[Music] than [Music] this [Music] h [Music] oh [Music] [Applause] [Music] h [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] Beau [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] show [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] right okay [Music] it's [Music] now [Music] [Applause] [Music] guys [Music] it to [Music] the [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] all for [Music] [Music] [Music] next [Music] what up Bill [Music] last [Music] you one e [Music] [Music] thank you sorry for that [Music] [Music] la [Music] you [Music] somebody have somebody give the command St PRS were supposed to be on Command Staff and dignitaries please be seated good evening everybody good evening let's try it again good evening everybody good evening I like it welcome to the police academy and the Milwaukee Police Department's 2015 fall merit award ceremony with music provided by the Milwaukee Police band the nation's oldest and proudest police band Led by band director Lieutenant Karen dubis Karen raise your hand back there who recently retired after 37 years of faithful service my name is Terence Gordon I'm a deputy inspector and I'm the academy director and the proud commanding officer of the finest training staff in the state of Wisconsin let's give them a round of applause [Applause] friends family thank you for being here to support your loved ones award recipients also thank you for being here you exemplify what it means to be a Milwaukee Police Officer before we begin the ceremony please allow me to introduce our dignitaries and Masters master and Mistress of Ceremonies for tonight's event ladies and gentlemen Chief Edward Flynn mayor Tom Barrett executive director of the fire and police commission Mary Nell Regan we have a recruit class in housee our class sponsor if is chief judge Maxine white assistant chief James harpole assistant in Chief Kurt libold inspector keran yeres and our MC's for tonight from TMJ4 Vince petrano and Susan Kim and ladies and gentlemen the men and women who also make this department work the command staff and their representatives of the Milwaukee Police Department please stand [Applause] ladies and Gentlemen please rise for the presentation of the Colors by the Milwaukee Police Honor Guard the honor guard is commanded by Captain Les Leslie teely tonight's Color Guard however is under the direction of Lieutenant Greg Duran for CL bre [Music] [Music] for [Music] [Music] the [Music] [Applause] cut St ready one two Command Staff uncover award recipients uncover please be seated thank you again to our color guard and again to the Milwaukee Police debate Milwaukee Police band twice a year we get together together to honor members of our department for their heroism bravery compassion their hard work and their dedication and each ceremony is a new chapter in our Department's history in which we get to recognize the work of police officers and community members who exemplify our core values and our guiding principles and what some people call a challenging time for our profession the men and women of this department continue to make us proud you don't do what you do for these medals you don't do what you do for extra pay or even recognition and many of the selfless acts that you do on a regular basis go unrecognized so on behalf of the police academy staff the chief in the department please allow me to say congratulations on your Awards and for the service that you and your colleagues perform for our community we are honored tonight to have our first Speaker who makes it a point to attend every Academy graduation and every merit award ceremony the one time that I was here that he couldn't make it he sent a video of himself because he was out of town please allow me to bring to the stage the mayor of the city of Milwaukee Tom Barrett [Applause] sir thank you inspector good evening uh it is great to see all of you here tonight to the men and women who represent the Milwaukee Police Department thank you for your courage for your work uh for your professionalism for the citizens who are here tonight um I want to thank you for stepping forward in a situation where where most citizens probably would turn their back and walk away to the families and the friends of those being uh honored tonight I want to thank you for supporting the men and women who work for the Milwaukee Police Department and the citizens who are here tonight and to the Chief and the Command Staff I want to thank you for your leadership as well this is an exciting night if you haven't been here for for this before it's a fun evening uh it's a celebration it's a celebration of the great things that the Milwaukee Police Department does and it's important for us as an organization it's important for us as a city it's important for us as a people to celebrate our successes we don't have to go far to see what our failures are uh we can look in the media we can have people who talk to us and crit are critical of us um but sometimes I don't think we as a people I don't think the police department often enough talks about the great things that it does and and that's what we're going to do tonight we're going to talk about the great men and women who work for the Milwaukee Police department and that is a very good thing why is it important it's important because at a time in our country when when police community relations are questioned I think it is important for our residents and our citizens to see that the vast vast vast majority of people who work for our Police Department are there because they are doing the right thing and what you're going to hear tonight are going to be little vignettes they're going to be like little TV stories um so this is the part of policing that is like a television show where you're going to see their heroism you're going to see their Humanity you're going to see their professionalism and you're going to see how much they care about the people who live in this community I think it's a night of Celebration and it's a night where oftentimes we don't see what's going on because it's not in the box score and I love sports and I love talking about what's in the box score the the points the assists the rebounds what we're going to see tonight are activities that often times don't show up in the box score but they're just important because again they underscore the professionalism the training and most importantly The Valor of the people who work for this department and those citizens who step forward so sit back enjoy yourselves I'm sorry we don't have popcorn but it's going to be a fun night so enjoy all the great things you hear this evening thank you very much for being here we don't have popcorn but we do have cookies our next speaker is the man who steers the ship our commander commander of the entire Police Department chief Edward [Applause] Flynn well thank you and good evening it's a privilege to be here twice a year to have an opportunity to share with all of you the work of your loved ones everybody that's here in the audience has a connection to to this Police Department there's somebody in it you love and care about someone perhaps you've raised and one thing we know some of the important most important people in the growing of a police officer are their families this is a difficult job under the best of circumstances think about it young folks who are raised their entire life you're probably telling your children these messages right now don't stare mind your own business and don't ask embarrassing questions and yet what do we ask our police officers to do unlearn the lessons of a lifetime we ask them to not mind their own business we certainly expect them to stare from time to time and we absolutely need them to ask embarrassing questions now this is a hard enough job under the best of circumstances we police a society that is not only the most heavily armed Society on Earth but also one that's inherently suspicious of authority that indeed was founded on suspicion of authority and in that context trying to police people from many different backgrounds with many different expectations of the police department we put an enormous burden on policing's practitioners but even more so there's something else as the mayor and as Inspector Gordon of both alluded to these are difficult times for our profession it has become fashionable once again in America to denigrate the police it has become fashionable to highlight the excesses of some individual practitioners and use those excesses excess is to indict an entire profession it's pernicious what's occurring right now because it's undermining The crucial relationship between the Guardians and those who must be guarded between the protector of neighborhoods and the neighborhoods that most need protection notwithstanding those realities however we have the men and women before us today and members of the community have stepped forward on their own who have placed their lives at risk in order to protect others frequently this life risking Behavior avior is in the context of active combat and a clear physical threat often this life-risking behavior is on the behalf of restraint giving someone else the opportunity to do injury so that an officer might have time to prevent something from becoming worse we do not ask that of any other profession charged with protecting us now this time of year we always take time out to praise and remember our military as well we should but there are not underne under any one tenth of the scrutiny our officers are they are not second guest one tenth as much as our officers are and their deployments are finite the men and women before you today have infinite deployments and it's just as wearing over time indeed the physical hazards of this occupation are well documented but it's the emotional hazards that sometimes over time take the greatest toll and it is those contexts that are bonds of affection among ourselves and our connections through our broader Community are most important now there are times when you're a senior leader you're expected to inspire the people that work for you well tonight is a night where I get to be inspired because every time I get an opportunity to spend time with the men and women of this Police Department I leave inspired in an age of cynicism idealism still lives and it lives right here among our midst among the men and women before you today who care about the community and who do not accept the label of hero you'll never hear one of them ever regard themselves as a hero you'll ask them why they did it they'll say I was just doing my job and in a job in which heroism is the expected Norm where a cultural value is courage we have to nod and be grateful for that attitude this is not as the inspector said about the medals what it is about is drawing attention to the conduct that en Nobles us all that en Nobles the families that raise them that ennobles the work they do and that allows us to say as both senior leaders members of the community and members of extended family thank you thank you for caring enough about your City to serve it we're grateful we're respectful and as the mayor said eager to hear more about it Spector [Applause] thank you Chief you'll all recognize our MC's for tonight's ceremony Susan Kim is celebrating 21 years in counting with today's tmj4 she's worked the I really hope the internet was correct she's worked the assignment desk on the week on the weekends and as a reporter during the week her hard work paid off and she was moved to full-time reporting and then anchoring shortly after she started in Milwaukee Susan has covered many stories and has been nominated for an Emmy Award for a coverage of the aana spa incident in 2012 she's currently an anchor of live at Daybreak which has been recognized as the best morning newscast several times by the Wisconsin broadcasters Association Susan believes in making her community a better place she volunteers a great deal of her own time helping many organizations one of her biggest passions is today's tmj4 Community baby shower which she helped start in 2001 since its Inception the community baby shower has collected tens of thousands of items and helped countless babies in our area sud Susan is a mother of three and lives in the Milwaukee area with her children and husband Susan's part partner Vince vatrano has been in media since 1994 Crossing various platforms working primarily in television but also in Radio New Media and print starting in Green Bay in Green Bay with a job writing about what else the Green Bay Packers Vince currently anchors the the morning news on TMJ4 with Susan and also co- aners the news the noon newscast morning news on 94.5 FM and occasionally appearances on AM radio as well Vince and Susan were Pioneers in the Milwaukee Market incorporating social media into their work to build large followings create interactive experiences for viewers and share online products with them he also remains active in our community and believes it's important for people in the media to be involved Vince is married with three children loves the Badgers and Packers and is crazy about his lawn that's what he said he also plays golf but wishes he didn't ladies and Gentlemen please welcome our host and Hostess for tonight's ceremony Susan Kim and Vince [Applause] petrano mayor and chief if you would have fun okay we will good evening everybody thank you Deputy inspector Gordon for that nice introduction and thank you to the Milwaukee Police Department for including us in this evening of inspiration to recognize so much of the great work that is done in this community I'm Susan Kim and this is Vince vrono we're honored to be here tonight um we want to thank the chief and we also want to make a note of the media producer for the Milwaukee Police Department his name is Jeff Gallagher he's over there in the corner Jeff wave your [Applause] hand a nice Applause thank you he used to be a producer for our morning show um and he says he's so happy right now now he that he's not with us but he uh he has an affectionate nickname for Vince and I and he calls us the dog and pony or the dog and pony show which is what you're subjected to this evening it's a lot more funny if you're the pony but it does uh just another word of welcome it does occur to me that so many of you in law enforcement uh you appreciate uh the value of a good partner and especially if you're the dog and not the pony so there are many days when I say to myself I'm glad she was here so we are very honored on behalf of today's tmj4 to represent our station and so grateful for the invitation to be here with you tonight and it also occurs to us so very often when you have media and law enforcement in the same room something real bad has happened and so the word celebration has been used a number of times tonight and we are proud to be able to come here and celebrate with you tonight it's an honor for us so thank you very much for having us [Applause] we'll jump right in with the awards now tonight for district one led by Captain Eric Moore and represented tonight by Lieutenant Greg Duran officers James ninski Frederick C Shader and Pernell V Reynolds are receiving the life- saving award on April 4th 2015 officers ninski and Shader were on patrol in the 2900 block of North Oakland Avenue when a man flagged them down because his mother was unresponsive inside her car the officers removed the woman and began compressions on her Officer Reynolds saw the incident stepped in to help his fellow officers the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived and continued life-saving measures until the woman's pulse was restored the woman was taken to a local hospital and doctors confirmed treatment given by the three officers was vital in helping that woman the quick response heroic actions and determination displayed by all the officers saved that woman's life for district 2 led by Captain Alonso Morales presented tonight by Lieutenant Greg Henry oh now to District 2 led by Captain Alonso Morales presented tonight by Lieutenant Craig Henry the medal of valor rescue Award presented to Sergeant Rebecca L Carpenter and officers Jason G stoak and James J spinato in the early morning hours of February 12th 2015 Sergeant Carpenter and officers stoak and spinat saw smoke billowing from a house in the 1700 block of South 15th Place the group pounded on the door to wake up the residents and then entered the house to lead the frightened family to safety the sergeant and officers displayed exceptional confidence in locating the house fire before the occupants were even aware of it they also embodied the core value of Courage when they went into a burning building to make sure everyone got out safely so we're going to ask officer Sak to stay on the stage as the life- saving award is presented to him and officer Ronald W [Applause] zarik on July 7th 2015 officers toak and zarnik responded to an unconscious and unresponsive woman in the 500 block of West Maple Street the officers rendered first aid until Milwaukee Fire Department Personnel arrived at the scene a few minutes later the woman woke up and ran to the bridge that spans over the freeway she jumped the fence and tried to jump into traffic officer stoak grabbed the woman and pulled her towards the fence officer stoak and a firefighter struggled to hold the woman upright officer zaret climbed the fence to gain control of the woman and hoisted her into the arms of another firefighter the woman was transported to the hospital for treatment and further mental health evaluation the officer's quick thinking heroic actions and determination prevented the woman from harming herself the life- saving award is presented to officer Adam J Rush on August 19th 2015 officer rush and his partner responded to the 800 block of West Arthur Avenue where a man had collapsed officer Rush saw the man had shallow breaths his eyes were rolled back and he was unresponsive officer Rush determined the man was experiencing a heroin overdose so he ran to his Squad and retrieved his opiate overdose kit and administered a dose of Narcan the man's heart rate increased his breathing became clearer the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived on scene and continued life-saving measures the man was then transported to the hospital for further treatment officer Russia's quick thinking heroic actions and determination prevented loss of life the life-saving award is presented to officer Juan a Lopez on June 13th 2015 a runner collapsed at the finish line of the Summerfest Rock and Soul half marathon the runner was unconscious pulseless and not breathing officer Lopez immediately began CPR and chest compressions while medical volunteers lifted the victim's legs to increase the blood flow to his heart the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived took over medical treatment and was able to restore a pulse to the runner officer Lopez remained by the side of the man during his transport to the hospital for further medical treatment officer Lopez's quick efforts prevented the loss of life at the [Applause] scene the medal of valor rescue award is presented to officer Michael D candal the life saving award is presented to officers Jay Lindstrom and Julian G Nunes and the valorous conduct Citizen Award is presented to Miss Melissa Y fres and Mr Aaron K laia on June 27th 2015 Miss frus and Mr Leia heard a commotion coming from the kusco park Lagoon they saw two men drowning in the lagoon and immediately jumped into the water to save them officers kandal lindström and Nunes quickly responded to this location and upon their arrival one of the men was out of the water and being attended to by citizens the officers were informed that another man was still in the water so along with Mr Leia they ran into the murky water in spite of the poor visibility they were able to locate the second man in approximately 8 ft of water they pulled the man out of the water onto the grass where they immediately began see PR that man was transported to the hospital for further further medical treatment the teamwork in cooperation of the officers and citizens embodies mpd's [Applause] Mission the life-saving award is presented to officers Patrick C Elm and Matthew n nagalski on October 18th 2014 officers Elman nagalski responded to a battery 700 block of South 6th Street they found a man holding a knife in a stairwell who had just stabbed a victim the victim was safely removed from the scene and was given medical attention the armed man covered in blood and yelling at the officers to kill him the officers attempted to deescalate the situation by engaging in dialogue as the man threatened officers with the knife the man finally threw his knife onto the floor and moved toward the officers officers Elman nagalski took him into custody found another knife in his pocket officers later learned the man had a long history of mental illness and was recently released from treatment officers Elm and nal's calm demeanor and deescalation tactics brought a peaceful end to a highly charged situation the Excellence in Police Service Award presented tonight to officer Jesus Gloria as a community liaison officer officer Gloria has been instrumental in Bridging the Gap between MPD and the community for nearly 10 years he has excelled at empowering citizens to take pride in their neighborhoods officer Gloria has worked hand inhand with the blockwatch council to create approximately 300 blockwatch groups additionally he has played an integral role in the creation and implementation of a graffiti removal program for this initiative MPD partnered with the Department of Corrections and community volunteers to clean graffiti in Southside neighborhoods but there's more officer Gloria has partnered with numerous groups to talk about the community safety and crime prevention the boys and girls club and local schools routinely request officer Gloria for presentations due to his strong rapport with young people officer glor hey officer Gloria you have to stay up and stand so everybody can look at you don't be sitting down yet due to his strong rapport with young people officer Gloria has developed Partnerships throughout the community which have helped to create and maintain safe neighborhoods he has exceeded expectations in every project and partnership and exemplified the values and the mission of Milwaukee Police now you can sit the meritorious service award is presented to Sergeant Kieran J Sawyer and officers Douglas J lumy Vance A scollin and Gerald L Schmidt on July 28th 2015 Sergeant Sawyer and officers lmy Schmidt and scolin were completing a field interview while on bicycle Patrol in the area of South 20th Street and West Greenfield Avenue they heard a loud gunshot and saw two two suspects fleeing the area and ordered them to stop one ran the other surrendered to police officer scollin detained the first suspect Sergeant Sawyer initiated a foot pursuit while officer lumpy on his bicycle pursued the second fleeing suspect officer Schmidt who was also on his bicycle joined the Chase and saw the suspect in a nearby alley the officers ordered the suspect to drop his gun but the man continued to run the officers eventually caught up to the suspect and arrested him both suspects confessed to their involvement in an attempted armed robbery and shooting as a result of their quick actions and persistence officers provided Justice for the victim's family and our Milwaukee community for district three led by Captain Jason Smith officer Joshua R neemo is receiving the medal of valor combat award on July 14th 2012 officer Nemo and his partner were flagged down by a citizen in the 2600 block of North 49th Street the citizen told officers that a subject armed with a handgun was on the porch of a nearby house the the officers approached two men who were at that location and ordered them multiple times to the ground the suspect armed with a pistol refused officer commands and raised the handgun and pointed it directly at officers fearing for the lives of nearby citizens his partner and himself officer neemo discharged his firearm and stopped the imminent threat officer neemo confronted a dangerous Suspect with the safety of the community in mind and demonstrated extraordinary courage to stop that threat next up officer David P Wilhelm is receiving the life-saving award on May 19th 2015 officer Wilhelm and his partner responded to a man in crisis on the 35th Street Viaduct officer Wilhelm approached the man who was poised to jump from the bridge and engaged him in conversation officer Wilhelm learned the man felt helpless and depressed so he continued that dialogue in an attempt to get him to climb over the railing and to safety officer Wilhelm who has Crisis Intervention training was able to successfully persuade him to climb off the railing and sit down on the curb that man was taken to the hospital for further medical treatment the man stated later it was officer wilhelm's ability to redirect him to listen that made him reconsider his actions for district four Le led by Captain Victor beeer the life- saving award is presented to officer Bradley M treble on April 10th 2015 officer tremble responding to a fire in the 5200 block of North Tonia Avenue encountered four residents standing outside of a house engulfed in flames the resident stated that everyone except their dogs were out of the building offic off tremble then saw one of the residents re-enter the home and quickly ran after him because the smoke was so heavy officer tremble had to search on his hands and knees calling out to the man until he responded the officer followed the sound of the man located him in a rear area of the house and led him back to the front door officer tremble and the resident escaped the fire safely without suffering major injury officer trembley's quick thinking heroic actions and determination helped ensure the safety of all the residents the life- saving award tonight is presented to officers Craig M Noka and Matthew J zorski on March 21st 2015 the officers conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle for an equipment violation as officer nka approached the vehicle he saw the driver intentionally stabbing himself with a knife officer nakaka opened the driver's door and ordered the man to drop the knife the man stopped stabbing himself and officer zorski took control of the knife the officers worked together to keep the driver from going into shock and applied direct pressure to his wounds preventing the loss of blood the driver remained conscious and the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived to take over over the medical treatment the officer's heroic actions that day saved that man's life for District Five led by Captain Thomas Stigler tonight represented by Lieutenant Jeffrey Norman officer Jamie s Rosado is receiv receiving the medal of valor combat award and officer Christopher S ottaway is is receiving the meritorious service award on April 24th 2015 officers Rado and ottaway responded to a shots fired call 2600 block of West Nash Street upon arrival they found two suspicious subjects in the area one of the subjects placed an item underneath some bushes fearing the object may be a gun Officer Rado attempted to conduct a field interview the second subject reached underneath the bush retrieved a handgun and ran the man then turned and pointed the gun Officer Rosado fired one shot and struck the suspect officer Otway pursued the suspect and apprehended him officers subsequently took both suspects into custody and recovered the firearm involved officers Rosado and awe's quick thinking prevented the situation from escalating further officer Michael P Walker is receiving the medal of valor combat award award and officer Corey J Lopez receiving the meritorious service award on March 9th 2015 officers Walker and Lopez responded to an armed robbery in progress at a business 1300 block East Locust Street the officers found a sub suspect armed with a pistol behind the register Officer Walker ordered the suspect to drop the firearm but the suspect turned and aimed his gun at the officers fearing for the safety of everyone inside the store Officer Walker shot his firearm at the suspect the suspect then aimed the gun at his chest shot himself and collapsed when the officers approached to provide medical assistance the suspect shot himself again the officers performed CPR on the suspect until paramedics arrived employees stated the suspect threatened to shoot people if they did not open the cash registers Witnesses is also related that Officer Walker was heroic and did not hesitate to enter into an armed confrontation to protect the people held captive Officer Walker and Lopez's courage selflessness and quick actions prevented innocent citizens from getting hurt that day now you can sit officer Anthony J Malone is receiving the medal of valor combat award and detective Craig J Tim is receiving the meritorious service award on March 9th 2015 officer Malone and detective Tim saw two suspects conduct what they believe to be a drug transaction in the 1700 block of West Center Street as officer Malone got out of his Squad to conduct a field interview the suspect turned and pulled a pistol from his waistband the suspect shot at officer Malone as he ran from police detective Tim provided backup Support Officer Malone chased the suspect on foot into a nearby yard where the suspect again tried to shoot officer Malone fearing for his safety and the safety of the residents in that neighborhood officer Malone returned fire and struck the suspect twice determined to get away the suspect fought with officer Malone and detective Tim but was ultimately placed under arrest and treated for his wounds officers recovered a variety of drugs from the suspect officer Malone and detective Tim demonstrated courage Under Fire as they pursued and captured a homicidal [Applause] felon officer Steven A man is receiving the medal of valor rescue award on February 21st 2015 Milwaukee firefighters responded to the 3300 block of North 10th Street and soon learned a suspect was holding his girlfriend hostage officer Mankey and the other officers forced entry into the home and found a woman Inside who told them nothing was wrong suspicious the woman was being coerced officers began to call out for the suspect to come forward as they searched the house the suspect abruptly opened the door of a closet where he was hiding and pointed what officer Mankey believed to be a military military style rifle at officers in the room officer Mankey realizing the life of his partner was in imminent danger discharged his firearm and struck the suspect the suspect was transported for medical treatment taken into custody a subsequent investigation revealed the suspect was holding an exact replica of a firearm officer manke's Keen observation skills Quick action and concern for his fellow officers stop the imminent threat posed by that suspect officers Andrew T Forte and Nicholas M crop are receiving the life-saving award on July 12 2015 officers Forte and crop responded to a shooting in the 3000 block of North 25th Street the officers found a victim shot twice in the leg and B bleeding profusely without hesitation officer Forte put on rubber gloves and applied direct pressure to the wound officer C immediately retrieved a tourniquet from the squad and both officers applied the tourniquet to the victim's leg which stopped the bleeding the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived and continued medical treatment medical personnel stated officers Forte and crops quick actions saved that victim's life officer is ismar Keno is receiving the life- saving award on July 11 2015 officer kovich responded to a shooting in the 2600 block of Westport sunlight way upon arrival officer kovich saw a Milwaukee Fire Department Captain alone at the scene with a wounded man without hesitation officer kovich and the MFD Captain began CPR and took turns with chest compressions the victim regained Consciousness and began to breathe again on his own Milwaukee Fire Department Personnel arrived and provided additional medical treatment to the victim officer kovic's quick thinking heroic actions and determination saved that man's [Applause] life officers Gregory M kuspa Jonathan C Newport Eric a Northwood and Janelle M vit latchel are receiving the life-saving award on April 16th 2015 while conducting a traffic stop officer vit latchel saw smoke coming from a home and immediately alerted District 5 squads of that Fire officer Newport notified dispatch and requested the Milwaukee Fire Department to the scene the officers ran past the fire on the porch and into the residence officer Kusa res rescued a three-year-old toddler from the house while officer vit latchel evacuated the mother father and a 5-year-old child after the evacuation all of the officers used fire extinguishers and buckets of water to put out that Blaze the officer heroic actions helped save the lives of an entire family officers Gary s chironi Kurt s Sut schadle Michael P Walker and forensic investigator Jeffrey C Muhammad are receiving the meritorious service award on November 9th 2014 officers Sheron salt SCH waddle and Walker responded to an armed robbery call in the 3000 block of North Breman Street two women were robbed of their purses at knife Point by a male suspect after the robbery the man fled in a vehicle driven by an accomplice the three officers obtained a video of the incident from a neighbor and forensic investigator Muhammad worked diligently to process the license plate of the suspect's vehicle the victim later informed the officers that their credit cards were being used at a restaurant in the 1200 block of West North Avenue the officers immediately drove to that restaurant found the suspect's vehicle performed a traffic stop and arrested the Suspects due to the efforts of all three officers and the forensic investigator the suspects were held accountable for their actions for District Six led by Captain Diana Row the medical of Valor rescue award is presented tonight to officer Joshua P Duman and the meritorious service Award presented to officers Mark a fleser Jr and Matthew C Wagner on March 5 2015 officers dooman fleser and Wagner responded to a subject with a weapon complaint in the 400 block of East planfield Avenue the officers were informed a husband was threatening his estranged wife with a knife and violating restraining order they forced entry into the home and found the terrified wife Seated on her husband's lap pleading for help as he held a knife to her neck he refused to obey police commands to drop the knife and release the woman with no other options officer Duman ended the incident by firing one precise round as a result of Officer duman's Courage the victim only sustained minor abrasions to her neck officer duman's quick thinking and heroic actions prevented the situation from escalating further the life- saving award is presented to police officer Michael J dedri on August 6th 2015 officer dedri and his partner responded to an unresponsive man inside of a vehicle in the 100 block of West Holt Avenue officer dedrick's partner saw hypodermic needles in the back seat of that car and the parent removed the man from his vehicle officer dedri R retrieved his pocket mask and began CPR along with chest compressions Naran was administered to the man by the fire department and the man immediately regained Consciousness and was transported to a hospital for further treatment officer dedrick's quick thinking heroic actions and determination prevented the loss of life the life-saving award is presented to officers Tyler J kirkvold and Ramon P Lilla July 24th 2015 officers kirkvold and lill responded to a call in the 4,000 Block of South 25th Street for a complaint of a man with a gun the man who was severely depressed intended to take his own life the officers located the man in the backyard hiding in the bushes at that moment the man was pointing the rifle at himself and was just seconds away from pulling the trigger the officers quickly began talking to the man trying to deescalate the crisis after using active listening skills the officers convinced the man to put his rifle down the man was taken into custody trans ported to Milwaukee County Mental Health for further treatment the officer's quick thinking prevented that man from taking his own life the valorous conduct Citizen Award is presented to Mr Jason D McCoy on May 5th 2015 an armed robbery occurred at a business in the 5100 Block of South 27th Street Mr McCoy witnessed two armed juveniles arguing and pointing their guns at an elderly woman concerned for the victim's safety Mr McCoy intervened by calling police in addition he jumped out of his vehicle and chased the two juveniles on South 27th Street eventually he caught up with them and was able to detain them until officers arrived on the scene officers took the suspects into custody and recovered BB guns used in this incident with his quick thinking and dedication towards helping his fellow citizen Mr McCoy played an instrumental part in capturing those juveniles on to district 7 led by Captain jki Jackson officer Molly D Wellman is receiving the life-saving award on July 4 2015 officer Wellman and her partner responded to a shooting 5200 block of North 76 Street officer Wellman found the shooting victim lying face down in a pool of blood officer Wellman carefully repositioned the victim on his back began several rounds of chest compressions shortly thereafter the sub subject regained Consciousness and began to breathe on his own the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived and continue Medical Care the subject transported to the hospital for further treatment officer Wellman's quick thinking heroic actions and determination prevented the loss of [Music] life officers Matthew K dzen and Ronaldo Roman Jr receiving the life-saving award on April 15th 2015 officers drezen and Roman were involved in a vehicle pursuit of a car taken in an armed robbery the pursuit resulted in a five car crash the driver of the fleeing vehicle was ejected from the car and was unresponsive officers drezen and Roman began CPR and after several Cycles the subject began to cough breathe and his pulse returned Milwaukee Fire Department Personnel took over medical treatment and transported the subject to the hospital officer dreason and Roman's quick thinking heroic actions and determination prevented the immediate loss of life offic Jose M Luna is receiving the meritorious service award tonight on February 1st 2015 officer Luna and his partner responded to a call in the 3900 block of North 77th Street a woman at that house said her brother came home drunk and was in the basement refusing to turn down his music as the officer stood in the hallway officer Luna heard the subject come up the stairs into the kitchen and arm himself with a knife officer Luna's partner immediately Drew her pistol and told the man to drop the knife officer Luna took out his OC spray and expandable baton and when the man reappeared into the doorway officer Luna delivered a burst of OC to the Man's eyes causing him to drop the knife without further resistance the subject was handcuffed and taken into custody officer Luna was able to assess the potential dangers of discharging a firearm in a confined space with multiple occupants and seek out rational alternative [Applause] actions for the neighborhood task force led by Captain lesie teely officers John R Shipman and Daniel J suek are receiving the meritorious service award tonight on September 23rd 2014 officers Shipman and suek were patrolling The 4400 Block of North Green Bay Avenue a citizen approached the officers to report an armed robbery in progress at a gas station and gave a description of the suspect upon arrival the officer saw two subjects on the sidewalk and one of the subjects was robbing the victim at gunpoint the officers began to chase the suspect on foot and he was taken into custody a short time later officers Shipman and suek were successful in apprehending a dangerous armed felon in the act of committing a violent felony they displayed immense Courage by placing the safety of the public before their own and arresting a dangerous criminal for the office of community outreach and education led by Captain Peter Pierce officer Gregory D Hunter is receiving the medal of valor rescue award officers Raymond L monrey and Shane a pearo are receiving the meritorious service award and Mr Juan R Travino is receiving the valorous conduct Citizen Award on May 14th 2015 while on patrol in the area of south barklay and east Walker streets officer Hunter saw a passenger train stopped on top of a steep embankment with smoke and Flames billowing from the engine immediately fearing an explosion officer Hunter ran toward the train to begin evacuations officer Hunter encountered Mr Travino a tow truck driver who had stopped to assist in the removal of the pass passengers Mr trino grabbed two fire extinguishers from his truck and ran toward the train with officer Hunter meanwhile the fire was producing loud popping sounds and clouds of thick black smoke realizing the entire train could quickly become engulfed in flames evacuating the passengers became the primary concern boarding the passengers cars officer Hunter and Mr Travino began escorting people on off the train meanwhile officers monrey and pearo arrived on the scene and also assisted in evacuating passengers from that perilous situation the quick action by all involved prevented a dangerous ordeal from turning [Applause] deadly finally we end with the unit service award and recognizing those involved with dismantling the violent crime tint crew from District 3 Sergeant Steven J Brown Rider Officer Jason a DeWit officer Richard K Litwin officer Michael Lopez officer Steven ller officer Joel P susler officer Michael P wankowski from District 5 officer J Jennifer feather officer Philip J Ferguson officer Eric J ceki officer Gregory M kuspa officer Jonathan C Newport officer Vincento po Paulo officer Jose G Ramirez officer Kurt salt schadle officer Kurt R zarck from district 7 Sergeant Brian C Burch from Central investigations division Sergeant Steven Herman from the intelligence Fusion Center Lieutenant Kevin arm Brewster officer Brian P brusso officer Dean S Newport crime analyst Kyle D mcfatridge and there are more from the Metropolitan investigations division Detective ER C Donaldson from the Narcotics Division detective David Lopez Detective Vincent Lopez the3 detective Mark Wagner detective John kuspa from North investigations division Captain Johnny C snoli Sergeant whum F Yang n detective Mark E harmes detective Daniel G knitter detective Gina a malani detective Michael J slum eski from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's office assistant District Attorney Laura a crello from the West Dallas Police Department detective Todd Curts from Homeland Security investigations special agent Scott Engelhart from the drug enforcement administ ation special agent Jim creger so here's the story in March 2015 MPD began an investigation into a series of shootings robberies and homicides directly associated with a local group of drug dealers this group was labeled by investigators as the violent crime tint crew the crew engaged in a highly organized drug trafficking operation and serve clients across Milwaukee southeast Wisconsin and into Northern Illinois the drug dealers use stolen rental cars with tinted windows and fraudulent temporary license plates a team of analysts officers investigators and supervisors were assembled to aggressively Target arrest and prosecute the crew the unit interviewed dozens of victims and Witnesses completed countless hours of surveillance conducted hazardous fieldwork and executed over 20 search warrants the team recovered more than 1,000 gram of heroin cocaine and marijuana along with $122,000 in proceeds 15 stolen vehicles and 12 Firearms with high-capacity magazines were also seized 15 members of the crew were taken into custody and charged with various weapons narcotics and violent crimes the key arrests of these dangerous criminals led to the dismantling of the crime organization throughout the course of the investigation the Personnel displayed incredible levels of dedication and perseverance the unit worked together coordinating resources assembling support teams and engaging in dangerous fieldwork to capture these violent [Applause] individuals ladies and gentlemen that concludes our portion of the evening uh again on behalf of everyone at Today's TMJ4 an honor to be here with you tonight to salute not only our men and women in law enforcement but also uh our friends and neighbors who also partnered with law enforcement and received these Awards tonight again an honor for both of us yes ladies and gentlemen while while they're taking their seats let's give our award recipients one more round of [Applause] applause and our MC's for tonight Vince vatrano and Susan Kim did an excellent job here so good in fact fact that we have some goodie bags for them don't laugh at the size of our little bags uh jewelry actually comes in small bags but let me be clear this is not jewelry if you would uh show the audience one of the shirts please the chief the chief doesn't like when we wear the old patch but I don't think he Minds the really really old patch that's old one of the first these are throwback shirts one of the first patches of the of the Milwaukee Police Department we hope you enjoy it thank you again thank you great job thank [Applause] you okay ladies and Gentlemen please don't leave tonight without stopping in the room across the hall to your left for Refreshments provided by the recreation Association of the Milwaukee Police Department also feel free to take photos either on stage or at one of the memorials there's a nice police and fire Memorial just outside that door by that big old Harley-Davidson motorcycle walk around the building view our historical displays ask anyone in uniform any question about anything that's that's out there in the hallways and they better get it right I'd like to again thank the Milwaukee Police band [Applause] the Milwaukee Police Department honor guard and Miss Elizabeth lezma who works out here in the academy office who coordinates this entire program on behalf of the award selection committee thanks again to our MC's dignitaries and Command Staff and our ceremony will conclude tonight with the recession of our dignitaries and Command Staff please stand Su Susan if you could start the Stampede [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] all right they're gone let's start the party find your friends and family