 Good morning, I'm technician Jay Casillas with the Denver police media relations unit and on behalf of Denver police chief Paul Pazin I welcome each of you to this promotion ceremony Today seven members of the department are being promoted to the ranks of lieutenant and sergeant These seven officers here today have devoted a tremendous amount of time Effort and energy to get to this very moment and are now being recognized for their skills and accomplishments And so far in their Denver police careers They have already served the Denver community for a combined 101 years And we look forward to seeing them continue building their legacies in their new leadership roles At this time will you please stand if you are able for the presentation of the colors by the Denver police honor guard Please join me in the pledge of allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag Please remain standing for the invocation delivered by Denver police chaplain David Stute Begin in the name of the father and of the son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen Dear special guests friends family of our officers being promoted today Thank you for coming to celebrate these officers. I will be very very quick. I promise Congratulations to you You have spent hours upon hours getting ready for this day Each of you put in the time learning how to be leaders Earning the trust of your peers And you are very well respected and you're loved Your uniform will change Your job and your duties will be different But I pray That you will not change Continue to be the men and the women that you are. I Would ask you to be like Daniel When preparing for your promotion ceremony, I couldn't help but be reminded of the prophet Daniel The Old Testament Daniel wasn't it Israelite. He was a slave And he was exiled to Babylon And the king of the time Nebuchadnezzar and so you can't be promoted until you spell Nebuchadnezzar Just kidding had a dream. He was tormented by it He commanded his wise men of his kingdom to interpret his dream But he forgot parts of his dream The king demanded that the wise men not only interpret But tell the king what it meant The king said if you don't You will all be executed But if you succeed you will be promoted and blessed beyond all means There will be no executions today Of course the astrologers The wise men they couldn't do this Daniel the prophet of the true God immediately prayed to his God for help And here's the points that I wanted to make he remained calm and put courage in his God He approached the soldiers in charge of putting him and the other wise men to death he spoke with wisdom and Tacked he asked for an audience with the king and he got the time to speak with the king Who he knew was not happy Was not an approachable guy. He then began by explaining his interpretation and that it comes from the one true God He did not take credit He told the king his dream and what it meant stating he was a powerful king, but another one would come and Be even more powerful He told the truth He was bold, but he also pleaded for others So he stood up for his co-workers even though they did not have his back He was a true protector Reminding all of them including a heathen king of the true God reminding them that this God loves his people So the amazing thing is that the king bowed to Daniel's God and the king then placed Daniel in a high position Lavished many gifts upon him The king made Daniel ruler over the entire province of Babylon and he placed him in charge of all of his wise men You You have been calm You have courage Continue to speak with wisdom Continue to speak with tact give credit where credit is due Remember that your team is your team Continue to teach continue to lead speak truth be bold be the protectors that you are Please know that the true God loves you and protects you You have a savior in Jesus who shared who showed us this love in the forgiveness of sins and finally Lead your men and women be an example when you are down Look for help Encourage each other continue to protect and continue to serve Amen This time the Department of Safety Chief of Staff Jeff holiday will now share his thoughts on today's promotions Thank you and good morning to Chief Payson the Denver command staff The officers of the Denver Police Department and assembled dignitaries. Thank you for having me today Executive Director Armando Salvatte Could not join us this morning, but he wanted me to ensure that I extended from him His heartfelt congratulations To all of you on your promotion I'm honored to join you this morning in celebration of your promotion. I Would also like to commend all of you in the Denver Police Department For your hard work and dedication and keeping our community safe. I Know it hasn't been easy an easy time to work in law enforcement of late There have been many obstacles in much adversity to overcome Nevertheless, it is inspiring to see you continue to answer the call and lead the Denver Police Department through these times Without question We face immense challenges in public safety and it's going to take a thoughtful and concerted effort To continue to build trust within the community Make meaningful change all while continuing to support one another Leadership especially in challenging times requires exceptional resolve. I Have every confidence that each of you is the right leader at the right time to continue the department forward. I Trust you'll use your new positions to inspire hope Resilience and positivity throughout the Denver Police Department and the city In short, we look to each of you to do what the exceptional leaders of the Denver Police Department Have always done lead from the front We need your leadership to guide us in making the improvements in substantive change Necessary to ensure that Denver is a stronger safer city moving forward and that all of our officers Have full faith in trust in our department Please know that we in the Department of Safety look forward to working with each of you in your new capacity To serve Denver's communities and strengthen the support and care we offer our officers We are always here as a resource and to support you Congratulations They are well-deserved promotions, and I'm proud to serve the Denver community alongside of each of you Thank you. Thank you. Mr. Holiday Now chief Payson will share his words of encouragement with the leaders of being promoted today What a great day. What a special day to celebrate the women and men getting promoted. I Certainly want to thank their families. We all know that although these Officers investigators and sergeants work their tail off to get promoted. They didn't do it by themselves They needed the support of their family. They needed the support of their friends their loved ones to help them get here They needed the support of their peers to help them achieve these goals So although we recognize the seven women and men It is that the family friends and support system that brought them here today I also want to acknowledge the Denver Civil Service Commission. These tests are not easy to administer we've put a lot of pressure on the Civil Service Commission not only with promotional exams, but Trying to get firefighters and police officers through The entry-level process and into the Academy. So they're working hard We've need them to to work hard to continue to work hard because the challenges in feeling Positions is very difficult Yes, we are here to to celebrate to celebrate the years of preparation the hard work that has gone into Achieving the goal of a leadership position in the Denver Police Department And I'll piggyback on a couple of words. You've already heard here This is not about just getting a new rank sewn on to your sleeve a new Rank put on your collar more pay a different title As indicated law enforcement Policing has arguably never been as difficult as it is today It's never been as complex as it is today Never been as under the same level of scrutiny as we face today so when we're talking about leading the women and men of this police department through this Complex difficult job We need leaders to step up to lead from the front to lead by example to help the officers and investigators to ensure that We are able to support our community in the best way possible So I have never specifically talked about active supervision during any one of our promotion ceremonies It's a conversation that we have more in staff meetings and Meeting out in in roll calls, but I'm not asking for active supervision anymore It is the expectation it is the only way that we can move forward as a department and ensure that Our officers our investigators our supervisors are successful So active supervision means you are out with our officers with our investigators supporting them helping them through This very difficult job to ensure that they're successful so they can Help replace us when we move on and to help ensure that our community gets the Service that they deserve so you are being entrusted with greater responsibility This is not making your job easier It's making your job more important and now you cannot lose sight of that role I'm proud that that we Command staff and the supervisors get to stand with you and help support you during this process if you have Any questions if you need support yourself when you're in a difficult situation then Lean on your fellow Supervisors to help you through that ask the questions look for the the supervisors that help guide you To this process that take the best of the supervisors that you've had before But it is it is not easy. It's gotten more difficult But it is certainly critically important as we move forward lastly a Couple of pieces of advice that I think every police officer every member of our department professional staff and sworn if they want to be successful here is You work hard you work smart and you treat people right if you follow that guidance you can't go wrong so I wish y'all success safety in your new role and Congratulations to each of you. Congratulations to family and friends. Thank you so much for Helping to develop the future leaders of this department. Stay safe Thank You. Chief Payson now with the assistance of mr. Holiday and Chief Payson. We will begin our badge presentations Lieutenant Ryan Harris Lieutenant Harris began serving with the Denver Police Department on October 1 2007 He is attending Colorado State University where he studies organizational leadership Lieutenant Harris's previous DPD assignments include DIA District 6 patrol District 6 cat team district 6 downtown motorcycle unit District 6 investigations district 6 impact team and the DPD vice unit his new assignment will be a district 3 Joining him on stage are his wife Cassie daughter Natalie and son Connor Depending on his new badge is his daughter Natalie Sergeant Donald Christopher Hardy Sergeant Hardy began serving with the Denver Police Department on November 1 1999 Sergeant Hardy's previous DPD assignments include district one patrol district one scat and impact team district 5 patrol district 5 impact team Domestic violence unit counter threats section bias motivated crimes and school violence detective He has her in 23 commendations including two Distinguished service crosses and two star awards His new assignment will be district one Joining him on stage are his wife Michael and Jones and daughter Jordan Speedy and son Michael Chris Hardy Depending on his new badge is his wife Michael and Jones Sergeant Glenn T Martin Sergeant Martin began serving with the Denver Police Department on April 24 2006 Sergeant Martin's previous DPD assignments include district 6 patrol and traffic operations DUI unit He has their numerous personnel personal and unit awards from CDOT IACP and NHTSA His new assignment will be district 4 Depending on his new badge is chief Payson Sergeant John W Nelson Sergeant Nelson began serving with the Denver Police Department on January of 2006 He holds a bachelor of arts degree in communications from the University of Colorado Boulder Sergeant Nelson's previous DPD assignments include district 6 patrol His new assignment will be district 4 Joining him on stage is girlfriend Daniel Malinowski and his mother Phyllis Nelson Depending on his new badge is his girlfriend Daniel Malinowski Sergeant Brandon T Reyes Sergeant Reyes began serving with the Denver Police Department on August 3 2015 Sergeant Reyes's previous DPD assignments include district 1 patrol and the training academy He has been the Denver Health Paramedic Legion of Merit Award as well as a star award His new assignment will be district 5 Joining him on stage is his daughter Kylianna Reyes And depending on his new badge is his daughter Kylianna Reyes Sergeant Darlene Vida Sergeant Vida began serving with the Denver Police Department on October 1 1998 She holds a bachelor's degree in political science as well as a minor in criminal justice from the University of Wisconsin Parkside Sergeant Vida's previous DPD assignments include district 1 patrol district 1 technician district 1 corporal domestic violence detective and detective of the firearm assault shoe team She has earned a chief's unit citation award two life-saving awards one community service award one star award four official commendations seven commendatory letters one mile high optimist club officer of the month award And her new assignment will be district 2 Joining her on stage Are her daughter cadet Alex wary and great nephew brandy Vida Depending on her new badge are her daughter Alex wary Sergeant Brian Marshall Sergeant Marshall began serving with the Denver Police Department on April 21 2006 He holds a bachelor of arts degree in criminal justice from Michigan State University Sergeant Marshall's previous DPD assignments include district 2 patrol gain unit operation support And the intelligence unit He has earned two star awards and several official commendations His new assignments will be district 4 Joining him on stage are his wife Catherine Marshall and sons elwood and forest Depending on his new badge is his wife Catherine Marshall Please join me in congratulating these seven deserving officers Since today is all about recognizing dedication and exceptional effort We would also like to recognize a very special person Who is one of DPD's most most faithful supporters Deputy chief Archer will share a few words About our loyal friend Marsha Burger Oh as technician casillas just said we're taking a moment to honor this very incredible human being that we all know Someone who for decades has supported the women and men of this police department. I first met This wonderful person 22 years ago when she was delivering newspapers out in northeast Denver During the overnight hours and she would stop by the station She would bring raisins and cookies and oranges and anything to show support for the officers When she would see officers taking a break at a 7-eleven in town, she would stop and give them cookies that she had made Just showing her love and appreciation. She never forgot anybody's name. She knows your family members names, which is just incredible Her support also included typed letters, which we in district 2 then fondly called marsha grounds And they were words of praise and support for the work of the officers out in the street that she had witnessed and I can tell you what in my four years out there at district 2 as a sergeant I had hundreds of those come through we're guessing maybe there's thousands that she's written Which is a lot of time and a lot of energy for which we're all grateful We know this job isn't easy But knowing we have someone who supports us in the good and bad times helps us get through each day Her facebook page says she dearly loves the Denver police officers She's at every department ceremony And we consider her part of our dpd family So you figured out who i'm talking about is marsha berger And because of her continued support thoughtfulness and kindness We're honoring miss marsha berger today presenting with her her with a beautiful denver police department badge necklace It was a bell system for the largest law firm This side of the mr. City And I have never seen So many fine people under one roof As who are who are in this police department You're awesome You're incredible And you make my heart same May the true god bless you on the street And at home may he guide you to be the best leaders May he keep a smile on your face and give you an understanding heart Amen, we pray Creator god, I come to you in thanksgiving for these seven officers How wonderful it is that they are being promoted to lieutenant and sergeants I ask that you continue to watch over them all Continue to give them the humility and the boldness The patience to lead and to teach their teams Give them the wisdom to be safe and to keep those they lead safe As we pray for all of our police today We ask that your strength would flow through them giving the endurance They need to carry on give them encouragement that the work they do represents your character of justice and peace We look forward to a day with no injustice And no oppression when you reign forever we join with all creation An adoration of your precious name through jesus christ our lord. Amen in closing Achieving promotion within the nevin police department is an exceptional accomplishment These seven officers have demonstrated through a vigorous demanding and challenging promotional process That they have the ability to lead and guide others and to further the mission of the nevin police department Again, congratulations