 Good evening if you all can start to take your seats. There's a few up here on the second row, and it looks like there's a few in between There also be overflow in the lobby. It'll be on the television screens out there At this time I ask those that are able to to please stand for the posting of the colors Thank you. You may be seated first and foremost. I want to welcome everyone to the Durham Police Department's annual service award ceremony My name is Captain Mary Ann Bond, and I'm joined here by Lieutenant J. L. Jackson Tonight we are here to recognize citizens civilians and Durham police officers for their extraordinary efforts and dedication to the city of Durham Their efforts and contributions to our community help strengthen the bond between law enforcement and the citizens of Durham Those we are honoring tonight were nominated by peers supervisors and community members At this time, I would like to acknowledge any special guests, and I ask that you please stand any federal elected officials any state elected officials County elected officials city elected officials city and county department heads all law enforcement the executive command staff and Also, welcome Boy Scout troop pack 137 from st. Joseph AME church in Durham These young scouts are working toward their citizenship requirement and are in attendance to learn more about the important role Citizens play in the keeping the community safe Thank you all for attending Like to mention one final item before we get started and that's tonight's ceremony is being broadcast live on the Durham television network The program will be rebroadcast several over the next several months and made available online for on-demand viewing At this time I invite chaplain Phil Wiggins to the podium for the invocation Please join me in prayer Heavenly father we come to you this evening thanking you for the many blessings Such as friendships our professions in which we have been called to serve the talents and skills given to each of us Today we come to recognize and honor those that have gone beyond what is required in the services to their organization and to the community With this special recognition comes added responsibility to those being honored It will now be their role as they are awarded for their work and leadership skills To demonstrate humility in that there are so many others as deserving And now they have the task to lift up those around them to a higher level of awareness motivation and commitment to perform well and go the extra mile and to help others climb the ladder of success with patients trust and respect We thank you for those being recognized tonight that their work and accomplishments May continue leading them towards excellence and all they do in Jesus name. I pray amen I now invite Durham police chief Jose Lopez to the podium for remarks and for a special presentation of an award Thank You captain byne first of all I'd like to recognize someone who is not an elected official, but it's the individual that I work for Mr. Tom Bonfield For his attendance here. I think it's important to note that because of support that the city manager's office gives to the City Police Department, and I wish to publicly. Thank you. I've been given a very difficult task here today I've been asked to be brief and that's going to be a bit hard today ceremony Recognizing our police officers and also recognizing members of our community for the efforts to work That they've done during the year is an extremely important Situation in an important time in today's law enforcement times It's very important that the message be sent out that both the community and this police department work together Especially here in the city of Durham that that's the way that we do it here that it is one family One family being the city both citizens and both police officers and I think it's very important that we recognize how we work together what we do together and Appreciate ourselves even more for that We deal with a lot of companies here in the city of Durham As far as working for the with the police department and one company that we deal with is Down-home Harley Davidson and They work with our motorcycle squad Motorcycle unit is one of the heaviest accolade units that we have they do an excellent job in their services asked all over the The the state and also in DC during the memorial. They're called upon to serve there also, but we have someone from The from the Harley Davidson Center who really has gone out of their way to To service that unit and to make sure that unit continues moving of course We do pay the vendor for the work they do but this individual has just stuck out To help us in keeping that that unit going at a moment's notice To the extent that I came to realize that he really needs to be recognized by this police department I like to call up will Hoyle Will makes it seem like our motorcycles never break down It always makes it seem like they have the best equipment and I wonder sometimes how we can afford that equipment But I think a lot of it has to do with the recommendations that are given Above and beyond so I want to take this moment to present with appreciation To will Hoyle for your outstanding service and dedication to the Durham Police Department this plaque. Thank you very much Now there are a lot of individuals who are going to be recognizing so I'm certain that many of you are going to be Disappointed that I'm going to stop speaking and I move on with the program. Thank you Good evening. The first awards for this evening will be the community service medals The community service medals honor DPD police officers non-sworn DPD employees and Members of the general public for service to the community above and beyond the call of duty The first award is awarded to a group of individuals that make up the city of Durham's neighborhood improvement services community engagement team Linwood Best Nicholas Allen Robin Dixon Laura Beideger Pamela Pagan and Wanoda stature By as departmental mission the NIS community engagement team is responsible for providing outreach and education To Durham residents and community organizations to eradicate blight and hence neighborhood vitalization Ensure safer neighborhoods and to encourage an active participation in neighborhood redevelopment and public policy and decision-making dialogue But in an extraordinary demonstration of the city's culture of service philosophy NIS community engagement staff have essentially operated as a voluntary ad hoc committee Supporting DPD's annual national night out of observances Their support and action greatly contribute to the DPD's national night out coordinators management and implementation of the observances many facets and 2014 with record numbers of registrations The NIS teams behind the scenes involvement was instrumental to another successful year Community community engagement team members Linwood best Nicholas Allen Robin Dixon Laura Beideger Pamela Pagan and Wanoda stature Demonstrated above and beyond teamwork and customer service to to DPD and the community These team members have been vital partners in our successful national night out observances Daryl Hedgepath Daryl Hedgepath Manages neighborhood improvement services impact team that is known as the department's the department's rapid responders Their mission is to remedy non-compliant housing properties abate public nuisances such as litter graffiti illegal dumping and abandoned shopping carts and conduct neighborhood service project projects Although law enforcement slash public safety is not the the team's core mission Daryl's actions and can-do cheerful attitude have helped to facilitate Pedestrian and motorist safety as part of national night out neighborhood events over the years Specifically with the support of NIS administration Daryl voluntarily manages delivery of barricade street closures relative to registered national night out events While barricade delivery may seem fairly simple and perhaps mundane The service is actually quite time-consuming and more importantly absolutely essential to national night out operations What makes the responsibility more challenging is the changes in registrations Locations and an add-on registrations often create last-minute barricade logistical issues This seamless service is provided across three city departments mainly because Daryl's enthusiasm professionalism responsiveness and resourcefulness Furthermore the national night out barricade service to date has been provided free of charge to communities because Daryl Hedgepath Makes it happen behind the scenes and always with a big welcoming smile Helen chick Hinton and Pat Ellis Durham crime stoppers Helen chick Hinton and Pat Ellis are both dedicated long-serving members of the Durham crime stoppers board Chick Hinton has been a Durham crime stoppers board member for approximately 20 years and is the longest serving member on the board in The time she has been a board member she has served as secretary and as backup secretary Chick can always be counted on to attend community events to represent crime stoppers and frequently Participates in project safe neighborhood community responses Her late husband Billy Hinton also served on the board of directors for 17 years Chick has been active with district two partners against crime and has attended Durham police department citizens police academies four times She has gone on police ride-alongs to learn more about how crime stoppers helps to helps to combat crime And she frequently communicates with the coordinator about upcoming functions And in addition to her crime stopper responsibility Chick also assist with assist with preparing promotional bags for communities participating in national night out She has a wonderful personality and people enjoy working with her She has she has dedicated a significant amount of time to helping law enforcement fight crime in our community Chick Hinton is an exceptional community member and partner to the Durham police department Pat Ellis has been a member of the Durham crime stoppers for 16 years During this time he has been a board member and has served as a chair as a chairman of the board for approximately 10 years Part of his role as the chair is to attend crime stoppers meetings Guide policy attend events and promote the program He is constantly recruiting new board members and has been has been successful in creating a diverse board of directors In his duties as chairman pat act pat acts As a liaison between the police department coordinator and the crime stoppers program He is always accessible to coordinators the community and other board members He comes up with new ideas and is highly supportive of new ways to promote the program Pat has participated in 20 community responses and neighborhood canvases and partnership with partner with project safe neighborhoods He goes to data he goes to the data bus station And helps to educate community members about crime stoppers and attends community events to support crime stoppers such as the target public safety day Pat has also attended numerous crime stoppers conferences to learn about new ideas and other programs and to network with fellow programs In october 2014 under his leadership Durham crime stoppers was awarded the 2014 productivity award by the north colander crime stoppers association He has done all this while still working full-time as a real estate agent and then active in his church Pat Ellis is an exceptional community member and partner to the Durham police department who helps enhance the quality of life in Durham nana asante nana asante A sexual assault advocate for the Durham crime crisis response center Has been a true asset and partner to the Durham police department and her work with the start by believing campaign This campaign which was launched in january 2015 is the result of hard work by nana asante Durham police Durham police investigator quincy tape and the Durham police department's special special victims unit The campaign focuses focus is to change the response to sexual assaults and rapes within our community by providing survivors with a supportive response We believe this campaign will make a substantial difference in changing attitudes towards sexual assaults Enhancing our resources and building positive partnerships with other agencies Nana asante an investigator tapes fit their saturdays and sundays in february in february providing additional training to officers about how to respond to sexual assault calls The the success of this campaign would not have been possible without nana asante support and assistance Her hard work and dedication is making a positive difference in our community hazelene umstead Hazelene umstead has been an active and passionate member of pack three for many years and currently serves on its executive committee as an elected member at large As a leader of line park in pack three she inspires and motivates people to get involved by not just her words but by her actions Every year she participates in the citywide national night out observance by providing and hosting a huge feast Not only does she invite her neighbors, but she invites all of the district three police officers all the pack members and even elected officials Ms. Hazelene is famous for her cooking and is reputed to have the best national night out food in the whole city Her dedication to national night out was demonstrated in 2014 She was reaching for a dish while preparing her national night out feast and fell severely injuring herself But she continued cooking chopping and preparing the various dishes. She wanted to serve the next evening She was found by a friend the following morning who insisted on calling an ambulance Ms. Hazelene's only concern was for national night out and the officers and officials who would be disappointed by the cancellation of her event Hazelene umstead has served district three in her community above and beyond the normal call of duty Through her dedication commitment and hard work. She has made line park a much better place A much safer place to live work and play pastor dan johnson Dan johnson pastor of mosaic church has worked closely with the Durham police department and the community to provide comfort and assistance to friends and families of victims of violent crimes He has provided a free burial to a homicide victim and ongoing encouragement to his family After the homicide at an apartment complex Pastor johnson organized a family fund day in the parking lot Pastor johnson in conjunction with mosaic church brought in blow-up games Cotton candy and face painting for the families More than 250 kids came outside and participated as the community began the healing process When a nine-year-old died due to an accidental gunshot pastor johnson responded by visiting the family He networked with other churches and organizations to provide council food and financial support for the burial of the young boy Pastor johnson also serves as a member of the emergency chaplain's program Which provides assistance to local public safety employees as well as community members In addition, he developed a program to honor local law enforcement Pastor johnson has quietly and unassumably made a positive difference in the lives of many Durham residents through his faith and outreach Alice cheek Is a pack five co-facilitator and a leader in the edgemont elms community She believes that keeping the community safe and thriving involves people who live in the community as well as the police She always says the police can't fight crime by themselves. It takes all of us working together As district fives co-facilitator She works continuously to keep the lines of communication open between the community between the community and the police department Alice is a lady of few words But her work in the community speaks volumes She has extraordinary community planning skills, but collaboration is her strong suit She is efficient, tactful and somehow manages to leave everyone smiling at the end of a call Her energy and smiles are contagious As a community leader Alice Coordinated and assisted with community events such as national night out Bull City play streets build a better block build a bed her block Thanksgiving in spring Can food drives and backpack drives In the summer Alice volunteers her time at refiners fire community church as a mentor providing encouragement and words of wisdom to area youth She also initiated a bike safety campaign providing residents with bike reflectors and reflective handbands Alice sheik is an excellent community leader and a wonderful asset to our city Christina fountain Christina fountain has a strong commitment and to Excuse me. Christina fountain has a strong commitment to increasing the personal safety of law enforcement officers and their families She was watching the news in December 2014 when she saw a local story about a Durham police officer Been shot at while in his patrol car and she knew that she had to do something to enhance officer safety She started to do research and learn that in some states like florida The home addresses for officers are not published for the general public to see Christina decided she wanted to do something She wanted to do what she could do to make this become law in North Carolina She made a call to the Durham county tax office and North Carolina attorney general's office And met with chief Lopez to find out how this could be done She made a presentation to the Durham city council about the importance of protecting the home addresses of officers After this presentation, she met with delegates from the North Carolina state house and senate as well as with the city manager And county manager and the Durham county commissioners and it was agreed that a bill would be presented Christina fountain saw a need and put in time and effort to support law enforcement officers and to attempt to make their lives safer She has truly made a positive difference Chaplain Ralph Thompson Chaplain Ralph Thompson Director of emergency chaplains has been an invaluable partner to Durham's public safety agencies and the Durham community Chaplain Thompson formed emergency chaplains in 2008 to provide pastoral care For first responders and to assist citizens in crisis In 2009 chaplain Thompson And emergency chaplains created a 1038 fund to assist Durham police officer damon yoman's who was critically injured in an on-duty shooting Chaplain Thompson also provided Provided continued emotional support to officer yoman's as he recovered from his injuries Chaplain Thompson Attends and supports numerous events such as national night out the annual peace officer's memorial service and psn community responses He also created an annual home home town heroes banquet to recognize first responders who make significant contributions and go above and beyond the call of duty He is always available to public safety employees to offer a listening ear comfort and reassurance Chaplain Thompson is a force of a comforting Spiritual nature who has greatly advanced the ideas of public safety in a variety of ways Officer mark mark walko Officer mark walko has been assigned to the Durham police department's great unit for the last eight years During that time he has mentored three youth who were who were referred to outside service providers Mark saw the need and stepped in without being asked He has provided companionship encouragement discipline and an ear to listen and a heart to care He and his he and his son have been working with these three teams since they were in elementary school and one is now a junior in high school Mark meets with the students bi-weekly on saturdays They start the day with breakfast at a local mcdonald's that mark provides without question And they discuss issues such as behaviors and strategies to help them overcome social obstacles and build confidence After breakfast they spend the day doing activities such as fishing bike riding and hiking the trails at local state parks attending public at attending police athletic league events and assisting at mark's church during christmas to feed the hungry Officer walko has opened up And shared a part of his life and character with these young kids With hopes of helping them become successful young men and productive members of the Durham community He is a shining example of the idea of the city of Durham's culture of service to others Sergeant steven barn Sergeant barn has been the district 1b supervisor for two years and in isn't Sergeant barn who has been the district 1b supervisor for two years is an exemplary supervisor and a strong proponent of community policing He has developed many strategies to improve the east Durham community and the officers who officers who work for him One of his squads key initiatives was improving the quality of life in an apartment complex beset with crime issues and abandoned apartments He worked with numerous city and county agencies To form a multifaceted collaboration to improve this area He has also developed initiative initiatives focusing on vehicle breakhands burglaries larcenies high crime high crime areas and parking issues Officers were able to make several arrests as a result of these initiatives He worked he works closely closely with community members to identify issues and develop solutions Sergeant barn is pro is very proactive in his squads professional and educational development He set up two separate trips to the high point indoor shooting range In an effort to improve officer safety by teaching tactics for building searches And use of use of force scenarios under daytime and nighttime conditions He implemented a group squad run in 2014 to help us officers stay in shape And he provides weekly training in various areas of interest to his officers Sergeant barn has demonstrated that he truly cares about the well-being and health of his officers and works to Constantly improve their ability so they they can serve and protect the citizens of Durham at the highest level possible He's an excellent example of an officer who truly serves his community Corporal Jessica brie butler and lucas strout Durham police department employees lucas strout and corporal Jessica brie butler Have provided invaluable assistance to the police athletic league soccer program They have coached more than 100 children at club boulevard elementary school in the past four years They started a year-round soccer program at club boulevard and have put in more than 500 volunteer hours Lucas and brie provide halftime and end of game drinks and snacks and put together an end of year Celebration with trophies and jerseys with names and numbers for the players They have spent approximately $2,000 of their own money for these events Brie's mother has taken photos of the players free of charge and brie spent $700 to replace the soccer goals Lucas and brie also volunteered to step in when the pals coaches can't make it to the games Lucas strout and corporal butler have served as mentors and made differences differences in the lives of many Durham children They are a vital part of the pals soccer program and have gone above and beyond to make the program at club boulevard a success officer jacob west District four officers were asked to come up with a community project for the 2014 holiday season District four c officer jacob west immediately and passionately spoke up and suggested an initiative that would demonstrate his squad's Community involvement while promoting safety enhancing the quality of life within the community Officer west suggested that the squad put together gift bags containing hats gloves socks hygiene items and available resource referral sheets to be given to the homeless persons that the officers came in contact with during their tours of duty Officer west took the lead in organizing the gathering of the items needed and putting the bags together Most of the items were purchased from the squad members own money and emergency chaplains donated bottles of hand sanitizer Approximately 40 bags were given out over the course of the holidays The effort gave police an approximate headcount of homeless in the Durham in the district four area And the contact with them gave officers an opportunity to gather identifying information in case of emergencies Moreover, it allowed police to point them in the right direction to help them get off of the streets The project was similar to an initiative officer west and his wife did in charlotte Officer west is a shining example of the idea of the city of Durham's culture of service to others Our next category is going to be the certificate of merit This is presented to members for outstanding performance or devotion to duty possibly involving personal safety The first recipient is master officer larry cox. Unfortunately, he's not able to be here with us tonight So captain brine's brian rights will be accepting his award master officer larry cox is a highly trained traffic investigator and motor officer As a traffic investigator master officer cox works on an on-call rotation To handle any serious injury accident that may happen at nights or on the weekends During a one-week on-call rotation in september of 2014 master officer cox was called in for four serious traffic crashes two of which were fatalities One of the traffic fatalities involved a toddler struck by a vehicle Master officer cox handled the investigation of all these incidents and went to the hospital to let the toddler's parents know how she died Another officer could have made the notification But master officer cox believed it was his duty as the investigating officer to personally handle this very difficult aspect of his investigation In addition to handling these investigations master officer cox conducted 112 traffic stops Resulting in four charges of driving while impaired 83 speeding citations Eight citations for driving while license revoked Seven citations for no operators license and 14 other charges Master officer cox demonstrated dedication a strong work ethic compassion and commitment to the city of Durham This award is given a recognition for outstanding performance master officer frank gore Master officer frank gore He joined the police department in 1986 and retired in april of 2014 As a motor officer in addition to his motor duties Master officer gore taught a wide variety of law enforcement classes on the local and state levels He served as a mentor to many officers over the years and developed strong partnerships between the Durham police department and other law enforcement and community agencies During the past year master officer gore taught the Durham police department's new recruits and traffic crash investigations firearms drivers training In addition to those classes master officer gore also taught Radar basic operator school a radar recertification course and a child passenger safety technician course Master officer gore was a valuable member to the child safety training committee and is currently a police motor instructor He is also a bike safe north carolina instructor and assessor In 2013 master officer gore was recognized as the instructor of the year by the north carolina child passenger safety training committee And as an instructor he taught several 40 hour passenger seat Excuse me child passenger seat installation certification classes to more than 1 000 people Master officer gore is dedicated to passing on the valuable skills he attained throughout his career To others in order to improve the level level of service to the citizens of Durham Master officer gore's work ethic is beyond reproach as is his dedication to his profession Which he truly loves He is respected by all and his reputation has spread across law enforcement He is a mentor instructor leader Officer and most of all a friend to all with whom he came into contact during his exemplary career This award is given in recognition of outstanding performance sergeant glenn price Sergeant glenn price is not able to attend this evening captain david adison will be accepting this award on his behalf On january 22nd 2013 sergeant glenn price was driving on stadium drive In route to an off-duty job when he noticed an suv Facing east partially on the curb and grass of the westbound lane with the lights on and the engine running Realizing realizing that something was wrong sergeant price stopped and approached the vehicle He saw a man slumped in the driver's seat The driver's window was down about two inches all the doors were locked and the vehicle was still in drive The driver's eyes were rolling back in his head and he was having a very hard time breathing Sergeant price called for ems and attempted to unlock the vehicle to reach the driver He used his department issued flashlight and broke the glass in the driver's door He placed the vehicle in park and turned off the ignition As well as unbuckling the driver's seat belt and assisting ems and moving the driver onto a backboard and stretcher Medics immediately started bagging the victim Sergeant price and another officer drove the victim's vehicle to the hospital parking lot and transported his phone keys and other personal items to the emergency room Sergeant glenn price training quick action and devotion to duty helped save a life This award is presented in recognition of outstanding performance investigator and cristalty Investigator and cristalty has demonstrated an exceptional dedication to her job and the victims of homicides During 2014 investigator cristalty investigated Seven homicides as the lead investigator Making it the second year in a row that she handled more homicides than any other investigator In addition to the homicides investigator cristalty handled 56 death investigations 59 missing person investigations And this translated into an average of almost 10 additional cases per month One example of her dedication to her work occurred on september 13th 2014 investigator cristalty was on a call that night and was assisting another investigator With a case when the one they were on became a domestic homicide Although she was not next in line in the homicide rotation. She adopted the case right away to save other investigators the trouble of having to come in after hours During 2014. She also trained a new homicide investigator and assisted on almost every other homicide This award is given in recognition for outstanding performance Thank you Our next recipient is lieutenant sherry montgomery. She's not able to attend this evening, but captain writes Will be accepting the award on her behalf During her time as a sergeant over the traffic services unit Sherry montgomery was able to enhance the relationships with other law enforcement agencies And secure grants to provide much needed equipment for her officers Then sergeant montgomery secured grants in excess of 200 000 for the traffic services unit These grants provided upgraded radar units for both attack officers and the motor units The grants were also used to purchase light towers trailers and other vital equipment To enable the unit to better completeness mission of making the streets safe for motorists and pedestrians As a result of purchasing the grant funded radar units the department was able to provide the old units and still serviceable radar units to the patrol districts Lieutenant montgomery was also able to repair a fractured relationship with the governor's highway safety commission Which aided in getting the grants approved The repair is a direct result of her leadership and interpersonal communication In this time of tight budgets for the department lieutenant montgomery's efforts provided a significant contribution to the overall effectiveness of the Durham police department This award is given in recognition for outstanding performance master officer deloas west master officer deloas west is unable to attend this evening, but captain david adison will be accepting her award Master officer deloas west spent 13 years as a homicide investigator and was known for her efforts to reach out and maintain communication with the family of homicide victims Master officer west spent the last year of her police career working tirelessly on unsolved homicides in addition to her usual responsibilities She initiated and helped implement a webpage for unsolved homicides and set up an associated unsolved homicide hotline Master officer west interacted with various members of local media to help promote this new program including a radio taped interview Master officer west worked closely with the Durham chapter of parents of murder children for many years She was a regular attendee at these meetings and has been continuously praised by the groups administrators for her assistance and support Her dedication to these cases goes beyond solving them master officer west pursues leads for the sake of closure for the family Her dedication compassion and efforts when above and beyond and will always be remembered by the families of the victims This award is given in recognition for outstanding performance mark Sherman Mark Sherman an EIS coordinator Specializing in audio video programs for the Durham police department has been part of a fast-growing area of support And handled a heavy workload in the past several years Mark is one of two coordinators responsible for producing the videos from the Durham police department's in car camera system Three years ago. He produced 250 videos, but last year that increase was up to 4 000 He is also he also keeps the in car camera systems up to date on software and works to correct any issue To ensure the cameras operate properly In addition to this he researched a failsafe camera login system and installed this on 80 of our systems Mark has been involved with the testing the use of body cameras for the department He created two surveys so that officers can easily share their opinions About the different systems being tested The officers can take the surveys on their computers or their smartphones He also created a new overtime sheet in excel to be used by non-sware employees to show the correct accrual of comp time Mark Sherman handled his normal job duties and those of a second allocated Audiovisual position for almost a year He came up with new ideas and provided top-notch service for a vital but often unnoticed area of the Durham police department This award is given a recognition for outstanding performance The next award is a group award Officer jacob west and richard cone Officers jacob west and richard cone responded to a possible suicide and progress call in november 2014 When they arrived they could hear a vehicle running inside a locked garage Officer west forces way into the house and then into the garage where the officers were able to locate and check on the victim The officer smelled a strong odor of vehicle exhaust and noticed that the female was unresponsive in the driver seat Officer west opened the car door and turned the ignition off while officer cone checked for a pulse and determined that She was still breathing but unconscious Officer west then removed her from the vehicle and carried her outside to fresh air Officer cone observed bottles of muscle relaxers and alcoholic beverages in the front seat of the vehicle and removed those as well After being in the fresh air for a while the victim regained consciousness, but was still disoriented and confused Officer west and cone despite concerns for their personal safety Were able to save the life of another through their quick action and decision making and outstanding performance The next certificate of merit is also a group award officer learon thomas jacob west michael hodrick and adam osborne On july 25th district four c officers thomas west hodrick and osborne Responded to a cardiac arrest call They arrived on scene close to the same time and found an 80 year old female unconscious on the front porch Officers west and thomas began rotations of chest compressions while officers hodrick and osborne Combed upset family members and gathered as much patient information as possible Officers west and thomas continued life-standing CPR until ems arrived on the scene and took over Paramedics regained vital signs and were able to transport the patient to the hospital The female was placed in intensive care at duke university hospital for further treatment If not for the quick action of these officers the female patient may not have held on long enough for paramedics to arrive Officers west thomas osborne and hodrick used their training and reacted quickly under difficult circumstances to save a life This award is presented in recognition of outstanding performance Our last certificate of merit is also a group award officers ryan benfield Troy fitting and edwin valerio District 1b officers benfield fitting and valerio responded to a cardiac arrest call on january 1st 2015 When they arrived they found a female who was unresponsive and had no pulse Officers immediately began CPR and continued to assist Durham county ems by rotating in and out during the CPR In addition these officers also worked to ensure ems had a clear route to exit with the patient by moving patrol cars and repositioning ems vehicles since the resident residential street was narrow and congested The efforts by those on the scene brought a pulse back which allowed for immediate transport of the female for continued care Officers benfield valerio and fitting used their training and reacted quickly under difficult circumstances to save a life This award is presented in recognition of outstanding performance The next award presentation for this evening will be the the distinguished service medal This is this is presented to members who apprehend Or caused to be apprehended a dangerous person at grave or imminent danger to themselves Corporal charles finnell Corporal charles finnell was at home at home off duty on october 28th 2014 when he received a telephone call about a shooting near his home Corporal finnell without hesitation Rushed from his home and with the assistance of neighbors apprehended the suspect the suspected shooter and held him until patrol officers arrived After the suspect was detained corporal finnell returned to the victim and performed CPR until ems arrived Unfortunately despite corporal finnell's quick actions the victims succumbed to his injuries Corporal finnell demonstrated his willingness to go above and beyond the call of duty Even while off duty at great risk of risk of personal injury Although corporal finnell was unable to save the victim's life His speedy and unselfish actions help help responding officers locate the murder weapon and arrest the suspected murderer Corporal finnell's actions demonstrated his dedication to his job and to the community he serves His action also helped bring a small beacon of hope to a grief-stricken family who lost their child in such a tragic manner In connection with this incident the police department will also later be awarding police medals to two residents who wish to remain anonymous police medals Are awarded to community members who apprehend or cause to be apprehended a dangerous person at great At person at grave or imminent danger to themselves officers monti d southerland jonathan k mead and ryan d whale Officers responded to an armed robbery of a business in progress on may 23rd 2014 When k9 officer j jonathan k mead and officer monti d southerland arrived at the business and the 4400 block of north roxburgh street They heard a door close and realized someone was hiding inside The officers entered the business and discovered two victims with their wrists and ankles duct taped The officers freed the victims and continued to search the business The officers found three armed suspects hiding inside a bathroom and challenged them to come out with their hands over their heads Kenan officer ryan d whale arrived on scene and assisted the officers in apprehending and handcuffing the three suspects officer me Well and southerland reacted quickly and professionally when faced with with a dangerous situation They put their personal safety at risk and were able to rescue the victims who were unharmed They also were able to arrest three suspects recover all the soda and property and seize three handguns Our next award would be for the civilian of the year The Durham police department civilian employee of the year medal is presented by the department to any non-sworn employee Of the department for exceptional performance throughout the year christina moody Durham police department eis supervisor christina moody joined Durham police department in 2000 and has been an invaluable employee She is knowledgeable and always available to answer questions and resolve issues If she doesn't have an immediate solution, she will find one She takes a very active role in making sure that she and her unit provide excellent service to the department She created and maintains a website with valuable information to make it easier for officers to do their jobs The website is basically a one-stop shop for officers to find forms Answers to questions and and links to helpful websites during the past year chris played a large part in the behind the scenes preparation and testing of the start of the Durham of the department's body-worn camera pilot program She is currently overseeing all of this staging and coordination With technology solutions to assure that our department has a smooth transaction to the city's new telephone system In the middle of 2014 chris lost two of her four technology staff members to retirement in a two month span During the time her unit was understaffed and even later As she trained her new personnel She displayed a high level of dedication to the department by putting in many extra Unpaid hours on on the job to assure that all of her unit's projects and programs stay on track Christina moody's work ethic And the great attitude she brings to the job every day make her a true asset to the Durham police department By demonstrating her exceptional devotion to duty Chris moody has been selected as the Durham police department's 2015 civilian of the year The next award is our Durham police department officer of the year The Durham police department officer of the year medal is prevented presented by the department for an outstanding to an outstanding officer for performance throughout the year sergeant dale gunter Sergeant gunter joined the Durham police department in 1994 and has spent the last 20 plus years Serving the city and community with an unrival level of devotion As heat two supervisor sergeant gunter takes every available opportunity to spend time in the community speaking with residents Corresponding with pack two members and handing out junior police stickers to the kids He is an interactive member of 28 neighborhood listservs Responding to dozens of questions and concerns on a daily basis Whenever he's not busy patrolling the streets with his team You can find sergeant gunter walking through neighborhoods on foot Interacting with citizens and even taking a moment to shoot hoops or play in the snow with local children Each year he participates in community events, which are too numerous to mention Recently a pack two member was hospitalized with a serious health condition Sergeant gunter took time out of his schedule to visit him in the hospital and used his personal finances To install a new handrail for the gentleman's front doorsteps Operationally sergeant gunter is involved in several areas He teaches in the recruit academy and provides in-service training in firearms CPR tracks and mobile field force preparations Sergeant gunter instituted instituted and maintains the lifesaving aed registry program throughout the department And there are now 30 aed units available Sergeant gunter has won numerous awards over the years for his work By demonstrating his exceptional devotion to duty and to the safety and care of the Durham citizens Sergeant dale gunter has been selected as the Durham police department's 2015 officer of the year Our last category of awards is the medal of valor The medal of valor is the highest recognition given by the department Any member may be nominated for the award The medal of valor may be granted to members who distinguish themselves by gallantry and bravery In attempt to preserve life or property at a clear risk of personal safety The act must be so conspicuous that it clearly distinguishes the member as the one who acted far beyond the call of duty master officer jj mcdonough In 2004 master officer john mcdonough was on patrol in a high crime area in district two Responding to complaints of drug activity master officer mcdonough observed three individuals selling narcotics and approached the subjects when one fled on foot master officer mcdonough gave chase and followed the suspect into the wood line Where master officer mcdonough was ambushed The suspect was hiding and fired a shot from extremely close range at master officer mcdonough The round passed with an inches of officer mcdonough's face called his powder burns The round that was fired skimmed his vest Striking his holster and lodged into his weapon Master officer mcdonough's preparedness training and courageous actions assisted in his ability to survive this confrontation His dedication to law enforcement and devotion to duty led him to risk his life and service to the citizens of Durham and his fellow officers Master officer mcdonough is awarded the medal of valor officer jacob west On thursday december 25th 2014 at approximately 10 p.m Officer jacob west was working on a report in his mark patrol quarter patrol car at the corner of lakeland street and truman street At some point officer west noticed two males approaching his car from the rear Officer west exited his vehicle to speak with the men and one of the males removed a gun from his waistband And without provocation opened fire on officer west Officer west immediately returned fire and dove for cover behind a set of stairs at an abandoned apartment building on lakeland street This action caused officer west to sustain a minor injury to his wrist Ignoring his wrist injury officer west composed himself and prepared to further engage the two men Officer west rose from the stairs and saw the two males running away down a path on lakeland street This event was particularly chilling because this incident happened only two days after the fatal ambush of two new york police officers In which a lone gunman opened fire on the unsuspecting officers while they were seated in their patrol vehicle Officer west actions on that evening were truly a testament to his bravery and his unwavering willingness to sacrifice his safety In order to attempt to apprehend these men and stop them from causing any further harm He demonstrated steadfast courage in the face of imminent danger for this officer west is awarded the medal of valor That ends our last award if you all could please put your hands together one more time to applaud our recipients Thank you. I'd now ask that chaplain phil wiggins to come to the podium to give the benediction Please join me in prayer Our heavenly father We are grateful that these men and women have been honored this evening because of their dedication and commitment to do more than is required or expected Father help us to be able to say Whatever we do we do it hardly as to the lord not into men Protect us from seeking praise of men more than the praise of god Be with those that have been awarded this award tonight watch over them and guide and direct them in all that they do in christ's name We pray amen In closing I would like to thank the Durham police department awards committee who've spent many hours behind the scenes in preparation for this event Specifically assistant chief winslow forbs lieutenant germane jackson kim walker and cammy michael I would also like to thank assistant chief jesse burwell The Durham police department honor guard our citizens on patrol The city of durham public affairs office to include durham television network master officer brandon parrot and david reynolds As well as the city of durham general services Finally the durham police department. Thanks all of the families of our employees and the citizens for your support Congratulations to our recipients that concludes our program. Please join us for refreshments in the lobby. Thank you so much