Police Officers, Volunteers, Recognized for Commitment to Serving Community

The Carroll Arts Center theater was filled with police and distinguished guests but it wasn't for a show or a drug bust.

Westminster Police Chief Jeffrey Spaulding and Mayor Kevin Utz presented awards Wednesday recognizing outstanding work to 17 members of the police department and city and county law enforcement personnel.

“This ceremony is an opportunity for us to recognize the police personnel who do their jobs day in and day out, throughout the year," said Spaulding. "They are out there doing their job and they are doing it well. This is a chance for us to say ‘thank you’ in a formal way.”

DFC Steven Rogers was recognized with the Police Officer of the Year award for his undercover work in drug operations. Rogers earned the Investigator of the Month award five out of 12 months in 2010 and was involved in identifying several regional drug outfits and making arrests accordingly.  

“Undercover drug operations are unpredictable and dangerous," said Spaulding. "There is always the opportunity for a blown cover.”

The Chief’s Challenge award was presented to Lt. Chris Ilyes, Sgt. Wayne Mann, Sgt. Mike Bible, Cpl. Jesse Clagett, Cpl. Bill Long, Sgt. Jim Pullen, Officer Ron Garner, Officer Adam Laser and Officer Aaron Hoff.

According to Training Commander Lt. Misty C. Budzinski, who presented the awards, the "Chief’s Challenge" is a traffic safety campaign sponsored by the state of Maryland. For 2010 ,the squad with the most citations was squad one's midnight shift led by Lt. Chris Ilyes. The squad issued 396 citations for these violations.

Cpl. Jessee Clagett was also recognized for individual accomplishments in the Chief’s Challenge.  He was recognized with the Top Total Enforcement Officer award, for writing 131 citations during the campaign, and the Top DUI Enforcer award, for arresting 46 DUI offenders.

Officer Nikki Ensor and Sgt. Mike Bible were awarded with the Lifesaving Award for saving a man who had been injured by a machine accident at an industrial site. Also earning the Lifesaving Award was Officer Stephen Blackwell who was recognized for performing CPR on an overdose victim until ambulance personnel arrived.

Other recipients of the Lifesaving Award are Officer Michael Beaumont and Sgt. Tom Kowalczyk for performing CPR on a suicide victim until she started breathing on her own.

Chief’s Commendation Awards were presented to Cpl. Jesse Clagett, Detective John Emminizer, Senior Communications Specialist Cheryl Pickett, Communication Specialist Nancy Pyne, and Mrs. Pujals-Keyser.

Wal-Mart employees Deborah Sabok and Christie Reynolds also received a Chief’s Commendation for their commitment to making the annual "Shop With a Cop" event a success.

Officer Nicole Ensor received the Community Service of the Year award for her work in serving and building relationships with the community.

Lt. Robert C. Cromwell of the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office and Cpl. Michael Gromley of the Westminster Police Department were celebrated for their service after retiring recently from the Carroll County Crisis Response Team. This team is a multi-jurisdictional tactical team utilized to respond to high-risk situations in Carroll County.

Team members have attended an intense three-week training session to prepare them to serve high-risk search warrants, respond to and manage barricade and hostage situations and conduct vehicle take-downs.  Lt. Cromwell served on the task force for seven years and Cpl. Gromley served for 20 years.

Winters Mill High School junior Casey Combs was awarded the Volunteer of the Year award. Budzinski said Casey accumulated over 174 hours of volunteer service, both to the police department and the city as a whole.

“I always wanted to be a cop when I was younger,” Combs said. “I like volunteering with the police department because I get to work with kids and help out in the community a lot.”

Combs said she intends to go to a four-year college and major in criminal justice. But she said she expects she will be back in the community eventually, continuing her work in the law field.

Michaelle Leone received the Civilian of the Year award for her work as the Parking Enforcement Officer and other duties she performs in the department.