[Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] you [Music] you [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] hello and welcome Thank You lieutenant Karen dubis and the oldest police band in existence the Milwaukee Police ban let's give a round of applause [Applause] I like to thank you for coming especially in these frigid temperatures sorry for the delayed start I like to do some introductions before we call in the honor guard in the front row we have Mayor Tom Barrett chief elfonzo Vermeer Morales [Applause] I just demoted the chief but gave my boss a big bump um um assistant chief ray banks assistant Chief Mike Bronson sure for now Lucas chief deputy Donita ba superintendent of the State Patrol Anthony Burrell our Milwaukee Police Department chaplain George Papa crystal Amanda Porter field of CBS 58 who is our emcee for tonight my boss inspector Alex Ramirez [Applause] inspector Terence Gordon and inspector Danny Thompson thank you all for coming and will you please rise for the presentation of the colors by the Milwaukee Police Department color guard under the direction of captain Derrick Harris you [Music] [Music] [Music] shoulder step to the stage for tonight's invocation good evening let us pray Almighty God we thank you for the achievements brave actions honor and celebration that bring us together tonight as friends as community and his family thank you for the gifts and talents of these men and women and in those around us may the hard work skill training and determination shown by the award recipients be followed by growth maturity opportunity and responsibility as they serve the Milwaukee Police Department and the citizens of Milwaukee we ask your blessings on their example sacrifice and achievement as they have pointed the way for others to follow remind us all Lord that you are interested in our success and that we are never alone in our journeys strengthen us and grant us steadfastness for the accomplishment of our mission and tasks for the building up of others for the growth and maturing of our heart mind and soul your strength enables us to protect and serve others your providence keeps us safe help us to turn our hearts towards you each day we pray these all in your most powerful name amen thank you Mayor Tom Barrett well good evening welcome to our special frigid edition of Awards we have a lot of visitors coming to Milwaukee this time of year and people ask me about the weather particularly this week and I explained to him I've lived here my entire life and I'm still not used to weather like this so we'll get through it though I bet to this event many many times and I will say tonight that you've run the table in making sure that law enforcement is present and I think it's pretty cool that tonight we have the police chief of course we have the sheriff of course we've got the representative from our State Police who is here as well and we've got our represented from the Secret Service who is here as well so we are totally covered totally covered tonight and I want to welcome all of you I want to congratulate our recipients tonight and I want to congratulate our family members and friends who are here as well what makes a community think about that for a second what makes a community it takes families and we've got some young babies over here who are showing us that there are families present and that's exciting it takes churches and synagogues and mosques it takes schools and businesses and play fields but most of all it takes people it takes people who care about each other and at its core that's what tonight is all about it's about people who care about each other it's about officers who put their lives on the line every single day to help our community be a safer place for us to raise our families it's about everyday citizens who get involved sometimes when they see a road rage incident that results in a horrific death of a child or individuals who see a young woman who's getting ready to commit suicide but it takes courage it takes caring and it takes a willingness to step forward and act and what I love about tonight is it tells you that we've got a great community here that we have officers who care and are willing to take that extra step we've got citizens who care and at a time when we read the horrific stories about citizens who turn their backs on others we'll hear stories today about citizens who didn't have to get involved but decided because they live in a community and they cared that they want to be involved so whatever feelings you might have whatever negative energy you might have after watching television or reading the newspaper or listening to the radio this is the perfect way to lose that cynicism because I think anybody who sits through this event as I have done many times comes away with a feeling that yes this is how we do it this is how we create a community so to each and every person tonight who is being recognized on behalf of the residents of this city I say thank you thank you for making our community stronger let's have a great night thank you very very much [Applause] that means someone's leaning against a light switch so if you're leaning against a wall cute they're you girl okay I just want to thank again reiterate thank everyone here for spending some time out of your busy days to recognize the men and women of the Milwaukee Police Department that have done something very special in the last six months last year but not only that what you're gonna see different today is also the recognition of some of our citizens in our community that have stepped up to helping the success in reducing the crime and fear within the City of Milwaukee also I specifically want to thank some of this is gonna be a little comedy but I have to say it I want to thank sheriff for now Lucas for being here the comic is he's born and raised in the City of Milwaukee just as myself he had the unfortunate circumstances of going to Rufus King high school rather than tech but we still exception all right Thank You Anthony Burrell superintendent State Patrol who came from one of the greatest high schools in the City of Milwaukee I have to mention that Milwaukee tech well why am I saying that what's the reason why and there's you know 99% of our command staff executive staff born and raised in the City of Milwaukee there's a reason why when I talk amongst our colleagues we bring up high schools we bring up neighborhoods in the city of Milwaukee because we were born and raised here right I was born and raised in a neighborhood that at once was very affluent but turned into an economically challenged neighborhood overnight and in that neighborhood I had experiences with police separate from and contrary to the belief they were positive interactions and those positive interactions push me to push our young men and women of the police department to let you all know that you make a difference and let you all know that you play a role and showing our community that we are no different than they are I love to go back to these neighborhoods some of the things we're gonna be doing different is recognizing our community and the last 19 months crime has gone down significantly double digits and community relations have gone up in the last couple of months I've been asked what are you doing about communication relations what are you doing about community relations what are you doing about community relations you just have to come out and interact with the police to see what we're doing and seeing the changes some of the stories you're going to hear today are going to be about police responding to someone's from the community call for police now you can go back in time and you can hear that notion where we're not calling the police because police do not respond you'll hear stories on how police responded to a crime that was occurring and apprehended that individual but we fail to recognize that citizen who acknowledges that police do respond and do care about their neighborhood and that's what I want to show the start to end we became involved because you the community called us and we responded to help you that's the purpose of recognizing the good things that happen in law enforcement and our community if we're gonna continue to make this city great because I was born and raised in the city and I believe it is great and we can always be better those are the things we have to recognize and acknowledge a lot of good work and when we say the police department alone can't do it you're gonna hear stories today on how the community got involved and took part that's extremely important because there was a time when people said it's not my job it's all of our jobs to make Milwaukee great it's a good time let's recognize both our law enforcement are sworn and our civilians for a job well done and let's keep moving forward and may God bless you all [Applause] mayor Barrett will come back on stage at this time I'd like to invite Amanda Porter field to the stage so we can get this party started she is the anchorwoman for CBS 58 she has been with us before we invited her back because she did such an awesome job last time thank you for coming good evening everybody you know I have to think captain for inviting me back you know I was so nervous last time I thought I did a hot mess of a job I was stumbling and pronouncing things wrong and so when I got the call I was like well either Anthony is very forgiving they're desperate or I didn't say as many wrong names as I thought I did and so I promise that I'm gonna do my best tonight because I know this is a very special night for everybody I am honored to be back here on this stage reading the descriptions of what the officers and these citizens have accomplished gives me chills every time and I'm sure tonight will be no different each one of you being honored tonight is special because you took action for someone other than yourself and in my book that means you're a hero so I am excited to recognize helped recognize all of these heroes in our community and within our Milwaukee Police Department tonight so how tonight will work I'll say the names of everybody getting Awards and as I'm reading the description of what happened on this special this this day you can make your way up to the stage and receive your award from Mayor Barrett and chief Alfonso Morales and then pose for a photo so without further ado let's get started for our first award I'd like to call district one Captain James Campbell to the stage or representative police officer Richard R Gordy and police officer Kelton G McGowan please come to the stage these officers are receiving the Medal of Valor rescue award on April 26th 2019 officer Richard Gordy an officer Kelton McGowan responded to a suicide attempt where a 22 year old woman was sitting on the eighth floor ledge of a building threatening to jump prior to the arrival of officers she consumed a large quantity of alcohol and ingested both prescription and non-prescription drugs upon arrival officer Gordy established a dialogue with the woman who was upset because of a recent romantic breakup and suffered from mental health issues after time passed it was apparent that she began to experience the effects of the alcohol and drugs that she had taken and fearing the young woman may accidentally fall from the ledge of the building the officers made the decision to deploy resources to extricate her officers Gordy and McGowan maintained the woman's attention and kept her focused while firefighters got ready for the extraction unknown to the woman the firefighter began to rappel down the side of the building towards her just as the firefighter came into view officer Gordy grabbed her the woman then jumped and was suspended in the air by the efforts of the firefighter officer Gordy and officer McGowan all three of them suddenly the firefighter lost his grasp of the woman fortunately officer Gordy and officer McCown maintained their hold and prevented her from falling to her death the firefighter repositioned his grasp securing the woman and descended to the 7th floor where she was safety safely pulled through a window the heroic actions of officer Gordy and officer McGowan were instrumental in saving the life of this young woman police officer Brian C laro and police officer Jacob a Roker please come to the stage you are receiving the life-saving award and I'd like to also call mr. John December to the stage as well on June 15 2019 officer LaRoque and officer Roker responded to a sick and injured person later identified as mr. John December lying on the platform of a streetcar stop upon their arrival they observed mr. December who was not breathing and did not have a pulse officer LaRoque and officer Roker alternated and performed CPR until medical attention got to the scene assumed CPR and administered an AED mr. December's heart rhythm and breathing was restored and he was taken to a hospital for medical treatment at the time of imminence mr. December was in critical condition and it was unknown whether or not he would survive after recovering mr. December was informed by the doctor that the survival rate for cardiac arrest outside of a hospital setting was 8% mr. December stated that his survival was directly attributed to the officer's actions of immediately performing CPR officer LaRoque and officer Roker are recognized for their quick and decisive actions that aided in the preservation of life and the Milwaukee Police Department has a video detailing these officers heroic acts on their Facebook page I watched it before it's pretty amazing so go check it out police officer John G Koehler police officer Sean our cost C cost two lakh and Special Agent Zachary whole craft please come to the stage you're receiving the Meritorious Service Award a City of Milwaukee family was in the process of purchasing a new home on February 6th 2019 the family got an email from a home title company that they thought they were working with since it was anticipated to get that email they trusted it's on authenticity the email consisted of directions of where to wire a payment of approximately two hundred and sixty thousand dollars the victims followed the instructions and wired the money the following day the victims called the title company to confirm that the money was received and learned that the email was a fraud an unknown person assumed the title company's identity and received the money it was not authentic attempts to reverse the wire transfer were unsuccessful officer John Kohler and officer costs ELAC responded to investigate the family's complaint the investigation revealed the money was transferred to an account opened with the use of a fraudulent passport from another country officers Kohler and Kosta lack conducted an extensive and complex investigation that included several search warrant subpoenas review of phone records bank records social media accounts and surveillance videos and they developed a person of interest officers Kohler and Casa Lac received a call from the Fort Lauderdale Police Department who advised them their person of interest had been arrested in Florida for similar crimes as the officers continued to track that stolen money they figured out that the suspect had ties to numerous other individuals living the u.s. and ties to Nigeria these subjects were linked to a three year FBI investigation of similar crimes the crimes consisted of numerous victims that totaled an overall loss of 5 million dollars the FBI investigation led to an 80 person indictment that included arrests from all over the US and other countries Special Agent Zachary whole craft assisted officers Kohler and Coastal Act by drafting and executing four individual federal money seizures and recovered approximately 130 thousand dollars of the stolen funds the officers extensive thorough and impressive work is credited for the complex case being solved all of these are so exciting and we're just getting started police officer Paul M hell maniac is getting the Meritorious Service Award on July 27th 2019 officer Paul hell maniac was notified of an unsolved fraudulent theft of a motorbike posted for sale on social media officer hell maniac began an in-depth investigation that included an interview of the victim research into social media accounts and reports of other possibly related offenses officer a mini AK Reis officer hemily how maniacs research led him to develop a suspect the suspect had a warrant for robbery and multiple multiple investigative alerts for other offenses officer how many act coordinated efforts between other divisions and bureaus to help him with an undercover operation that operation was successful the suspect arrested during the interrogation the suspect not only confessed to the theft of the motorbike but to several other unsolved thefts and robberies Thank You officer hell maniac for displaying exceptional initiative throughout this investigation you went above and beyond the normal expectations of your duties I'd like to call captain Paul D Lal from district 2 to the stage or a district 2 representative police officer Joseph a Lanza please also come to the stage you are getting the Meritorious Service Award on May 12 2009 teen officer Joseph Lanza was on patrol when he observed an automobile that matched the description of a vehicle wanted for endangering the safety of others that happened in April the suspect driving the vehicle shot at a resident 13 times with no regard for the general public thankfully that resident wasn't hit about a month after the incident happened officer Linzer observed the vehicle and conducted a traffic stop for registration violation the driver of the vehicle did not possess a driver's license or any other form of identification and he took him out of the vehicle further investigation ensued at which time officer Lanza searched the lung the lunch area of the vehicle and located a firearm under the driver's seat that investigation revealed that the suspect illegally had that firearm and he was arrested that gun was linked to several other incidents officer Lanza's ability to identify the vehicle after a month had passed led to an arrest and the recovery of a gun used in several violent crimes officer Lanza has contributed to making District two and the City of Milwaukee a safer place for its residents thank you for that service [Applause] mr. Lewis a Santa go Tapia please come to the stage he'll be receiving the meritorious conduct award on June 24th 2019 officers saw a reckless vehicle and attempted to conduct a traffic stop the vehicle fled in a pursuit was initiated during the pursuit suit officers learned the vehicle was stolen mr. Santa Tapia and mr. Santos Montanez were in the area of the pursuit and witnessed the vehicle fleeing from officers moments later they observed the same vehicle crash near 2400 West Burnham Street both men approached the vehicle to check the welfare of the occupants they observed a juvenile get out of the passenger side and try to run away they quickly apprehended him who physically resisted them as they carefully detained him until officers got there after the juvenile was taken into custody by the officers the juvenile identified the driver of the stolen vehicle and identified several juveniles who were involved in multiple car thefts and fire armed related offenses the brave admirable actions of mr. Santiago Santiago Tapia directly led to the apprehension of these individuals thank you for jumping into action [Applause] mr. John C Lane please come to the stage he'll be receiving the certificate of appreciation on April 16th 2019 mr. John Lane was in the area of South 11th Street in West Mitchell Street when he saw a man walk along the side of a nearby business mr. Lane heard a loud noise and the sound of breaking glass as he checked the area he observed the same man enter the closed business the suspect began to remove items from the business and place them into a bin mr. Lane immediately called 911 provided a description of that man and remained on scene officers arrived located the man inside of the business and placed him under arrest officers immediately identified that man as a suspect wanted in connection with two additional burglaries Thank You mr. Lane your quick actions and commitment to the safety of the community resulted in officers arresting this prolific burglar [Applause] mr. entry all Blakeley miss Leticia Ortega and miss Nicole El Ortega please come to the stage they are receiving a certificate of appreciation on June 14th 2019 mr. entry all Blakeley miss Leticia Ortega and miss Nicole Ortega were inside their hall when they observed an unfamiliar vehicle parked outside and heard children screaming from inside of it as they look closer they noticed a male in the driver's seat and a woman in the front passenger seat both adults appear to be unconscious mr. Blakeley immediately called 9-1-1 and got the kids out of the car in trio Leticia and Nicole brought the children into their home and comforted them the children stated the male in the vehicle was their father they had been in the car for about three hours in trio Leticia and Nicole cared for the children they gave them drinks food and shelter until the arrival of their mother and police emergency medical services arrived on scene moved the adults from the vehicle and performed life-saving measures they were transported to the hospital and treated for an opiate overdose let's give a round of applause to these individuals who provided comfort and safety to these young kids I'd like to call captain Geoffrey nomen of district 3 or district 3 representative police officer Michael J Weiland to the stage he will be receiving a life-saving award on January 3rd 2019 while off-duty officer Michael Weiland drove on South Miller Parkway when he saw vehicle stopped in the intersection and observed that the driver appeared to be unconscious officer Weiland got out of his personal vehicle approached the man and figured out that he wasn't breathing and had no pulse it was suspected that the man had possibly overdosed officer Weiland instructed the passenger in the vehicle to call 911 removed the man from the vehicle and started CPR and continued CPR until that man started breathing again officer Whelan placed him in the recovery position and continued to monitor him until medical attention got there officer Wieland's off-duty actions off-duty actions demonstrated his commitment to safeguarding the lives of residents that he serves whether he was working or not his heroic actions were responsible for saving that man's life thank you police sergeant Joshua G Albert please come to the stage he's receiving a meritorious service award On June 22nd 2019 sergeant Joshua Albert was in pursuit of a stolen vehicle that was driving recklessly in the City of Milwaukee the vehicle refused to pull over and later crashed into another motorist causing the driver of that vehicle to be trapped inside a vehicle fire then erupted at which time sergeant al Berg disregarded his own safety and stood in flammable liquids while relentlessly trying to get a woman out of her car sergeant Albert retrieved a fire extinguisher and deterred the flames long enough for the Milwaukee Fire Department to arrive the fire was distinct extinguished and the woman was extracted from her vehicle and transported to the hospital sergeant Albert's quick thinking and swift actions prevented the vehicle from becoming engulfed in flames and saved that woman's life police officer Michael R Braun Ritter and police officer Jamar are lucky please come to the stage they'll be getting the Meritorious Service Award on September 18th Tuesday 2019 officer Michael Brown Ritter and officer Jamar lucky were on patrol when they heard multiple gunshots as they arrived they heard a rifle being fired and drove toward a gunfight between three suspects when they got there officer Brown Ritter observed one suspect walking down the street armed with an ak-47 officer Brown Ritter exited his squad car and ordered the suspect to drop the rifle and the suspect was taken into custody at the same time officer lucky saw a second suspect walk down the street armed with a handgun in each hand officer lucky ordered him after officer lucky ordered him to drop the weapons the suspect complied and was taken into custody a third suspect was found with several gunshot injuries and they provided him with medical attention officer Brown Ritter and officer lucky without regard for their own safety not only intervened in a gun battle they disarmed dangerous suspects and placed them into custody without using deadly force their quick response and extreme bravery prevented additional injury or death to the people that live in that area [Applause] police officer Adam M Stoll please come to the stage officer Stahl is receiving a meritorious service award on May 25th 2019 officer Adam Stahl responded to a family trouble when he got there he found a distressed man standing outside of his house the man had recently lost his father lost his job and his home and was in the process was his home was in the process of foreclosure the man was drunk therefore officer Stahl couldn't engage in an intellectual intelligible conversation with him the man suddenly ran into the house and threatened to jump from the second-story window officer Stahl chased him up the stairs and found him on the second floor as the man tried to crawl out of the window however officer Stahl clutched his leg and prevented him from jumping the man broke windows causing glass to fly around the room and officer Stahl never let go of him and eventually pulled him back inside that house the man was taken to the hospital for medical attention and a mental health evaluation Thank You officer Stoll for putting your own safety at risk [Applause] police officer John and pecans ski and police officer Dennis G Ryan jr. they're receiving an Excellence in Police Service Award prostitution has been a persistent problem in the Lisbon Avenue corridor officer John pecans key and officer Dennis Ryan were assigned to this area and they were determined to reduce prostitution from occurring around there numerous citations were issued and frequent arrests were made however their efforts did little to discourage solicitation solicitation in that area officer Bukowski and officer Ryan started to brainstorm on how to address the problem in a manner that would actually have a greater impact they collaborated with other divisions units and city agencies a team was created to include personnel from district 3 HIDTA the sensitive Crimes Division district attorney's office and the city attorney's office as a result of the hard work performed by the collaborative team they linked to properties as the cause of that illegal activity that was happening in the neighborhood both of those properties were seized and there has been a drastic reduction of prostitution and drug dealing in that area their investigative efforts also led to the identification of additional drug houses and suspects the success of this initiative was the result of hard work and dedication of officer pecans key and officer Ryan and their team their approach enhanced the quality of life for those citizens who live in and pass through the Lisbon Avenue corridor thank you [Applause] now I'd like to call district 4 captain and one of my personal favorites people Heather worth to the stage Ali J corn burger please come to the stage Ali is getting a certificate of appreciation on August 19th 2019 miss Ali corn burger observed three juveniles burglarizing a home in her neighborhood she called 9-1-1 took photos of them as they moved property from the residence to a nearby stolen car she gave vital information for the responding officers as like the location a detailed description of the people and their vehicle miss corn burgers quick actions allowed the officers to respond to the residents while the juveniles were in the process of committing that burglary officers got there and swiftly apprehended all three of them it was later determined that the same juveniles had committed other burglaries in that district miss corn burgers awareness and assistance resulted in the clearance of three burglaries and several victims got their property back miss corn burgers actions prevented further criminal activity and exemplified what can be accomplished when community partners with the Milwaukee Police Department district 5 captain Boris kusenov ik please come to the stage or a district 5 representative police officer Nicholas Romeo Romeo please come to the stage he is receiving a purple valor star award police officer Chad e boy ak police officer mark s Dillman and police officer Anthony J Malone and officer Robert P Ruth please come to the stage you were all receiving a life-saving award on July 30th 2019 officer mark Dillman and officer Nicholas romão is a Romeo oh Romeo Romeo thank you we're involved in the pursuit of reckless vehicle that matched the description of an automobile wanted for robbery the presumed concluded when the suspects vehicle crashed into several other cars in the 3500 block of North fifteenth Street officer romeo exited his squad car to check the welfare of the people inside officer Chad boy a can officer Anthony Malone also responded to that pursuit upon approaching the crash scene officers boy AK and Malone observed another vehicle hit officer Romeo as he got out of his squad car officer romeo was hurled approximately fifty feet before landing in the road officer boyacá mmediately called for medical attention and secured officer Romeo's head to protect him from further injury in an attempt to keep officer romeo alert officer boy yak tried to comfort and communicate with him officer Dillman and officer Malone shared the responsibility and performed chest compressions of officer Romeo's lifeless body Officer Robert Routh got to the scene shortly after the crash and immediately became aware of the grave circumstances without hesitation officer ruth retrieved medical supplies and started rescue breaths for officer romeo officer's boy AK malone Dillman and ruth maintained their composure compassion and professionalism they cared for and performed life-saving efforts on one of their own until the fire department got there the officers and Milwaukee Fire Department personnel worked cooperatively to resume officer Romeo's heartbeat he started breathing on his own and regained consciousness officer romeo was conveyed to Frater hospital when he got to the hospital and with no consideration for himself officer romeo inquired about the well-being of the citizens that were in that crash the fleeing suspects and his fellow officers officer romeo was treated for injuries that required emergency surgery he had broken ribs numerous compound fractures to the right leg and spinal damage and he is expected to make a full recovery that's right officer romeo is presented with the purple valor star award an officer's poi yak Malone Delmon and whoops with intentional heroic actions were instrumental in saving his life congratulations police officer Robert S Rumbek please come to the stage he is receiving the life-saving award on April 20 on April 6th 2019 while off-duty officer Robert rhombic traveled to a restaurant in the city of Franklin when he got there he saw a vehicle in the parking lot with its passenger door wide open and a lot of vehicles and citizens around it he then saw a man lying on the asphalt officer Rumbek approached the man and noticed that he was unresponsive and responsive and his lips had turned blue officer Rome Bek discovered the man did not have a pulse he was not breathing officer rhombic immediately started CPR and chest compressions after multiple chest compressions the person began to breathe on his own emergency medical services got there and administered narcan that man was transported to a hospital where he was treated for an overdose and released but Franklin Police Department also responded and thanked officer rhombic for taking life-saving measures officer romex off-duty actions and quick thinking definitely saved that man's life [Applause] police officer is mark Allah Novick please come to the stage he is receiving a meritorious service award on March 29th 2019 police officer is smart : avec responded to district 5 to investigate an assignment while at the district he walked out to the employee parking lot and heard unusual noises officer : avec checked the parking lot and saw a man armed with a knife the man was in the process of slashing the tires of numerous Milwaukee Police Department squad cars officer Colada vaq drew his service weapon and ordered the man to drop that knife the man ignored him continued his slashed tires and then went toward officer : avec with the knife officer : avec quickly transitioned from his service weapon to his taser officer : avec deployed the Taser in stopped the man's actions he used restraint when confronted with an armed subject and his quick and decisive actions ended the immediate threat and an armed subject was taken alive into custody without incident mr. Darren L McCully and mrs. Stacey ax and McCully please come to the stage they're receiving the meritorious conduct award on July 20th 2019 during a major rainstorm a man jumped into them into the Milwaukee River in an attempt to commit suicide the Milwaukee Police Department in the fire department responded a fireman wearing an exposure suit entered the water and tried to secure the suspect a subject and bring him to shore the man became combative and struggled with the firefighter at the time a current pulled the firefighter and the suicidal man a mile down the river mr. and mrs. McCully were on their personal boat and saw the subject in the firefighter in the water the couple approached them and attempted to extract them from the water the man continued to be combative and yelled for them to let him die in the water unable to extract the pair from the water mr. and mrs. McCauley drove their boat to the shoreline to get an additional firefighter with the extra assistance mr. and mrs. McCauley were able to extract both of them from the water and get them to shore safely their selfless actions were instrumental in saving the life of a citizen in crisis and prevented injury to personnel from the Milwaukee Police Department thank you for your quick actions I'd like to call district 6 captain Kristen one of my other favorites Kristen and REE estra to the stage or a district 6 representative I'd also like to call police officer Nathan B grap and police officer Charles M you men's to the stage they are both receiving a life-saving award on June 29th 2019 police officer Nathan grap and police officer Charles you men were dispatched to a heroin overdose when they got there they saw a subject lying on the bedroom floor of a house the subject was unconscious not breathing officer crap gave him narcan however the subject was unresponsive officer crap an officer you mez gave him CPR alternating as needed until the subject displayed signs of life medical personnel arrived on scene and continued to performed life-saving measures the subject was revived and transported to the hospital the actions of officer grap and officer you mez were instrumental in saving that man's life police officer Robert a roach if he could please come to the stage he is receiving the Meritorious Service Award on April 13th 2019 a holdup alarm was broadcasted for the Speedway gas station located at 369 East Oklahoma Avenue in an effort to find the suspect Officer Robert Roach responded to saturate the area officer roach believe the suspect may try to hold up another Speedway located at 800 East Layton and started to drive that way while in route officer roach got information regarding the description of the suspects car as he got to the area of the second Speedway he observed the suspects vehicle officer Roach initiated a traffic stop suspect fled and a vehicle pursuit ensued after after a short pursuit the suspect crashed his car and fled on foot officer Roach pursued the suspect and got him into custody it was later learned that the second Speedway had also been robbed at gunpoint proceeds from both of the robberies were recovered from the suspects car and that suspect was ultimately charged with four armed robberies officer Roach displayed extreme bravery and courage as he by himself pursued and apprehended that suspect give him a round of applause I'd like to call police officer Bao beer Atma hey to the stage he's getting it an Excellence in Police Service Award officer Bobby Irma he is known for his dedication and efforts to build strong relationships between the police department and its community partners the solid foundations he created were clearly evident in the result of his fundraisers over the last several years Officer me hey collected tens of thousands of dollars for families of injured and fallen Milwaukee police officers officer mahes commitment and passion for helping others is beyond exceptional and truly appreciated by everyone in this community officer mihai's actions are the true meal a meaning of excellence in police service thank you district seven captain Willie Oh Murphy please come to the stage or a district 7 representative police officer Thomas aren't Lofland please come to the stage he is receiving a life-saving award on July 25th 2019 officer thomas Lofland was on a bicycle patrol when he heard a squad dispatched to an overdose in the area of north 73rd Street and West Capitol Drive officer Laughlin was in the area and immediately got to that location when he got there he found a woman lying on the ground in the parking lot of a business officer Laughlin conducted a medical assessment did not locate a pulse and started chest compressions more officers got there and helped officer Laughlin with narcan officer Lofland gave her the narcan and continued those chest compressions the Milwaukee Fire Department got to the scene and continued life-saving measures the subjects pulse was revived and she was taken to the hospital for medical treatment officer Laughlin quick response and his actions saved that woman's life thank you very much for your service police sergeant Juan a Lopez please come to the stage he is receiving a meritorious service award on July 7th 2019 sergeant Juan Lopez was dispatched to the sub to a subject with a knife upon his arrival he found a female standing outside of the hall the female reported that her boyfriend was inside intoxicated and armed with a knife officers on scene saw the male subject at the second-story window of that home the subject yelled out the window that the police would have to come get him sergeant Lopez went inside took a position of the base of the stairs and tried to talk to him the subject displayed the knife and challenged sergeant Lopez to come up those stairs he expressed the desire for officers to kill him throughout that incident sergeant Lopez used great restraint and maintained a line of communication with that man after three hours of negotiations sergeant Lopez convinced him to put his knife away comply and surrender sergeant Lopez showed great poise empathy and patience as he negotiated with that man and brought the situation to a peaceful resolution thank you [Applause] police officer misro Dean Gazoo police officer Thomas J cotton Inc jr. and police officer Andrew L layer and officer Ryan M Reagan please all come to the stage they are receiving a meritorious service award on June 29th 2019 members of the Milwaukee Police Department's Special Investigations Division while operating in an undercover capacity witnessed an active drive-by shooting multiple citizens were hit by that gunfire and one victim died as a result of those injuries the observations of the undercover squad were broadcasted over the radio including a description of the suspects vehicle officer Langer and officer Casull were nearby and observed the suspects car fleeing that area they initiated a traffic stop and the vehicle failed to pull over they pursued him an officer Thomas Scott Nick and officer Ryan Reagan joined as a secondary pursuing squad the driver of the fleeing vehicle showed blatant and other utter disregard for human life as he drove into oncoming traffic disregarded multiple red lights and drove directly at a marked Milwaukee Police Department squad car that pursuit ended when the suspect crashed his vehicle at which time both suspects fled on foot the driver was pursued on foot by Officer Casull before being arrested by Officer Scott Nick and Reagan officer Langer pursued the passenger on foot and although the passenger eluded arrest officer Langer superb observation skills resulted in positive identification in a photo lineup the passenger was later found and arrested and further investigation found a firearm which was used in the incident inside the suspects vehicle the efforts of all of these officers standing on the stage put them in a position to make an impact in this community and resulted in the arrest of not one but two homicide suspects thank you very much mr. Lyall a Shumpert please come to the stage he is receiving a Valerius conduct award on April 15th 2019 a suspect armed with a handgun entered a restaurant jumped over the front counter and demanded an employee to open the safe mr. Lyall Shumpert an employee of the restaurant feared for the safety of his co-workers and the people in the restaurant with little regard for his own safety mr. Shumpert quickly grabbed the suspect from behind and placed him in a full-nelson headlock all right man he wrestled that subject to the ground and he observed the subjects finger on the trigger and heard the suspect shout that he was going to shoot mr. Shumpert turned the gun away from himself and others and shouted commands to the suspect you better stay on that ground mr. Shumpert struggled with the suspect and restrained him until officers got there when the officers got there the subject was placed into custody during this drive not done yet during the struggle mr. Shumpert sustained a bite on the right hand and the suspect expelled bodily fluids that exposed mr. Shumpert to risk of infection and illness the suspect later confessed to committing six armed robberies and was later criminally charged with six counts of armed robbery and two counts of felony in possession and possession of a firearm mr. Shumpert disregarded his own safety to protect his co-workers and the people in that restaurant we recognize you as a very brave hero and he deserves a major a round of applause better watch out who put you in a chokehold all right I'd like to call miss Mercedes M Ferguson she's receiving the meritorious conduct award on July 13 2019 a vehicle with two adult females and several children inside became the target and a road rage incident an unknown actor fired two shots of the victims car one of the occupants a three year old little girl suffered a gunshot wound to the head she was transported to a local hospital where she later died a citizen miss Teresa Luckett was in the area of the incident and heard those shots fired she then heard a plea for help and responded to the call Miss Luckett overheard the victim's mother on the phone with emergency personnel in describing the suspects vehicle as a black Jeep with pink riding on the front windshield after first responders arrived Miss Luckett left the scene of the act incident approximately 15 minutes later Miss Luckett observed a vehicle that matched the description of the vehicle provided by the victim's mother Miss Luckett followed the black Jeep called 9-1-1 and gave the vehicles location after losing sight of the suspect vehicle Miss Luckett then provided the vehicles last direction of travel 911 personnel broadcasted that information that Miss luck had provided two officers officers observed the black Jeep with pink riding attempted a traffic stop and a pursuit ensued the fleeing vehicle eluded police and crashed another concerned citizen miss Mercedes Ferguson heard the collision and drove to the crash site Miss Ferguson saw the unoccupied black SUV flipped on its side she then observed a subject run through the yard and jump over a fence Miss Ferguson continued to drive around the area and saw the same subject walking in another yard she stopped police told them where that subject was and gave them description of his clothes officers found him and placed him into custody further investigation revealed the black Jeep observed by Miss Lockett and the subject described by Miss Ferguson were in fact involved in that shooting death of the three-year-old little girl the suspect charged with first-degree reckless homicide and the death of a child and several other felonies miss Lakhan and Miss Ferguson bravely involved themselves without regard for their own safety in a life-threatening manner as community caretakers the concern for others commitment to this community and keen observations helped to identify and catch this dangerous offender actions like this will send a message to other offenders in this community that stronger is together and this behavior will not be tolerated in the City of Milwaukee thank you very much [Applause] I'd like to call community outreach and education lieutenant Michelle D Haywood to the stage or a representative police officer Philip B Lewis please come to the stage as well he is receiving a meritorious service award on December 17th 2018 officer Philip Lewis and other officers responded to a school for a report of subject with a knife when they got there they were notified that a student with autism armed himself with a knife and destroyed property on the school grounds the student also made statements that he wanted to die this incident made the school go on lockdown officers confronted the student gave him commands to drop the knife the student refused and advanced toward them as officers disengaged officer Lewis asked for another officer to distract the student the student distracted during that time officer Lewis approached the student from behind took control of him and directed him to the floor that student dropped the knife and was taken into custody without further incident officer Lewis disregarded his own safety and displayed extreme restraint his actions prevented injury to officers on the scene other students that student and the school staff thank you [Applause] I'd like to call one of my other favorites fusion division captain Greg D Sarna or representative to the stage I'd also like to call crime analyst Keisha a Harper in crime analyst Matthew came alone to the stage they are both receiving a meritorious service award on July 25th 2019 officers were dispatched to st. Joseph's Hospital regarding a five-year-old child that suffered a gunshot wound to the leg when they got there the child's father reported that he was driving in his car with his daughter in the back seat as he drove he noticed someone behind him driving a van that person tailgated for several blocks that van eventually passed him stopped alongside and began to yell at him for driving too slow the subject then got out of the van continued to yell and the father saw a black handgun in the subjects waistband and immediately drove away that person retrieved their handgun and shot at him as he drove away the father noticed his daughter was hit in the leg and transported her to the hospital during a canvass of the crime scene officers located a camera that captured that incident on video the video gave officers a description of the suspect and the suspect vehicle crime analysts Keisha Harper and Matthew Malone were provided with that vehicle information and learned that it was recently sold by a private party on the Internet with this information they conducted a mission additional research analysts Harper and Malone developed the identity of a possible suspect they provided officers with the suspects information and a possible known address officers set up surveillance of the address found him he was arrested and the gun used in that incident was also found the diligent research conducted by analysts Harper and analyst Malone led to the arrest of the suspect with an hours of the shooting their actions were instrumental in the arrest of that violent criminal that injured a and demonstrated their commitment to serving the citizens of the City of Milwaukee thank you I'd like to call sensitive crimes division Captain John P Corbett to the stage or representative from sensitive crimes miss Skye a Jones please come to the stage she is receiving a meritorious conduct award on June 16 2017 the Milwaukee Police Department received a report of an abduction and sexual assault during the investigation two suspects were developed as well as a description of the suspects vehicle investigators learned of an incident that happened the day before in Kenosha County that incident was an attempted abduction of two women the Milwaukee and Kenosha incidents shared similar circumstances there were two victims of the Kenosha incident miss Skye Jones and another woman On June 15 2019 they drove they observed a dark-colored pickup truck following them the driver of the truck stopped the truck in front of their vehicle got out and demanded the driver of Miss Jones vehicle to roll down the window the driver of the pickup returned to the truck and got a weapon a second suspect exited the truck armed with a baseball bat the driver of Miss Jones's vehicle sped off and eventually pulled safely in her garage Miss Jones provided investigators with a detailed description of both suspects the descriptions matched those provided by the victim of the Milwaukee incident the Milwaukee Police Department conducted a lengthy and an in-depth investigation that resulted in the arrest of those suspects they were charged with numerous criminal offenses Miss Jones worked cooperatively with the Milwaukee and Kenosha police departments throughout that complex investigation she went to numerous court proceedings and provided testimony the assistant DA stated their testimonies proved the suspects displayed a pattern of violent behavior this directly helped get a conviction and contributed to lengthy sentences for her contributions to this case Miss Jones is presented with a meritorious conduct award congratulations Special Investigations Division captain Eric J Pfeiffer please come to the stage or a representative an officer Michael Lopez and officer Joseph a sorry oh please come to the stage they're getting the Medal of Valor combat award detective Britt a co nerd come to the stage he is receiving the Meritorious Service Award on May 7th 2019 the Special Investigation Division developed information that a subject wanted for homicide was in the area of South 7th and West Maple Street in one undercover vehicle officer Michael Lopez officer Joseph sorry oh and detective Britt cornered responded to that area when they got there they set up surveillance behind the target and parked in the City of Milwaukee own parking lot while conducting surveillance two subjects began to approach their vehicle one of the two subjects approached and covered his face with a mask they saw the masked subject get a gun from his waistband officer Lopez officer Cerio and Detective Conan feared they were in imminent danger they believed the masked subjects intent was to use deadly force and shoot them with the masked subject within feet of the driver's door officer Lopez discharged his firearm at the same time officer Cerio fired his duty weapon the masked subject was injured fell to the ground and lost control of his gun the unmasked subject fled on foot detective Kohner immediately ran after them in approach and apprehended that subject officer Lopez Cerio and Detective Conan displayed extreme composure when approached by a man with a gun they acted decisively and without hesitating they are amended for their bravery congratulations [Applause] technical communications division captain Diana Rowe please come to the stage or a representative I'd like to call emergency communications operator Tammy M Crespo to the stage she's getting a meritorious service award on August 14th 2019 operator Tammy Crespo received a phone call from the crisis line with a report of a female who stated that she had taken a bottle of sleeping aid and wasn't feeling safe the crisis line could only provide operator Crespo with a first name and a phone number of the caller officer Crespo feared the females life was in danger and immediately started a trace of the phone number the phone number listed to a cell phone and an exact location of that caller could not be identified with the geographic coordinates provided the squaws attempted to find the female caller however they were unsuccessful operator Crespo realized the officers were unable to find her and made several callback attempts the woman eventually answered the phone operator Crespo immediately built a rapport with the woman gained her trust and convinced her to give them an address a squad responded to the correct location and provided services to a citizen in crisis her quick thinking and diligence is why she's receiving this award today thank you emergency communications operator Stephanie L Radke please come to the stage she is receiving the Meritorious Service Award on July 13th 2019 operator Stephanie Radke received a call requesting a squad car take a report of a stolen firearm operator Radke realized the caller lived the address where a shooting happened the previous night operator Radke believe the person reporting a stolen firearm may be related to the shooting suspect and contacted a sergeant at district 4 the sergeant confirmed that the person trying to report the firearm stolen was the shooting suspects girlfriend the sergeant coordinated his efforts with other units to do surveillance of the girlfriend the surveillance resulted in the apprehension of the shooting suspect and the recovery of that gun operator rad Keys attention to detail and actions assisted officers in the successful arrest of a dangerous criminal thank you next I'd like to call the following members to the stage these members are receiving the physical readiness challenge award police officer Kai Anderson gold pin police officer Wyatt Grotowski gold pin police officer Anthony a Gifford silver pin police officer Kelton G McGowan silver pin police officer Zachariah D Wilbur silver pin the physical fitness award is presented to a member who has demonstrated a commitment to physical fitness by participating in the annual physical fitness challenge these events include a 1.5 mile run a 300 meter run vertical jump push-ups and sit-ups each participant is then scored based on the established Cooper Institute physical fitness assessment and only participants who score in the top three positions earned gold silver or bronze fitness pins give them a round of applause [Applause] I'd like to call police officer Yulia why cuz ischenko and police officer Joseph Lanza to the stage did I say that right okay these officers are getting the Excellence in Police Service Award they're being recognized for getting numerous letters of commendation the letters show the daily outstanding performance of these officers as well as their willingness to go above and beyond the ordinary call of duty we appreciate your faithful contribution that you make to the police departments mission thank you for your service [Applause] this year the certificate of appreciation goes to the unity gospel House of Prayer they are under the direction of Pastor Marlon a lock mr. Marlon lock and family please come to the stage the unity gospel house of prayer Apostolic Church of Milwaukee is located in district 3 at 1747 North 12th Street the current membership of the church is well over 1500 parishioners following the death of police officer Michael mahaki the unity gospel a house of prayer under the leadership of pastor Martin Marlon Locke dedicated time effort and continuous hard work to support the Milwaukee Police Department the community and the citizens it serves these efforts included the organization's of a walkthrough of the neighborhood of where this very tragic incident occurred throughout the following months pastor Locke worked with the department church and community members to facilitate various community activities organized marches occurred every Thursday night and church members prayed with the residents of the neighborhoods reach outs to gang members and drug dealers were conducted and they were encouraged to make a change for a better way of life other community events included a walk run a book bag giveaway Thanksgiving dinner and a charity basketball game the church and partners donated more than four thousand dollars to the Surgenor family Peace Center in efforts to support women and children recovering from abusive relationships in August of 2019 Tuesday night of hope services were created the church cancelled their regular Tuesday evening services and held a public service outside the Washington Park bandshell the Milwaukee Police Department's community partners and faith-based organizations are instrumental in bridging gaps between the police and the community and the unity gospel House of Prayer exemplifies how collaborative work results in positive impacts for the residents of the City of Milwaukee for their contributions to the community the you gospel House of Prayer Apostolic Church of Milwaukee is presented with a certificate of appreciation congratulations [Music] [Applause] give them another round of applause [Applause] and keep that same energy because this year the Distinguished Service Award goes to captain Paul Jay for molo of the Criminal Investigation Bureau captain Paul for molo is the commanding officer of the criminal investigation bureaus Violent Crimes Division he also serves as the department's liaison to the National Public Safety partnership team in his role he's responsible for the coordination of an array of resources from the Department of Justice to enhance the city of Milwaukee's violence reduction strategies captain firm olo leveraged his operational and administrative experience as he worked with federal and local prosecutors he coordinated additional federal assistance received from the FBI DEA ATF and US Marshals this involved assistance with crime Analysis technology criminal justice collaboration community engagement and investigations the development of these relationships improve communication and collaboration among our local state and federal law enforcement partners captain for molo coordinated peer exchanges with multiple law enforcement agencies establishing a nationwide network of best practices for sharing crime reduction strategies he also managed scores or requests for statistical information on short notice this directly contributed to the national data gathering efforts of the police development Milwaukee Police Department's Public Safety Partnership has earned national recognition and multiple agencies traveled to Milwaukee to observe the methods here captain for Moe lows effective leadership commitment and flexibility were evident in the decrease in violent crime between July 31st 2017 and July 31st 2019 the city has experienced a 36 percent decrease in non-fatal shootings and a 21 percent decrease in Hama this has been accomplished despite significant reductions in staffing within the Criminal Investigation and patrol bureaus the Milwaukee Police Department appreciates captain for molo for his assistance in implementing the current chute review model a model that has had a direct effect on the reduction of violent crime captain for mow lows dedications hard work and hands-on approach created a safer City for all of the citizens of Milwaukee thank you [Applause] we've had such an amazing array of award recipients tonight this has gone by so fast we are already on our final award that will be handed out tonight to the unit service award this is a unit service award this award is for the district that gets out there in the community and makes a difference outside of their working hours and they all do it together this year the unit service award goes to district 3 communities district threes community policing team will the following members please report to the stage police sergeant Guadalupe Velasquez police officer Coriana iike vasos police officer Melvin L Finkley police officer Michael Jones junior police officer Dorian L wittenberger assistant city attorney Heather how assistant DA Kelly O'Neil they get that right assistant district attorney Katelyn ringer small sojourner DV advocate Emily Prosser DA victim and witness advocate Selena Zanussi and neighborhood safety coordinator princess Williams over the course of 2019 the District three community policing team worked tirelessly with imagination and zeal as they proactively worked on concerns in the district and positively engaged in community activities the team's efforts were a continuation of a successful 2018 that included 38 community events nine major programming events and numerous other activities unique programming events supported by the team included an mps daddy-daughter dance community Easter egg hunt marked for the Hunger task force and photo opportunities for mothers and fathers day the monthly community engagement activities ranged from working in a local soup kitchen reading to young children eating lunch with students to knitting with local residents the team held quarterly meetings with the faith-based organizations to discuss how to proactively engage with the community the team also put forth proactive work to combat crime and target nuisance properties in the neighborhoods they worked with government partners to address drug dealing prostitution after set parties and other quality of life issues the team's effort directly contributed to the significant reduction of non-fatal shootings in district 3 by 31 percent last but not least the team along with the assistance from community partners customized a domestic violence notification program titled sou L sole surviving overcoming uplifting and love the program is tailored to conduct a personal intervention with victims of domestic violence that program identifies those who have been prior victims on three or more occasions and that program wraps these victims with services and provides encouragement that they have the power to change their own lives the community policing team is presented with the unit Service Award for their proactive and cooperative teamwork their passion and dedication has provided positive community engagement and directly resulted in the reduction of violent crimes their efforts the people on this stage their efforts have made the neighborhoods and district 3 a safer place for the citizens of the City of Milwaukee give them a round of applause [Applause] this night has been amazing hasn't it let's give all of our awardees tonight a final round of applause tonight has been get a wonderful display of bravery sacrifice and dedication to our community by those and some very special citizens thank you again for having me as your mistress of ceremonies tonight and have a great rest of your evening okay couple more things a couple more things we're gonna have we just wanted to thank the band again for entertaining us for our 10-minute delay [Music] thank the color guard and the merit award staff I want to thank the crossing guards for getting you here safely and I wanted to call pastor lock up for a final prayer was it wasn't tonight amazing come on can we give it up for all the recipients on tonight everyone's standing those that can and will everyone's standing those the can of will Lord God we come as humble as we know how to say thank you thank you Lord God for this moment for this time for this opportunity Lord God I thank you for all of those that serve this incredible community father God we know that with you all things are possible so father God right now as we decrease as we leave this place we actually you increase father God we stand before you as empty cups before a full fountain pour into us what it is that we need thank you for your traveler mercy and traveling grace thank you for your angels of protection to keep us from hurt harm and danger every single day father God we thank you for this incredible City of Milwaukee thank you for the the leadership that you've provided for the city continue to lead and guide them in a plane path Laura got allowed their crooked roads to be made straight Laura God I realized that as a leadership role we have to pray for the strong ones so father God strengthened every police officer every command staff father God every auxilary here in the name of Jesus we thank you for doing it get the glory out of our lives until we meet again and Jesus name we pray amen and amen thank you [Applause] [Music]