Officer and civilian of the month 2011

December Officer of the Month

Officer Parker Farmer

During the month of December, officers responded reference a large disturbance. As officers were taking a subject into custody for a firearms violation, several subjects began moving towards the officers. One subject failed to obey commands to move away from the scene. He was taken into custody by Officer Farmer. It was discovered that the subject had a firearm inside his vehicle.  Officer Farmer was assigned to monitor a juvenile due to his increase in criminal activity. While responding reference the report of persons trying to break into vehicles, he observed the juvenile and an accomplice in the parking lot and engaged them.  The other responding officers discovered a burglary to a vehicle. Due to his continued drive and use of intelligence based policing, the known nuisance burglar was arrested before the crime was reported.  Officer Farmer coordinated details to conduct patrols along the Mariposa/Port Malabar Road area due to an increase in burglaries. While checking out with one individual, he discovered 12 pieces of crack cocaine. Officer Farmer also participated in a search warrant that was a result of contacts he made with individuals who provided information relevant to ongoing narcotics investigations.

December Civilian of the Month

Stephanie Fay

DBS Stephanie Fay was a tremendous resource and valuable asset to Nights B during the month of December.  She often volunteered for late transports to allow officers to complete their reports.  She responded to several scenes to assist with prisoner handling, paperwork, property packaging, and transport. Her assistance allowed officers to clear the calls and resume answering additional CFS. DBS Fay has a teamwork mentality that never waivers.

November Officer of the Month

Corporal Steve Smith

Corporal Steve Smith is a mentor and leader on his shift understanding that the shift is comprised of less experienced officers.  During the month of November, Corporal Smith worked with other officers to improve their report writing and Arrest Affidavits. Corporal Smith often met with officers after briefings to go over techniques for ensuring that the elements of the crimes were met and documented on their probable cause statements. Corporal Smith responded to numerous calls where his investigative knowledge, immediate response, and coordination of responding officers were instrumental in the successful outcome of each.

November Civilian of the Month

Doug Farnham

During the month of November, Doug Farnham spent countless hours working with Officer Becky Smith and NACS ensuring the Unified Command Center (UCC) was available for use. In addition to his normal duties, he made himself available for several support needs, special functions and deployments. With short notice, Doug also assisted in making the UCC available for use by the Cocoa Beach Police Department during their annual air show. Doug’s professionalism and self-sacrifice reflect his effort to uphold the highest standards of the Department.

October Officer of the Month

Agent Jason McCoy

After an exhaustive investigation initiated in August 2011, Agent Jason McCoy developed criminal charges on Charles Huggett in October for Dealing in Stolen Property and Possession of a Weapon by a Convicted Felon. Agent McCoy coordinated efforts with the Crime Suppression Unit and Special Investigations based on the intelligence he had gathered to initiate a controlled purchase of a weapon. He planned, organized and completed this assignment which led to a successful takedown of the suspect. He subsequently authored a search warrant and the intelligence discovered during the search was shared with the General Crimes Unit and ultimately led to the arrest of another individual. Through Agent McCoy’s efforts and judicious way in which he carries out his daily assignments without supervision, a potential life was saved and the department benefited from continued cooperation and effective communication toward a common goal.

October Civilian of the Month

Shawnta Price

Shawn Price has been an integral part of our Police Athletic League over the past 3 years.  October 1, 2011 the face of PAL changed when 3 of the 4 employees were removed from the program. Shawn handled the changes and transition with a positive attitude and stepped up as the lead in reorganizing the program in its new location. She has continually volunteered an enormous amount of time to ensure that arrangements have been made before any event or program starts. The program would no longer exist had she not been supportive through this difficult transition, stepped up to take on a leadership role in reconfiguring the program, and continued to volunteer an enormous amount of time to enable us to offer as many programs as possible with consideration to the respective changes.

September Officer of the Month

Officer Alcine Phang

On September 7, 2011 Officer Alcine Phang observed two males late at night in the parking lot of a closed business. She made contact with the juveniles and determined one was currently on home detention and in violation of that home detention. He was subsequently arrested. On September 12^th, Officer Phang was dispatched to a robbery in progress at the CVS located at 1599 Palm Bay Road. She quickly gathered pertinent information and relayed it to responding units. After reviewing the surveillance video, Officer Phang then provided a detailed description of the suspect. Within minutes of the information being relayed, a traffic stop was conducted and the passenger of the vehicle was identified as the suspect. Officers were able to recover the stolen currency, items used to commit the robbery and identify both persons involved. Officer Phang consistently coordinates special details to reduce criminal activity. She continues to utilize her leadership skills and to promote teamwork amongst her squad.

September Civilian of the Month

Karen Connor

On September 12, 2011 Karen Connor received a call in reference to a robbery in progress at the CVS located at 1599 Palm Bay Road.     She quickly dispatched officers to the scene and continued to update the officers with pertinent information. Karen was able to manage the high volume of radio traffic while coordinating with officers from Districts 2 and 3 as well as officers from surrounding jurisdictions. Once officers began a K-9 track, she monitored its status in addition to the suspect descriptions, perimeter units, and additional agency responses. Throughout the entire high stress incident, Karen remained calm and collected. She handled each task with professionalism and courtesy.

August Officer of the Month

Sergeant Cynthia Williams

Sergeant Williams created and managed a wellness program for Department employees that spanned over two months and concluded in August.  The program was designed to gradually prepare individuals to run a 5K challenge. Thirty-two employees participated in the program.  Sergeant Williams also conducted a Women’s Self-Defense Class for City employees that consisted of four two-hour sessions of instruction and practical exercise.  Her continued commitment to the health and wellness of fellow employees is commendable.  These programs are Sergeant Williams’ contribution to the overall wellness of her coworkers and are voluntary commitments she makes to serve and lead with excellence.

August Civilian of the Month

Angelica Martinez

Angelica Martinez is an extremely hard worker, very knowledgeable and an asset to the Neighborhood Policing Unit.  Over the last few months she has assisted NPU with numerous complaints and issues. During the month of July, Sidelines Sports Bar opened where Club Vegas was formerly located.  The first weekend it was open there was a shooting that prompted NPU Officer Chris Richards to ensure the business was operating properly. With her knowledge and contacts with other city departments, Angelica discovered that Sidelines Sports Bar was operating as a club and not a bar, among several other violations.  The managers were given direction on how to correct the violations and come into compliance. Angelica’s assistance, knowledge and dedication were a big part of the success of that investigation.

June Officer of the Month

Officer Ryan Palmer

Officer Ryan Palmer was on the scene of a call for assistance from the BCSO Game Over Task Force involving a possible barricaded subject.  Officer Palmer assumed a position of cover at the southwest corner of the residence while waiting for the execution of the warrant.  He remained in position next to Corporal Erwin who responded as the SWAT Sniper. Gas was deployed into the home by Corporal Erwin and Officer Palmer maintained his post ensuring Corporal Erwin had cover. Once the gas was deployed, a male occupant of the home began shouting.  The male attempted to crawl out a window during the confusion.  Officer Palmer caught a shadow out of the corner of his eye and challenged the male who then ran. He displayed the discretion and judgment of a veteran officer, deployed his taser and was able to take the male into custody without incident.  This fugitive’s capture is a direct result of Officer Palmer’s vigilance.

June Civilians of the Month

Lynne Nungesser & Sandy Virgin

During the month of June, the city was faced with a new City Manager taking over as well as budget preparation for the 2011/12 fiscal year.  The city expected over a $5 million dollar decrease in funding. Each department was given several days to come back to the Budget Manager with a proposal of cutting 15% out of our existing budget.  Sandy and Lynne immediately went to work and found savings in our current budget that could be applied to the 2011/12 budget. They proposed a budget plan based on that savings, proposed cuts and senior staff input.  Lynne and Sandy worked diligently preparing the budget with the intent of saving jobs. Their efforts were well above and beyond the normal work they do.

May Officer of the Month

Officer Christopher Maloy

Officer Maloy responded to a residential burglary on Norman Street. His thorough investigation revealed the victim’s neighbors were involved. He provided his report, statements, and photos to the General Crimes Unit. Detective Ken Shedrick was able to obtain a confession, locate some of the stolen property and obtain arrest warrants for the three suspects.

Officer Maloy responded to a vehicle burglary and located a strong suspect based on witness statements. He provided a detailed pass along entry and day shift officers apprehended the suspect the following morning.

Officer Maloy responded to a reported battery and determined based on the elements that a burglary had occurred. He attempted to locate the suspect but was unsuccessful . Due to the potential for continued violence towards the victim, he authored an arrest warrant for the suspect. After responding to a call reference a missing 92- year old woman, Officer Maloy immediately provided the vehicle and victim information and began a thorough search along with other units. The female was located in a parking lot. Officer Maloy contacted DCF to provide the victim with any services available.

May Civilians of the Month

Jessica Cook & Karen Delmarco

The department’s security system went down due to a citizen striking the police department’s keyless entry controls. Jessica immediately volunteered to assist with notifications to keep all personnel updated on the status of the security system. Karen volunteered to assist with re-entering all personnel into the system. This was a very tedious task and had to be completed
before the system could go operational. She completed this in a very short time period. Jessica and Karen organized the key fobs for distribution and created a log to document personnel receiving the new key. Both conducted these tasks without interruption of day-to-day duties.
Their teamwork was the reason all personnel were given new key fobs ahead of schedule and
the building security was reinstated.

April Officer of the Month

Detective Ernie Diebel

Detective Ernie Diebel responded to the report of a possible homicide/hit and run traffic crash. During the investigation, he discovered the incident began as a drug deal turned violent where the victim was severely injured.  Detective Diebel responded to a used auto parts store in an attempt to identify car parts left at the scene.  His investigation led him to Lake City, FL where he was able to locate and seize the car used in the crime.  Through witness statements, physical evidence, cell phone records, and interviews Detective Diebel was able to procure arrest warrants for two individuals. His hard work and tenacity during the two month investigation led to the persons responsible for this horrific crime which left the victim in a vegetative coma state.

April Civilian of the Month

Sandy Virgin

During the month of April, Sandy Virgin was preparing for several council budget workshops and was asked to help submit two separate grants that were due by midnight of that day.  Grant submissions require the City Manager’s approval, Council approval, and in many cases performance measures, narratives, budgets, and other supportive documentation.  The preparation normally requires a great deal of pre-planning. These grants had to be submitted via a particular web site and could only be completed by one individual at a time.  The information was received in the late afternoon and Sandy jumped right in and began working with the individuals that were contributing to the grant submission, canceled her own personal plans for the evening and worked diligently until both grants were accepted by the Bureau of Justice.  There was absolutely no way we would have even been able to apply for them had it not been for Sandy’s tenacity, work ethic and dedication to the Agency and City.

March Officer of the Month

Officer Dustin Terkoski

Officer Dustin Terkoski responded to an incident involving a male who attempted to kill himself while at home with his girlfriend and two small children.  The male fled the residence with the intent to purchase another weapon at a local establishment. Officer Terkoski located the male driving in the city, requested backup units to respond and followed at a safe distance while providing frequent updates on the male’s location.  A felony traffic stop was conducted and the male was taken into custody without incident. 

March Civilian of the Month

Debbie Rogers

In the month of March, the Materials Management Section was unexpectedly short staffed in a two week time span. Materials Management Technician Debbie Rogers began handling the extra workload. Approximately 1,500 pieces of evidence were signed in, entered into the database, and filed in the appropriate location.  In addition, she handled 50—60 state attorney requests and inventoried approximately 240 pieces of DNA evidence. She has prioritized the workload to ensure all duties of the position are completed in a timely manner.

February Officers of the Month

Officers Hilda Benedith and Judith Thompson

Officers Benedith and Thompson responded to a residence for a 911 hang up. Upon arrival, officers observed a female who appeared intoxicated and advised there were children in the home with her. Officers asked permission to enter the residence to check on the wellbeing of the children and observed the home to be in disarray.  Drug paraphernalia, drug residue and a loaded handgun were located within reach of the children. The officers determined that the female was unable to care for her children due to her intoxicated state.  The female was arrested for child neglect and the children were removed from the unsafe environment.  

February Civilian of the Month

Karen Connor

On February 20^th, Telecommunicator Karen Connor handled three in-progress calls consisting of a commercial burglary, a shooting and an armed assault.  She handled the incidents simultaneously in a professional manner and remained calm while dispatching officers and dealing with a large amount of radio traffic.

January Officer of the Month

Officer Edwin Lutz

Officer Lutz was recognized for his strong work ethic, motivation, proactive activities, and investigative skills.  His actions led to the arrest of numerous individuals for crimes ranging from violation of probation to drug possession. 

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