinary achievements in theater outside the regular categories. Past winners have included producers, restaurateurs and stylists.

The Tony Awards are scheduled for June 13.

[Associated Press]

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