[Applause] [Music] sure [Music] [Music] I gave [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] we'll be going up from here and going across that way so the other side will probably be your better but she wants sound and she won't let me use the P yeah [Music] right that's what that's what she want whatever she wants to keep handy grab don't know [Music] [Music] you all guys [Music] yeah [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] she only [Music] standing yeah you're B know we can do that kind of oh uh yeah the da will probably order I don't remember [Music] what I'll let her know you FL [Music] it's [Music] [Music] I got all [Music] [Applause] [Music] to [Music] [Music] help yeah there it is we can't sit up over here anyway oh okay back to the other side then I will just have mine on a CT okay blue cord it has a blue end you need to grab it just [Music] for [Music] [Music] hour [Music] we are we thinking it where's [Music] [Music] [Music] don't go back down [Applause] for [Music] hello you may be seated welcome to the spring merit awards here at the milwauke police academy I'm captain Nicole dula and I wanted to thank the band and the band director Lieutenant Karen dubis thank you very much for always being here thank you welcome this is exciting it's exciting for me I hope it's exciting for you but I just want to thank you all for coming all the Anor and all your special guests and loved ones here to support you today and just wanted to give um a couple introductions of our dignitaries here today uh Chief Flynn so they can see you thank you very much mayor Barrett Mary Nell Reagan of the fire and police commission Alderman Borowski our Master of Ceremonies Nick bour from Channel 12 News assistant chief yeres assistant chief harpel assistant chief Jessup inspector Brunson inspector Gordon inspector sorry inspector Stigler and the rest of our Command Staff thank you and now would you all please rise for the presentation of the Colors by the Milwaukee Police Department color guard under the direction of Captain lesie teely for heart [Music] the [Music] to [Music] right shoulder arms order arms ready ready for thank you please be seated thank you again for coming as I was thinking about today this is my first time having to host it I was thinking about what I was going to say and I was remembering the when as a lieutenant I was asked to come in in place of my captain who couldn't be there and then he said and you're going to go up on stage and you're going to award some detectives some some awards and I was so excited and then I got here and realized I just stand on stage it's really the chief that gave the awards but still I was really so excited to be part of the whole thing and I was thinking about today and um how excited I was to be part of it then and remembering going back to work the next day and I was like you guys wasn't that cool and I was talking to the detectives that got Awards and they were like okay simmer down and I'm like oh it's over all the excitement all the hoopla the cookies that we're going to have after and then it was over the next day and I thought well that's weird we were so excited and we took all this time to to appreciate all the good work done and the next day done so I was thinking about today and how we're going to talk about that and and how you can keep it going and on Mother's Day I was my three boys said that they help me in the yard that was my Mother's Day gift without complaint so somewhat successful and we planted all the flowers and I got done and I was like standing with my oldest and I'm like look it look at how much we did today he's like yeah the yard really looks nice then I looked the other way and I was like oo we didn't pull the weeds and I was like God look at all the weeds in the same breath I went from looking at all the flowers so excited to looking all the weeds in my yard and my son said mom don't focus on the weeds appreciate the flowers now any parent in here here knows that he knew what was coming next that they were going to be pulling weeds and he was just trying to divert my attention from the weeds so that he wouldn't have to do it but he was right we take this time we have mared Awards twice a year in which we appreciate all the good work our cops do the citizens do all the community participation in this event and then it's gone the next day it's gone and I just want to urge you to take time to appreciate this every day we're not going to have award ceremonies more often it's still going to be twice a year but understand that good work is done all the time for every officer getting an award today there's hundreds that do outstanding work every day without being noticed and giving awards but it's still done and with every citizen and we have a lot of good citizen awards today there are thousands of citizens in this city that do good work every day that's not seen but it's still done and it should be appreciated and especially today on the law enforcement memorial take time to go out into this hallway after the ceremony and look at the wall of the fallen officers and appreciate the ultimate sacrifice they gave for this job for our city for our community and tomorrow when you're back to work and you're back to your lives and you're thinking about everything else that has to get done and you're back to taking your calls for service remember today and stop looking at the weeds and remember that there is something to appreciate all the time we do good work this is a great Community we work together sometimes we're not going to have an award ceremony for it doesn't mean it didn't happen and doesn't mean it shouldn't be appreciated so please think about that as you go into tomorrow so without any further Ado I'd like to introduce the mayor of our city Tom Barrett he'll be our first speaker [Applause] thank you very much captain and uh let me Begin by saying happy belated Mother's Day to you and to all mothers uh good evening I am once again honored to stand before you tonight to recognize the men and women of our Milwaukee Police Department as well as those residents of our community uh who went above and beyond the Call of Duty when it comes to our police officers and those residents of our city who really defied expectations and stereotypes if you will to get themselves involved in making this A Better Community I want to build off a little of what the captain said and that in my job I have the honor and I really do believe it's the honor of going to every single neighborhood in this city those neighborhoods that are the most affluent and those neighborhoods where there is the most poverty those neighborhoods that are the safest and those neighborhoods where there is the most crime and the common denominator that I see in every single neighborhood in this city and I mean every single neighborhood is I see good people I see people who are trying to support their kids who are caring for their parents who are trying to have a job where they can support their family and and I wish you and I wish the media could travel with me particularly to those neighborhoods that are the most distressed because when I'm in those neighborhoods what I see again are people who are trying to do the right thing and take care of their families and they're not giving up and my reaction and where I get my energy in this job is I look at them and I think if you're not giving up this city will never give up on you either so where do the police come in we know in America and we know in this community that there are times when the respect is not there for our police officers and I want to tell you that I have been to countless crime scenes accidents fires and every single time I have encountered a police officer from the Milwaukee Police Department they have been professional respectful and try to do the job that they were hired to do our community has to know that and one of the things that I believe to my core is that this needs to be a community where the residents can work with and respect our police officers and where our police officers can work with and respect our residents it's a two-way street it's why I feel so passionately that our police officers should reside in this city because I want our police officers who I have tremendous respect for um to be there to be part of this community and tonight we're recognizing those men and women from our police Department uh who really have taken the extra step I'm a sports fan so I love to look at the box scores whether it's basketball or football or baseball and what we're going to hear about tonight are events that occurred that sometimes would not show up in the box score in other words it's not going to be on the evening news it's not going to be in the newspaper but they took that extra step that professional step that courageous step that makes them the true professionals they are today so this is the day we do it twice a year but this is the day where we pay honor to our police officers and thank them for what they do but as the captain said this is something that should occur every day where we thank our police officers The Command Staff all those who are involved in this department for putting their lives on the line every single day yesterday I spoke to officer Bishop who had been hit last week with a bullet fortunately he had his vest on and I believe that it saved his life or certainly saved him from Serious injury I want us all to remember him and all the other officers of this department again who make that sacrifice on our behalf on behalf of the residents of this city and I want to thank the families of our police officers because you make even more sacrifices you are the ones that have to celebrate birthdays and holidays and anniversaries with your spouse working I want to thank you for the support that you give them in a challenging job but it's more than just a job I believe it's a vocation because if you want a job you can have a job where you can just walk away from it this is a job where you have to care about this community in order to be a good officer and I believe the vast majority majority of people who work for this department care about this community and I thank you very much congratulations thank you mayor Chief CL well it's wonderful to see you all here today it's wonderful to see our officers looking so Splendid it's an interesting thing about police officers is that you really have to twist their arms to where they'll get to the point where they'll allow you to recognize and complement their good efforts you know there are times when I get the opportunity I'll go to a Station House and someone's done a good job very recently and I try to take an opport Unity to give them a challenge coin in front of their colleagues and the funny thing is in that moment they are humiliated I've actually gotten to the point now where I'm here to embarrass a couple of officers because in front of their colleagues this is all in a day's work now good cops know good cops if you were to ask them they'd tell you who are the ones that put more effort into it than others they're the ones who tell you that officer mentored me or I patterned my career after that officer because of the way they knew how to talk to people because they had an instinct for discovering crimes in progress or because they were just courageous individuals but they were courageous carefully and thoughtfully and tactically whatever it was cops know good police work when they see it and I think it's important for all of us to take a moment and to recognize it because it is not it's something we expect of everyone but the opport opportunity to demonstrate it is not evenly distributed day after day after day cops do a good job handling hitch after hitch after hitch family crisis problems all matter of family problems and disputatious situations it's not always glamorous work it's the last thing it is you know we've said often this is the Social Service Agency of First Resort for the poor and increasingly it provides the social work for everything our coppers know that they're the mental health workers of First Resort they know they're the substance abuse counselors of First Resort they know they're the family crisis interveners of first report Resort and they know in their spare time they have to fight violent crime and risk their lives to do it so it is a complex job and it requires not just a strong physical Constitution it requires the strongest kind of emotional resiliency because every day is a roller coaster we we don't ask anybody else to make the kinds of transitions in manner we ask of our officers we have a Marine Corps we have a Peace Corps but we don't ask them to do each other's job and yet every night of the week we ask these officers to Pivot from tactical to caring and compassionate and they do it and it makes it the hardest job in government you know I wish it were true that the good work of officers that we recognize tonight was work every officer gets to bask in because we know darn well if somewhere in America some cop fails conspicuously they'll all have to wear it everyone will judge them by the latest example of poor performance would that we could always judge them by the conspicuous and consistent Excellence they demonstrate in crisis because the work of a city police officer is the hardest work in government and requires the most careful and thoughtful skills of judgment and compassion of any other occupation so I'm very proud of them and I'm very proud of you to be here I'm glad their children their spouses their moms and dads can hear the story of they thing they did and bask in that PR Pride I love seeing the families here Daddy or Mommy gets recognized today and it's a wonderful thing and I'm also very grateful to you for coming so we can embarrass you in front of your families and friends but this is your moment it's a fine Counterpoint to this morning when we solemnly remembered the sacrifices of our colleagues police officers who died in the line of duty and this evening we get to celebrate the heroism and you know and to me that heroism and that hard work that our officers display is the best kind of Memorial to the sacrifices their colleagues made in the past so tonight we celebrate that Legacy and uh I'm proud to be part of it and I'm grateful you're all here mayor Barrett can you come back on stage for the award presentation and I would i' like to introduce Nick B of Channel 12 News who will be our MC for [Applause] tonight thank you very much and welcome to everyone who's here it's a real honor for me to be here as well and and to share these wonderful stories of the heroic people that are gathered here tonight to be recognized so thank you than you we'll start out with district one led by Captain Eric Moore Sergeant Melissa Frank kovak and officers Sarah beland Joseph belly Michael Hansen Corey Cruz Steven kuspa and Daniel Rufus are receiving the meritorious service award on July 3rd this group was deployed in various capacities conducting police operations in support of the annual fireworks event at Milwaukee's Lakefront immediately after the fireworks display officers saw a group of teenagers running off from the main crowd and then heard the sound of gunfire officers found a male teenage victim who was shot and the group immediately began CPR in the midst of a chaotic crowd as a result of their efforts and diligence the victim started breathing on his own and was conveyed to the hospital for further treatment but later sucumbir recognizes this group's teamwork and tireless efforts in a highly stressful situation [Applause] congratulations for everybody okay just want to add that the district attorney John Chisum is here as well tonight just want to recognize his presence here tonight as well for district 2 led by Captain Heather worth represented tonight by Lieutenant Craig Henry the life- saving award is presented to officers Eric Andrade Daniel Clifford and Michelle CR on October 10th a citizen ran into the district 2 station and yelled I need help someone's shot the officers immediately ran to the victim who was lying in the road and bleeding from a gunshot wound to the thigh immediately the officers removed the victim's belt to wrap around his leg in an effort to stop the blood flow but they were unsuccessful the victim continued to move in and out of Consciousness and was not able to communicate meanwhile officer Andrade located a tourniquet and his fellow officers worked diligently to tie it around the victim's leg and the loss of blood eventually subsided the Milwaukee Fire Department arrived soon after and the victim was transported to the hospital for treatment the officer's quick response and treatment of the victim's wounds prevented the loss of life [Applause] congratulations the life- saving award is presented to officers Carrie Dy and Jason Warwick on January 25th while on patrol officers DNE and Warwick responded to a suicide attempt in the 2100 block of South 13th Street at the scene they saw a man lying on a bed while two witnesses were attempting to do chest compressions on him officer D noted the man was unconscious not breathing had no pulse and his eyes were rolled to the back of his head officer D through his training and experience concluded the man was showing signs of a heroin overdose officers D and warw rolled the man onto the flat surface and officer D took over chest compressions while officer Warwick received an opioid overdose kit officer Warwick administered Naran through the nostril and had no response after a second dose of Narcan the man regained a weak pulse and began breathing the officers monitored the man's Vital Signs until medical personnel arrived and took him to the hospital officer D and Warwick's quick assessment immediate actions and trained response prevented the loss of life congratulations the meritorious service award is presented to Sergeant Dennis basley and officer Sarah M V on December 13th officers responded to a call for a suicidal man who was standing on a bridge at the end of a viar sergeant basley began to talk to the man and built a rapport he was joined by officer beand and they continued to engage the man while he dangled his body 60 ft above the ground after speaking with the man for over an hour he finally agreed to come down from the bridge when he was safely on the ground he was taken to the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex for treatment sergeant basley and officer Bean successfully utilized Crisis Intervention techniques to prevent a potentially fatal incident from occurring and help the citizen in Mental Health crisis safely obtain treatment congratulations the meritorious service award is presented officers Kevin bissa Aaron Jackson Kenneth Justice and julan Nunes on November 21st these officers played an integral role in human trafficking case the victim fearing for her life was frightened to disclose the entire truth responding officers were able to make her feel comfortable as a result she began to reveal her terrifying Story the victim reported severe physical abuse by a male subject who forced her into prostitution due to the nature of her injuries and details of her story the officers worked tirelessly to apprehend the male suspect as result of the victim's descriptions and information provided they took her abuser into custody and removed a violent criminal from society congratulations [Applause] the Meritor service award is presented to officers Patrick Elm Jr and Scott Iverson on February 21st this year officers responded to a complaint of a stabbing on Milwaukee South Side the preliminary investigation revealed a male suspect entered a convenience store and caused a disturbance the assistant manager escorted the man outside at which time the suspect showed a knife and proceeded to stab the assistant manager officers Elm and Iverson became aware of this incident during a briefing and obtained a copy of video surveillance information of the suspect's possible residence became known through the investigation officers Elm and Iverson directed their search efforts in the specified area by conducting a thorough canvas of the neighborhood a search resulted in the positive identification of the suspect officers Elm and Iris located and arrested the suspect who admitted to the stabbing the self-initiated efforts of officers Elm and Iverson resulted in the apprehension of a violent felon less than 24 hours after the crime was committed the officers demonstrated a high level of tenacity and courage in arresting an individual determined to cause harm to those around him [Applause] congratulations the meritorious service award is presented to officer Ryan F officer Kevin panel officer David skki and officer Robert Wilkinson on July 20th 2015 these officers responded to a call of a combative subject in the 2500 Block of South 10th Street a suspect was spotted standing in the doorway of a home with a rifle and threatening to kill police and blow up the residents the suspect yelled to the officers that gas was leaking into the home the officers were informed by We Energies the gas had to be turned off manually the suspect fired several rounds of BB gun shots at officers and later appeared on the porch and dropped a flaming towel the officers approached the home and provided coverage while one of them turned off the gas line after successful negotiations with the suspect he eventually exited the home and was taken into custody without the intervention of these officers an explosion could have caused a chain reaction to nearby homes causing massive damage and possibly loss of life to Citizens and officers congratulations [Applause] the meritorious service award is presented to officer Melissa Toms on February 11th 2016 officer Toms and her partner responded to a domestic violence call in the 1500 Block of South 23rd Street the officers discovered the suspect in the basement bathroom where he barricaded himself the suspect would not comply with verbal commands and refused to exit the bathroom because he feared officers were going to shoot him the suspect stated he was depressed and did not trust the police officer Toms immediately started talking with the man fully knowing there were Sharp Tools in the bathroom that he could injure himself with after 30 minutes of continuous dialogue The Suspect peacefully surrendered to police and was conveyed to the Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex for treatment officer Tom's calm demeanor compassion exceptional negotiation skills restraint and quick thinking led to a peaceful ending congratulations the valorous conduct Citizen Award is presented to Mr Kevin Anderson on December 27th an armed and masked suspect entered a fast food restaurant on West National Avenue Mr Anderson who was standing in the lobby of the restant saw the suspect with the weapon believing a robbery was about to take place Mr Anderson grabbed the suspect and the two men fought however the suspect shot Mr Anderson and fled on foot Mr Anderson was treated for non-life-threatening injuries and released later that day from the hospital Mr Anderson risked his life to subdue an armed suspect and is therefore recognized with a valorous conduct award [Applause] congratulations the meritorious service Citizen Award is presented to Miss Jennifer Miller on January 15th this year M Miller saw a woman standing in the 2300 block of South 16th Street screaming for help as two male suspects attempted to steal her purse the suspects then fled in a waiting vehicle M Miller immediately called police providing a description of the vehicle involved and the license plate number in addition M Miller confronted the rather comforted the victim who did not speak English as she became visibly upset Miss Miller drove the woman to to a hospital and thanks to information she provided police located three vehicles involved in multiple armed robberies and arrested four suspects M Miller's actions showed courage resourcefulness and determination that went beyond the call of a citizen congratulations for district four led by Captain Andre Williams the meritorious service award is presented to detective Rodney gonzale and officers James Nook and mua Vang on November 22nd 2015 officers Nook and Vang were dispatched to a subject with a weapon complaint in the 6100 block of North 95th Street a man armed with a knife had locked himself in the bathroom and threatened to end his life the man baited the officers to escalate the situation so he would be forced to kill himself as a result of their intervention immediately detective Gonzalez a crisis negotiator and the Tactical enforcement unit were position to intervene and resolve this volatile situation in addition officer Vang a translator assisted in the two-hour negotiations with the man the man eventually exited the bathroom and dropped the knife this group utilized professional deescalation tactics to prevent injuries to a citizen in mental distress [Applause] congratulations the meritorious service award is presented officer Esther crem serova on January 28th officer crem surova and her partner responded to a suicide attempt in the 9,000 block of North 75th Street a woman was sitting on a window ledge from her sixth floor apartment and was positioning herself to jump officer Kem Sova entered the apartment building while her partner positioned himself under the window to keep an eye on the woman officer crem Sova calmly approached the woman and was able to physically hold on to her gently guiding her officer CRM Sova pulled her into the apartment bringing her to safety police officer Kem sova's calm approach to a volatile situation resulted in a peaceful resolution congratulations the meritorious service award is presented to officer Cedric mcfaden on January 31st officer mcfaden and his partner responded to a fight outside of a Northwest side nightclub officer mcfaden heard several gunshots from coming from inside the club and tried to enter the building to assess the threat as numerous people ran from the scene officer mcfaden saw a man holding his hand near his waist in a manner consistent with trying to conceal a pistol when the man flood the scene officer mcfaden and responding officers chased him and ordered him to stop officer mcfaden caught up to him and grabbed the man around the waist and arms immediately officer mcfaden felt the man grasp what he knew to be a pistol with an extended magazine he then tackled the man with a firearm beneath him disregarding his own safety officer mcfaden opted not to use deadly force but rather disarm the man with defense and arrest tactics The Bravery diligence resourcefulness and restraint displayed by Officer mcfaden resulted in the apprehension of a dangerous and armed criminal and in the preservation of the lives of Milwaukee citizens [Applause] congratulations for District Five led by Captain Timothy H higher officers Russell McCrae and Janelle m uh Janelle vit latchel receiving the life saving award on September 3rd officers McRae and vit latchel responded to shots fired in the 2600 block of West hour Avenue and found two shooting victims the male victim suffered a gunshot wound to his femoral artery and the female victim suffered a gunshot wound to her head the officers began CPR and the woman and were able to regain a pulse while other officers tended to the male victim the officers continued watch on the female victim and saw her lose Consciousness for a second time they resumed CPR and once again were successful in restoring her pulse due to their efforts the rapid response and successful repeated CPR efforts by the officers allowed for the victim to be transported to a nearby hospital for treatment congratulations and we ask officer mcgrae to stay on the stage he's receiving a second life-saving award on August 5th 2015 office officer mcra was dispatched to a call in the 3400 block of North 7th for stabbing officer mcra saw two women pointing to the house where a fight was taking place he grabbed his first aid kit before leaving his Squad and entered the home officer mcgrae discovered a male victim on the floor clutching his chest and calling for help officer mcgrae quickly assessed and wrapped the victim's multiple stab wounds to his upper torso and arm he continued to have dialogue with the victim in order to obtain information about his attacker walky fire department arrived and transported the victim a nearby hospital where he survived his serious injuries due to officer mcrae's immediate intervention congratulations [Applause] again officers Mark dilman Shan Mankey and Anthony Malone are receiving the meritorious service award on October 10th these officers responded to a shots fired called in the 2900 block of North mother Simpson way and located a man walking in the the center of the road firing a handgun into the air the officers ordered the suspect to drop the gun and surrender but the suspect fled on foot then threw his gun into a fenced area before he was taken into custody the officers found the handgun and matched the recovered fired casings to his weapon the officers acted decisively under extreme stress and used the least amount of force necessary to make an arrest in a potentially deadly situation congratulations [Applause] and we ask officer Chad boak to join those on stage as they're all receiving the Excellence in Police Service award these officers while assigned to the violent crimes car have gone above and beyond work performance expectations squeeze in there in 2015 alone while also performing regular Patrol duties they engaged in hundreds of field interviews resulting in the recovery of over 120 illegal firearms and the arrests of 89 subjects their consistent high- performing efforts are demonstrated by the removal of 28 illegal guns within a 17-day period they willfully Place themselves in danger to keep the citizens of Milwaukee safe by proactively seeking out felony offenders they've demonstrated the highest level of professionalism and Devotion to duty by fighting crime fear and disorder throughout the city congratulations [Applause] Mr Lamar Smith and Mr James Wick are receiving the valorous conduct Citizen Award on March 4th Mr Wick was in the 2900 block of 25th Street and saw heavy smoke coming from a nearby Home concerned that someone might be inside Mr Wick ran toward the house the fire department had not yet arrived and people standing near the house said someone was inside Mr Wick forced the back door open and Mr Smith who had been driving past saw the heavy smoke and and stopped to help after attempting to get the Gated front door open Mr Smith rushed to the back of the house together Mr Wick and Mr Smith forced open the door found the elderly woman and carried her to safety Mr Wick and Mr Smith placed themselves in great Peril by entering a smoke-filled burning building these men showed extraordinary bravery and exhibited the best example of Citizen involvement congratulations for district seven led by Captain Boris trovich Sergeant Michael Kwasi and officer Michael McGrath are receiving the medal of valor combat award officers Joseph belky Daniel Floyd Steven kuspa Jeffrey Leona Matthew J Ritner and Michael schwant are receiving the medal of valor rescue award detective Jame Hutchinson James Hutchinson and Angela M harez are receiving the meritorious service award on December 7th 2015 two men forcefully entered a home in the 3,300 block of North 76th Street by overtaking the female resident at the door their intent was to steal money and drugs from a male occupant after locating a large sum of money they took the male and female occupants into the basement where they were tied up with electrical cords a third resident escaped and notified police of the home invasion and robbery the first suspect ran from the residence and less than an hour later was captured by officers a team of Tactical Enforcement Officers responded to the scene and worked tirelessly to free the hostages from the residents the second suspect confirmed his intent to kill the hostages during the team's tactical Maneuvers a crisis negotiation team was engaged in dialogue for nearly an hour the maale suspect continued to be agitated and made immediate demands and fired shots the Tactical Team raced down the stairwell to save the hostages from the government the lives of the hostages were saved by the calculated actions of the negotiators and the Tactical team as they put their lives in great danger during the successful rescue guns and an AM and an abundance of ammunition were found in The suspect's Possession during this hostage crisis you might have seen video of this on the local news this was quite an amazing case where the body camera for the officers you're able to see exactly what they go through charging down stairs this group's bravery and courage demonstrated their commitment to the citizens of Milwaukee congratulations [Applause] officers Robert gatian and Helen ulatowski are receiving the life- saving award on February 10th officers gatian and ulatowski responded to a call from a citizen who saw two passengers slumped over in a car officer gaan noticed the driver was incapacitated and at his foot on the brake with the vehicle still in drive through their training and experience the officers concluded the driver was experiencing a heroin overdose they administered in a lock Zone through the nostril and there was no response they then gave him a second dose and the driver became responsive Medical Personnel arrived on scene and transported the driver to the hospital the officer's quick thinking heroic actions and determination prevented the loss of life congratulations officer Nicole Swenson is receiving a meritorious service award on February 5th officer Swenson was dispatched to a strong armed robbery facilitated through Craigslist the suspect offered to purchase an iPhone for from the eventual victim the suspect then presented the victim with an envelope containing white paper and not the agreed amount amount of money a brief struggled ensued and the suspect stole the phone from the victim and fled on foot during the course of the investigation officer Swanson noticed there was a second armed robbery case that had a similar suspect description with permission from her Lieutenant she created a fake Craigslist advertisement for an iPhone in hopes of attracting the suspect's attention she realized the suspect had contacted her when she to match the email address given by the victim officer swensson then took on an undercover role and agreed to meet the suspect as the suspect approached officer snon called out to him and the suspect was taken into custody along with a second actor the suspect was found with a pocket knife that was previously described by victims and an envelope containing white paper altogether officer Swenson cleared five robberies involving both suspects she displayed courage and exceptionally quick thinking when confronted with individuals who were determined to cause harm to those around them congratulations for the intelligence Fusion Center led by Captain David Salazar detective David gabard and officer Kevin Matty are receiving the meritorious service award on January 1st of this year detective gabard and officer mattity responded to an investigation regarding a woman posing online threats to kill her infant the officers immediately located the mother and the infant were both discovered safe the investigation revealed a case of identity theft by a jealous former girlfriend of the baby's father detective gabard and officer matd were tenacious in their efforts to locate the suspect by serving multiple search warrants and subpoenas eventually the suspect was located and a full confession was Secure in addition evidence revealed the suspect worked as a registered nurse and had compromised secure databases to obtain information about the infant and the parents the par 's determination to resolve this crime resulted in the apprehension of a suspect whose criminal actions will have permanent consequences congratulations for the Metropolitan investigations division led by Captain Aaron rap the meritorious service award is presented to detective Michael sarenac on February 20th detective Michael sarenac responded to the 4900 block of North 26th Street where a man had barricaded the himself inside a home with his 8-year-old son the man who appeared to be mentally ill and in crisis was armed with a knife and told officers he would kill his son if anyone attempted to enter the residence detective sarenac established a rapport with the man through a first floor window throughout the encounter detective sarenac maintained his composure and exhibited compassion and restraint in a difficult situation after negotiating with the man for several hours the decision was made to enter the residence and rescue the child detective s act continued to keep the subject's attention as a tactical team made entry and took him into custody detective Sak displayed emotional courage respect and restraint in the face of a potentially tragic incident congratulations for the Narcotics Division led by Captain Jeffrey miklitz detective John Carlovich and officer Mall K shmick are receiving the Meritor service award special agent Kenneth Peters is receiving the meritorious conduct award on August 24th 2015 members of the Wisconsin heida drug task force assisted the Milwaukee Police Department homicide unit with a drug rated murder investigation detective Carlovich officer shml and special agent Peters worked as a team to assist in the investigation of a drug trafficking organization operated by a drug dealer who was arrested for murder the trio assisted in the work that resulted in the saving the life of a key eyewitness the clearing of a homicide and the dismantlement of the drug trafficking organization criminal charges were filed against members of the drug trafficking organization Firearms were seized along with narcotics cash and a vehicle used in the homicide the Trio's work in this case went above and beyond the Call of Duty as they successfully dismantled a violent drug organization and brought its leader to Justice congratulations [Applause] detective Abner Abner VC carel and officer Miguel kareah Jr are receiving the meritorious service award on July 7th 2015 two homicide victims were found in the 600 block of West Arthur Avenue and area cameras showed a dark colored SUV as a possible suspect vehicle detective V carel and officer Korea were assigned to the case due to their extensive knowledge of the southside of Milwaukee and gang activity there they had great success in clearing a number of recent Gang Related violent armed robberies in that area they spent hours following up on leads and working diligently to research all available resources their efforts resulted in a match of a suspect to a suspect vehicle after positive identification by key Witnesses the suspect was taken into custody in charged in this homicide case their knowledge in this area resulted in the arrest of a dangerous criminal congratulations for the neighborhood task force led by Captain Leslie teely the meritorious service award is presented to Sergeant James Bryce and officers Joseph belly Daniel Floyd Steven kuspa Matthew Murray Matthew Ritner Michael schwant and Robert Wilkinson on December 27th this group from the Tactical enforcement unit responded to a hostage situation in the 3100 block of South 99th Street a male suspect was holding the victim against her will at gunpoint in her residence within a few minutes the suspect walked out the front door and was taken into custody however the officers saw smoke coming from the home there was concern the man may have shot the victim and then deliberately started a fire without hesitation the group rushed inside to locate the victim and escorted her to safety the group continued to search the home to make sure it was empty but the severity of the smoke was so intense it forced them to withdraw the officers went into the home a second time though to search and make sure there was no one else inside the group displayed Courage by twice entering a burning home to remove a victim congratulations [Applause] for the sensitive crimes division led by Captain Amy Oberon the distinguished service award is presented to Crime analyst by Jong in 2014 the Milwaukee common Council adopted an ordinance prohibiting certain sex offenders from residing within 2,000 ft of location such as schools daycare centers and areas where children might congregate crime analyst Jong took note of the ordinance and the fact that department would need tools in place to comply with the new legislation at the time about 89% of the County sex offenders about 2,300 individuals lived in the city of Milwaukee MPD would be responsible for registering these offenders verifying their addresses and making proper Community notifications crime analyst Jong developed a series of interrelated databases to capture data on offenders her efforts allowed MPD to accurately and efficiently provide up-to-date information to internal stakeholders Crime Victims and other members of the community Through mpd's website crime analyst Jong demonstrated initiative professionalism and dedication by developing a system to inform the public and contributed to the Department's mission of partnering with the community to reduce fear crime and disorder congratulations the following members are receiving excellence in Police Service Awards they include officers Chad boak Mark dilman Dustin Frank Jeremy green Kenneth Justice Michael matoli Jose Rivera Ronaldo Roman Jr Daniel smokovich David wacheski Joseph zakowski and Matthew zorski these officers have received three Commendation letters with a one-year period from the chief police Edward Flynn these letters recognize the officers outstanding performance during the course of their duties and their contribution to the Milwaukee Police Department with their consistent excellent work on multiple occasions these officers have shown the willingness to go above and beyond the ordinary Call of Duty [Applause] congratulations for for [Applause] and finally we end with the unit service award and recognize those members of the crash reconstruction unit from the neighborhood task force asked the following officers to come on stage Matthew bonard Christopher Bruns Michael Hansen William Haney and Richard schneer in 2015 while functioning with a significantly increased workload and investigating more fatal accidents than the year before the crash reconstruction unit or Cru performed their usual high standards with no increase in Personnel their duties and responsibilities included responding to fatal accidents reviewing all hit-and run accidents in the city conducting criminal and non-criminal investigations involving traffic offenses diagramming accident scenes and presenting cases for charging to the district attorney's office Cru mbers retrieved physical evidence submitted items to the Wisconsin Regional crime lab drafted search warrants and downloaded digital evidence from vehicle computers for analysis additionally Cru Works closely with City Engineers providing data on potentially dangerous intersections and roadways with the goal of increasing safety for motorists and pedestrians the Cru assists with analysis to plan deployments for datadriven approaches to crime and traffic safety a program that uses traffic enforcement to reduce crime and increase safety at the request of other Milwaukee Police Department units and other agencies the Cru has successfully identified suspect vehicles from photographs mapped large crime scenes and identified vehicles from Parts left at crash scenes the teamwork and dedication to duty exemplified by the Cru has allowed them to work together effectively with an increased workload this unit serves as an example of what can be done when police officers work together for the citizens they serve thank you and congratulations [Applause] and that's the conclusion of the awards I just want to thank you for having me out here tonight I know our jobs are similar in one way and that often we see people on the worst days of their lives and it is nice to be here and be able to share these stories with you that are uh so positive and refreshing and it's very encouraging so thank you for having me here [Applause] tonight all right I wanted to thank you Oregon and this is the MPD bling bag not quite the same as the Oscars but well you know thank you it's a hat all right you know thank you very much thank you all right I want to thank you again for coming I want to thank you the for the band for always being here for the color guard for Elizabeth and Bill Bono who prints all the um programs and the mered ward committee who meets on a regular basis four hours at a time going over all the submissions obviously there's not time to give every single one who deserves an award and award but thank you thank you to the loved ones thank you for everyone coming the alderman the mayor and again there's cookies cookies that way and the law enforcement memorial wall is this way if you'd like to see it that's West doors for the officers cookies on the East that's how we talk not like normal citizens thank you again for coming take pictures walk around do whatever you want it's an open house look around thank you I [Music] [Music] oh [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] go J [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music]