[Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Music] and thank you to retired lieutenant Karen dubis and the oldest police band ever Maquis police band thank you I want to thank you all for being here and I would like to introduce some of our special guests that are here and the executive staff of our department Mayor Tom Barrett is here could you please stand for me thank you Chief of Police Alphonso Morales assistant chief Ray bank and inspector Gordon he half got up I don't know if you saw him but he's third from the left they're in the front and then we have Milwaukee police chaplain George pop Cristo and our emcee for tonight will be the news anchor from CBS 58 News Amanda Porter field okay will you please rise for the presentation of the colors by the Milwaukee Police Department color guard under the direction of Lieutenant Derek Harris [Music] [Music] ready like to invite department chaplain jord papa cristo to the stage for the invocation Thank You captain let us pray Almighty God our Heavenly Father creator of every good and perfect thing we thank you for this occasion we congratulate those who have been especially selected this evening for awards and honors we applaud them bless them O Lord on this happy occasion may these ceremonies be a reminder to each of us that excellence in life takes time and effort often requires a lonely walk and always involves going the second mile we remember also a lord the families friends and coworkers who have supported those whom we honor we are never the sole contributors to our own successes and happy moments like these when we are permitted to see good girl from our efforts help us to discover and appreciate the goodness of your presence in our lives for us in your name we pray amen thank you I'm captain Nicole Davila I'm the training director here and I am the commander of the police academy I'd like to welcome all of you the friends the family the co-workers for coming when I was thinking about what I was gonna say today and someone said don't repeat this speech don't repeat that speech and I thought well not nice not what today it's about we're about celebration so I walked in here it was fifty degrees cooler if not more at that time and I looked around and all you could see was our badge and everything was quiet and I thought these are the days I love my job today in May when we celebrate the awards and the good work of our citizens and our officers and then again in November just twice a year so I thank you for coming to be a part of the spring merit awards for today now I would like to have Mayor Tom Barrett come to the stage I thought you loved your job every day well good evening welcome to what I always enjoy a fabulous evening is ahead of us I think everybody every person in this gym as a child probably watched a television show involving police there may have been different shows depending upon our ages as to who the stars were but one thing was always clear in those television shows and that is whether it was a half hour show or an hour show it was packed with activities and watching those shows you'd get the impression that every moment of a police officers life is filled with drama bravery professionalism and valor we know that that's not always the case and I don't mean that as a negative statement as all we know that the dedication and the sacrifices that our police officers make for make for us is not always TV worthy sometimes it's challenging and frustrating and angering sometimes it's boring and monotonous often times it's dangerous but tonight is our opportunity to transform our police officers actions into one of those television shows because for the next hour or so we're going to hear those stories those stories were our police officers demonstrate the professionalism the valor the teamwork the commitment and the dedication that all made us excited as a young person to view this career so to the men and women who serve our department I give a genuine heartfelt thanks for the sacrifices you make on behalf of the students of this city to the family members who are here tonight I thank you for your sacrifices as well because you are the ones that have to go through the dinner without dad or mom the miss graduation the miss literally game the delayed birthday party celebration but please know that you're doing it for a higher purpose that this is not a job that this is a vocation and it's not a vocation for everyone because of the sacrifices that are required but I love being at this ceremony because again it makes us see how much our police officers are real people and they're here for us to help us and to help people that they have never met before in their lives people that they may not want to associate with but our people that they are making sacrifices for because it's the right thing to do and because they have been trained at an academy that provides I believe the best training in this country so it's a chief Morales to your command staff to all the men and women who work for the Milwaukee Police Department thank you we appreciate your bravery so those citizens who are here tonight you to get to be on the television show because you too have stepped forward and shown that citizens people who don't do this for a living but are willing to get engaged in our society in our city deserve our respect as well and it's a great opportunity for the city to say thank you thank you for stepping forward in situations where probably most people would turn and run so let's enjoy tonight and thank all of our men and women who serve the Milwaukee Police Department thank you very much chief Morales okay I had some talking points to talk about today but at the end do we really need the talking points to thank our dedicated men and women of the police department for their hard work and dedication along with the citizens of Milwaukee who participated and making Milwaukee a safer place to live work and raise a family that's what we strive for I'll keep it short it's warm in here our Milwaukee Police Department makes three to five hundred plus contacts a day and we can focus on the fraction of that percent well we do something wrong and ignore the 99.5 percent of the time when we do things right and harp on that and I've said in community meetings that if we allow that fraction of percent to continue to be negative that can multiply and when one incident is bad multiple incidents can come out and then it looks like we have a big problem today we're going not going to talk about that we're going to talk about the 99.5% of the time when our staff does everything right we're going to talk about promoting the law enforcement image when our men and women of the department strive so hard to make Milwaukee a better safe a better place to live work and raise a family I want to thank you for doing that you are the people that I support 100% and I thank you for making us proud god bless you and God bless the citizens that are participating to help Milwaukee be a better say a safer place and the families who support you when you work nights weekends holidays and keeping this city safe thank you very much [Applause] good evening everybody I want to thank Milwaukee Police Department for having me here today and I really want to thank all of the officers in the room for not leaving as soon as I walked into the room you know as a member of the media I'm used to everybody scattering when I get there so thank you for sticking around of course we have a lot of good news to share tonight a lot of heroic acts to highlight but before we get started I just wanted to talk about the pleasure I had a few months ago I got to sit down with captain Davila and six other members of the Milwaukee Police Department it was one of the best interviews I've ever done in my life I mean these women are awesome we laughed we shared stories that I won't repeat ever or hear and some that I wanted to tell everybody we we got teary-eyed and I learned a lot in just two hours that we sat down and it gave me a new appreciation for what officers do especially women in law enforcement so I just wanted to shout out to captain Davila and captain Heather Werth and captain Kristin Reyes try if she's here lieutenant Michelle Graham lieutenant Kristin Feldman and officers Keanu vines and officer tiara sheets because there are some awesome women in just a few examples of just just upstanding members of the Milwaukee Police Department and so I just wanted to give them a round of applause before we start tonight and speaking of appreciation as I get ready to read these stories about the members of MPD who are getting their merit awards this evening I just employ everybody to really listen because these are truly heroic acts and I am honored to be here tonight to recognize all of you so without further ado let's get started for district 1 police sergeant Tanya and bull and officers Matthew Cage reason Reynaldo roma Roma and junior Gerald L Schmidt Joseph L Shabaab Chewbacca and John are teachin are receiving the life-saving award on March 3rd 2018 Milwaukee police boat 1596 was patrolling the Milwaukee River to ensure the safety of those attending the annual Shamrock Shuffle around 10:00 p.m. a man fell in the water near the Highland Avenue Bridge officer Shaw baulkham Inoue verd the boat toward the bridge while officers Roman and teachin put on their ice rescue suits two people were on a Ledge holding onto the man who was in the river up to his armpits time was of the oven essence and the air and water temperature were in the 30s officer she balke exercised caution so as not to cause a big wake that would have resulted in more people falling in the water officer Roman entered the water an officer teachin remained on the boat to assist officers Drazen and Schmidt were on the bridge above the water and lowered a rescue line to the subject they also kept a crowd of onlookers from approaching the bridges rail and contained the scene sergeant bole used a rescue sling and threw it on officer Roman in the water officer Roman placed the sling around the man's torso and Sergeant Bowl started pulling the men back to the boat officers ship Alka and teach-in then helped both men back into the boat the teamwork exhibited by this group of MPD members ensure the survival of a man who had fallen into the river their quick thinking and decisive actions saved his life we asked that officers treason and Roman remain on stage as they're receiving a second life-saving award on January 3rd 2018 officers Drazen and Roman responded to an attempted suicide in the 800 block of North Cass Street the subjects girlfriend met the officers at the door and explained that her boyfriend hung himself and he was not breathing after a quick assessment the officers began several rounds of chest compressions and CPR medical help arrived and continued with life-saving measures while the man was transported to the nearest hospital for treatment these officers provided immediate essential life-saving measures and prevented the loss of life officers David D but let's Paul M hell maniac and Matthew M Nagurski are receiving the life-saving award on October 4th 2017 officers were assigned to the Bradley Center to manage pedestrian and vehicle flow at a sports event a vehicle suddenly pulled into the middle of the intersection and an occupant jumped out of the vehicle to alert officers that his friend desperately needed help officers bub let's and negaal ski immediately removed the unconscious man and began CPR officer how many act was handling arrest at a nearby police administration building and without hesitation responded to the broadcast made by responding officers for medical assistance officer how many act arrived on the scene at an administered narcan to that man within minutes the subject responded and officers were able to obtain a pulse the subject was transported to a nearby hospital for treatment of a heroin overdose these officers intervened at a critical event and succeeding in preventing the loss of life now we ask that officer and agofsky to stay on the stage because he's receiving another life-saving award mr. Jeffrey C quizar is receiving the valorous conduct citizen award on March 3rd 2018 officer in the Gulf Ski was working at a Marquette University basketball game at the [ __ ] Harris Bradley Center suddenly a 72 year old man in attendance collapsed mr. quiz air and usher at the Bradley Center saw the man lying on his back so he ran over and checked for his pulse and when he didn't feel one started chest compressions officer in agofsky joined mr quiz air and paramedics with other life-saving measures including CPR the man was eventually transported to a local hospital for further treatment the quick actions an efficient treatment by Officer Nagurski and mr. quiz air were instrumental in saving that man's life detectives Alexander C Ayala Eric J Drager Thomas J Obregon Michael W Tomei and Stevie wells police officer Louise s Bray and police aide Andrew M Wroblewski are receiving the Meritorious Service Award On June 16th 2017 a woman was driving in the 600 block of East Clybourn Street when two suspects approached her in a pickup truck one of the suspects threatened her with a hammer and forced her to drive while the second suspect followed in the pickup truck the suspects subsequently stopped and forced the victim into their truck the suspects threatened to shoot her and one of the suspects sexually assaulted her the victim was later let go in Kenosha County where she summoned help detectives Wells and officer Bray began to investigate that incident officer Bray used her skills as an interviewer to develop a detailed statement and timeline from the victim detective Wells showed empathy while he deployed a composite sketch of one of those one of the suspects during the course of the investigation a fingerprint was recovered through this print the name email and address of one of the suspects was generated police aide Wroblewski took it upon himself to search sources for other possible information he was able to find a license plate as the suspect was driving investigators tracked the suspects to Louisville Kentucky area where one of the suspects was taken into custody detectives Tomei Obregon Ayala and rhaegar went to Kentucky to continue that investigation the detectives use their skills to locate the second suspect and take him into custody detectives Obregon and Ayala obtained a confection from both suspects in the incident through their hard work and dedication this group was able to obtain key details that allowed for a search for suspects and the ability to secure key evidence and clear a high-profile crime for district to the excellence in police service award is presented to the district to community prosecution unit an anti-gang unit sergeant Guadalupe Velasquez detective Efrain Cornejo officer Jose our our got ours Agha officer David H Cabral officer Ryan ekc officer Matthew J dieter officer Ryan are both officer Aaron ade Jackson officer Kenneth J justice officer Richard J Clark Kowski officer Luis Jake a pesky officer kevin e Vedika officer Michael P Walker an officer Matthew L Davis this group with the help of the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office the Department of Neighborhood Services and the City Attorney's Office has worked tires tirelessly to address absentee and problematic landlords to district 2 these landlords and their questionable practices negatively impacted the quality of life and value of homes in the neighboring community thanks to their collective investigative work to property owners were successfully sued for homes that were used for prostitution related activities the results of the litigation had a positive impact as both residents and business owners were thankful for the efforts in the neighborhood of 12 targeted properties in the district eight have been sold to responsible property owners who are committed to making a positive impact this group has worked tirelessly on quality of life issues for citizens in district 2 and their work resulted in decreased crime additional citizen cooperation and robust community engagement [Applause] let's give this big group another exciting round of applause [Applause] the excellence in police service award is presented to officers Vance ace Colin and Paul ease in bore scheme while assigned to district 2 these officers have been on the bicycle unit and worked the Greenfield Avenue beat this area is challenged with drug sales vagrancy issues and prostitution working together as a team the officers have built relationships with business owners and residents to help improve the quality of life there they've made more than four hundred arrests half of them prostitution related the intelligence that they gather has led to numerous arrests and convictions for various crimes the officers understand how important the role of a beat officer is and building trust within the community and they take pride in what they do [Applause] the Meritorious Service Award is presented to officers Mathew L Davis and Lewis J Co pesky on January 25th 2018 there was an armed robbery of a business in the 2500 block of South sixth Street the officers responded in an undercover car to saturate the area and saw two men who matched the clothing and physical description of the robbery suspects one of the men pulled a handgun from his waistband while it appeared the other served as a lookout the officers realized these suspects posed a danger to citizens and it was likely that they would commit more armed robberies the officers quickly laid out a plan exited their vehicle and took the suspects into custody these suspects were later charged in federal court for seven different robberies the quick actions of the officers helped prevent more crimes from potentially taking place the Meritorious Service Award is presented to Officer Quentin L grant on November 1st 2017 officer grant was headed home after his workday when he came upon a crash on i-43 officer grant saw a semi-truck and crash from the with another vehicle officer grant quickly pulled his car to the side of the road to help out both diesel tanks of the truck were leaking and officer grant was able to assist the dazed truck driver to safety officer grant then went to the other vehicle where he saw the occupant was unconscious he tried to pull the occupant out of the car but the diesel fuel ignited and the flames overcame him tragically the occupant of that car did die from his injuries officer grants willingness to put his life on the line for complete strangers is commendatory his selfless actions were instrumental in saving the life of that truck driver [Applause] the Valerius conduct citizen award is presented to mr. Darryl s rush on November 20th 2017 a female citizen was in her car in the 5600 block of South 27th Street when a man approached her vehicle opened the door and entered it the suspect told her to drive the car which she refused to do the suspect realizing the victim was not complying with his demands began punching her and yelling at her to get out of the car during the struggle the woman sounded her horn and screamed to draw attention mr. rush was in the area and heard the victims desperate screams he ran over to the vehicle and saw the man hitting the woman and fighting back with his keys between his fingers with his keys between his fingers mr. rush punched the suspect numerous times the suspect became extremely agitated at mr. rush yelled at him and left the scene on foot this was stayed with the victim to ensure her safety mr. rush is a US Navy veteran and he immediately came to the aid of that citizen and he prevented her that vehicle from being taken and saved her life let's give him another round of applause [Applause] for district 3 officer Jacob T Schmidt is receiving the Medal of Valor Rescue Award an officer Nicholas L you letovsky is receiving the life-saving award on March 23rd 2018 the officers were on patrol in the 1500 block of South Layton Boulevard when they saw a balcony of a nearby home in flames without hesitation the officers ran toward that home officer you letovsky entered the lower unit of the building and helped evacuate a resident with his pet officer Schmidt evacuated the residents of the upper unit but one of the individuals was confined to a wheelchair so officer Schmidt tried to carry the wheelchair down the stairs but it broke so instead he hoisted the woman over his shoulder and valiantly carried her to safety these officers displayed a great amount of courage and bravery above and beyond their expected duties they disregarded their own safety to ensure that residents in the building were safe officers ajn alvarez and antonio el Obregon are receiving the life-saving award on December 7th 2017 these officers responded to a suicide attempt the caller had identified a female and a bathtub of water with cuts to her wrists and empty prescription bottles next to the bathtub without hesitation the officers moved the woman who was cold to the touch from the bathtub to the hallway where they could start life-saving measures while assisting officers placed tourniquets on her wrists officers Alvarez and Obregon continued with CPR eventually the woman regained a pulse and began breathing on her own these officers intervened in a suicidal attempt and succeeded in preventing the loss of life and we asked officer Oberg on to stay on stage as he is receiving a separate Meritorious Service Award along with police officer Alexander de neuter on November 20th 2017 these officers responded to a business check at a local gas station in the 92 hundred block of West Bluemound Road the officers noticed a clerk running from the business waving her arms to get their attention the gas station was just robbed at gunpoint the clerk provided enough details for the officers to begin a search in the immediate area since the robber fled from the station on foot officer neuter saw a male subject that fit the description of a robber hiding behind a nearby dumpster and immediately the order was given for the subject to show his hands which he did not officer over gon cut off the man's escape path and took control of the subjects arm without hesitation the subjects spun his body to free himself and the officers work together to gain control of that man a handgun fell from his waist the subject was eventually taken into custody and admitted to robbing that gas station these officers demonstrated the mission of maintaining safe neighborhoods by preventing criminals from committing future crimes officers Kevin G Gaulke and Aaron L Nelson are receiving the Meritorious Service Award on July 27th 2017 these officers responded to the 900 block of North Holly Road after being flagged down by a citizen a male subject was on top of a bridge and threatening to jump officer Nelson took up a position to act as a barrier while Officer Gaulke started to talk to the man and implored him to get out of the roadway and off of the bridge following a lengthy discussion the man tried to push himself up onto the bridge railing in order to jump the officers though were able to position themselves in order to prevent this and took the man into custody the man was taken to Milwaukee County Mental Health for further evaluation and the action of these officers prevented that man from suffering a mental crisis from causing himself injury or death for district 4 the Medal of Valor rescue award is presented to officers Nicholas J Reid and Nicholas arsh lie on December 26th 2017 these officers were on patrol in the 5400 block of West Villard Avenue when they saw a car slide out of control strike a wooden utility pole and flip over as the vehicle came to a stop the car's engine burst into flames with the occupants still inside the officers risked their own lives and pulled the driver and another passenger from a burning car the occupants of the car were injured but due to the actions of these officers they survived the NIC squad as the pair is affectionately known received local and national attention for their heroics they exemplify what is best in policing courageous humble hardworking and dedicated to serving and protecting citizens even when the situation is dangerous the Meritorious Service Award is presented to officers Charles a leech and Martinez Timur on October 31st 2017 these officers responded to subject with a gun complaint in the 70 100 block of West Silver Spring Drive the caller indicated her daughter texted her pleading for help as her boyfriend had beaten her up and pointed a gun at her the officers diligently searched the records management system because the victims information the address that was provided by dispatch didn't register to a real address a check with the Department of Transportation revealed the victims address and the officers immediately drove to the residence when officers entered the victims homes that home they discovered her crying in the closet she was fearful had blood covering her nose her face was swollen in various places the suspect had punched her repeatedly causing her to lose consciousness and when she regained consciousness the suspect was standing over her pointing a handgun at her that suspect then grabbed her by the throat and choked her but these officers entered the home at a crucial time in that victim's life due to the determination of the officers to locate that victim she got medical treatment and was relocated to a safe place away from her abuser oh and we asked that officer Moore stay on stage as he is receiving another Meritorious Service Award along with officer James deed Luckett on November 2nd 2017 these officers received information that a vehicle stolen in a robbery was currently parked in an alley and the 5300 block of North 38th Street as the officers approached the vehicle with weapons drawn the driver immediately fled on foot while the remaining two occupants remained inside the occupants occupants were taken into custody while assisting officers arrived on the scene during this time to additional males exited a nearby home yelling profanities the officers made an immediate positive identification of one of the suspects as a result of seeing photos of the crime scene where the stolen vehicle was taken as a direct result of the quick response of the officers to the information received from the informant and their previous familiarity with the incident all suspects were taken into custody with further incident these officers demonstrated their commitment to maintaining safe neighborhoods by preventing criminals from further crime sprees [Applause] the Meritorious Service Award is presented to officers Sean and Patrick and Joseph G's Pingala on December 12 2017 these officers responded to a shooting in the 9600 block of West Fondulac Avenue a maroon Grand Prix with two occupants was involved in the incident and the officers spotted the vehicle while enroute to the crime scene without delay the officers followed the vehicle and a pursuit ensued the speeding vehicle drove onto the sidewalk disregarded traffic signals and continuously violated traffic laws during their attempt to flee eventually the occupants exited the vehicle and ran into an alley in their attempt to get away the officers began searching the area and a short time later the officers saw one of the suspects running and he was quickly taken into custody these officers exemplified the mission of the Milwaukee Police Department and showed their dedication to apprehending dangerous criminals now on to district 5 officers Zachary F Ray Mian and Kurt are czar Nick are receiving the Medal of Valor combat award On January 18th 2018 several district 5 officers responded to a call at North Richards Street and East Locust Street upon arrival they were told by witnesses that a man with a gun had pulled a female victim into a home officers are Nick and Ray Mian began knocking on the door and the female victim left them in the officers searched the house for that armed male and approached a bathroom with a closed door suddenly the door opened and two shots were fired in the direction of the officers luckily they were not hit the officers created distance and evaluated the situation despite just being shot at then they heard the male screaming and crying from the bathroom officers are nick opened the door to control of that suspect and got him away from the gun officer Raymond remained cognizant of his surroundings and covered officers our Nick from other potential threats the suspects gun and casings were found inside the home and a bullet was found lodged in the wall between the doors where the officers were standing these officers demonstrated extreme bravery in the line of fire police officers Steven J cook in KC and our luck are receiving the life-saving award on September 27 2017 these officers responded to a shooting in the 3200 block of North 29th Street they were the first to arrive on the scene and saw the victim a 31 year old man that had several severe gunshot wounds including one to the thigh officer gnarley' applied a tourniquet to the victims wound and officer Cooke assisted by calmly and properly positioning that victim the victim was transported to a local hospital for treatment of his injuries and responding medics stated that had that tourniquet not been applied the victim would have likely died the quick and decisive actions by these officers standing right before you saved that shooting victims life [Applause] officer David Jayla tear is receiving the purple star award on January 20th 2016 Officer Latia responded to a call for service in the 2500 block of West Hopkins Street officer lick tear was standing behind his squad when a car travelling at more than 60 miles per hour struck his squad car officer litter was thrown into the air and 25 feet down the road from where he was standing he was rushed to Frater hospital for immediate treatment he suffered multiple blank breaks in his left wrist and injuries to his jaw bone and left knee a blood draw of the driver of the striking car revealed a blood-alcohol content of more than three times the legal limit and this was his sixth OWI offense officer litter was able to return to full duty eight months later after extensive rehabilitation officer litter was has demonstrated courage and perseverance courage and perseverance while recovering from this tragedy and he will read his will to regain strength is an inspiration to all of us police officers Joseph I Sonic and Damon and Wilcox are receiving the Meritorious Service Award on December 30th 2017 the officers were dispatched to an armed robbery in the 1400 block of West Locust Street they were met by two victims who stated the to stay that two suspects in a white Infiniti pointed guns at them and stole their cell phones before they drove away one of the victims remember the license plate of the suspects car and the officers went to the address of that vehicle the officers saw two males enter the car at that location and they performed a traffic stop the passenger in the car ran from the car through a handgun it was taken into custody after a brief foot chase the driver was also taken into custody the officers found an additional gun in the car as well as two stolen cellphones the officers used quick thinking and experience to conduct follow-up in a timely manner and helped bring justice to those two victims for district 6 the life-saving award is presented to officers Christopher M Maddy Shaw and Michael s Maldonado on February 27th 2018 these officers responded to the 2900 block of South Herman Street for a report of a sick and injured person the caller told officers that her son was a heroin user and was not responding from an upstairs bathroom the officers tried to make contact with the man but they were unsuccessful fearing that his life was in danger the officers forced open the door and found the man on the floor without a pulse and not breathing the officers administered narcan and then began chest compressions eventually the man started breathing on his own medical personnel stated that had it not been for the actions of these officers that man may have died from an overdose for district seven officers Nicholas GGAs ki Courtney are härtel and Daniel ace turma are receiving the life-saving award on November 23rd 2017 these officers responded to the 4800 block of North 41st Street a distraught female had dropped off her young son at her aunt's house the mother asked her aunt to take care of her child and then just drove away her aunt feared for her nieces safety due to her past history of drug use and mental disorders officers coached the aunt and texting and calling her niece after several attempts the NHIS contacted her aunt through FaceTime and through FaceTime the officers were able to observe the live video the officers determined that the niece had parked her vehicle on top of the Hoan bridge she was telling her aunt that she was going to jump without hesitation a phone call was made to the Milwaukee County Sheriff's Department the Sheriff's Department quickly responded located the suspect subjects and began negotiations eventually that niece allowed them to transport her to the Milwaukee County mental health complex for treatment and these officers responded and their keen observation skills and immediate action prevented this woman's loss of life mr. Trent and pulk is receiving the valorous conduct to citizen award on December 11th 2017 officers responded to a sick injured person in the 4200 block of North Sherman Boulevard a child's mother had placed her baby in its crib and when she went to check on the infant she noticed he wasn't moving and his face was blue immediately she called mr. Paulk the baby's father who then gave CPR to the baby and medical help was summoned the infant started breathing on its own after about a minute of CPR from its own father mr. Polk shared that he had learned CPR while in the Marine Corps due to mr. Pope's immediate intervention he prevented that baby's loss of life for the central booking and court administration the life-saving award is presented to police officers Lisa M cap it's and Phyllis T Pulliam on December 12th 2017 these officers heard choking sounds coming from a prisoner in the cell the male a male prisoner was trying to hang himself by tying his t-shirt to the metal bunk the officers immediately took action by lifting the man back onto the metal bunk relieving the tension of the shirt around his neck they administered a sternum rub to the man and he began living out gasps of air and started breathing on his own the prisoner received medical treatment at a nearby hospital and these officers intervened in a suicidal attempt and prevented the loss of life and for the Criminal Investigation Bureau the Meritorious Service Award is presented to Detective Timothy J Keller on January 30th 2018 officers from the fugitive apprehension unit were checking a home in the 4300 block of North 44th Street for a homicide suspect a full tactical setup ensued and negotiators including detective Keller began to talk to the suspect who was threatening suicide using his training and experience detective Keller negotiated with his suspect to surrender detective Keller had numerous obstacles to overcome during this negotiation though the suspects wife kept calling the subject which agitated him the suspect also stated he wanted to call a friend for advice detective Keller was able to reason with the suspect regarding the benefits of surrendering and after more than four hours the suspect was safely taken into custody detective Keller showed tenacity by sticking with his training and experience and worked through many obstacles and through that he showed perseverance as he dealt with this lengthy situation for the sensitive Crimes Division detective Efrain Cornejo jr. is receiving the life-saving award and Michael W Tomei is receiving the Meritorious Service Award on November 11th 2017 the detectives were driving on i-43 when they saw a man lying on the side of the highway surrounded by more than a dozen citizens detective Tomei immediately went into action and blocked traffic with his vehicle to secure the scene detective Cornejo began performing CPR on the male without delay as the victim had serious injuries from that crash the detectives learned the man pulled his vehicle off to the side of the highway because he ran out of gas he was refueling when he was struck by another motorist unfortunately in spite of the efforts made to save his life the victim didn't survive his wounds as a result of their quick response though these detectives helped a man who was in desperate need of medical attention their commitment to the citizens of Milwaukee is exemplary [Applause] mr. Joel wrote Renteria is receiving the Valerius conduct award on November 15 2017 an MPD officer was flagged down by three men in the 2300 block of North Prospect Avenue two of the men had become very ill while they were power washing an underground parking structure mr. rock Renteria who is hearing-impaired was cleaning floors on another level of the structure he saw the two men falling over and passing out so he immediately ran to help them and instantly he too experienced difficulty breathing but he helped the men to their feet and guided them outside to get more help at that time the MPD officer who was passing by stopped when he was flagged down by these men carbon monoxide levels in this structure were at an upwards of 530 parts per million the levels that are safe are between zero and nine parts per million it was confirmed that it was if it was not for the help of mr. rock Renteria both of the male subjects would have died the men were transported to a local hospital for treatment mr. rock Renteria is concerned for his fellow workers and his heroic actions saved the lives of these men [Applause] [Applause] we ask that the following members come on stage to get their excellence in Police Service Award sergeant Thomas s Ackley officer kz c Donohue officer andrew t fuerte officer robert j gregory officer Jeffrey M Kennedy officer Spencer and kill B Officer Eric J Craddock E officer is smart Colin ovitch Officer Eric V Maldonado Officer Gregory Meyer officer Courtland Peterson officer Ryan Regan officer Matthew our rest laughs officer Jose our Riviera the third officer Joseph aye Sarek officer Justin are Schwartz Huber officer Hector M Sosa and officer Kurt our czar Nick these officers are being recognized for receiving numerous consistent letters of commendation these letters show the daily outstanding performance of these officers as well as their willingness to go above and beyond the ordinary call of duty and there are a lot of them we appreciate the faithful contribution of all of this these officers because you make MPD's mission complete let's give them a round of applause [Applause] [Applause] this is gonna be a big picture let's give him another round of applause [Applause] and this next group is even bigger the first unit service award is going to members of the Homicide Unit we call to the stage lieutenant Carolyn a birch lieutenant Thomas J Casper Jr Lieutenant John P Corbett lieutenant Eric C Donaldson lieutenant paul r Cavanaugh lieutenant Paul D Lau lieutenant Daniel P Thompson lieutenant Michael J Wallace Shaywitz lieutenant we some yagna detective Rodolfo Alvarado detective William M Baker detective Matthew P Belle detective Nathan a butts detective James a Campbell detective Dennis J de volcán air detective Jeffrey and Emanuel son detective Michael a Fadel detective guy J Fraley detective Christopher J Fritz there's another page detective rosemary see Galindo detective Timothy be Graham detective eric elm gull Brinson detective James J Hensley detectives detective James F Hutchinson detective jeremiah see Jax detective Troy P Johnson detective Angela and Juarez detective Timothy J Keller detective Keith M captcha detective Brian peat moss is key detective Michael G Martin detective Kyle our warzynski detective Daniel E pre we detective Jake d.push Nagar detective Laurie M ROM detective Michael saranac to type detective Scott H Smith's detective William Schrader detective Jeffrey s Sullivan detective Michael J tanum detective Craig J Tim detective Harold deed Thomas and detective eric k BR al oh wait we're not finished detective Michael C Washington detective Terrance I write friends police services special investigator Michael Brown writer crime analyst Joshua are Henze an office assistant to Robin Jay Jones well I have to read what they did first and here's what they did the Milwaukee Police Department's employees assigned to the Homicide Unit worked incredibly hard to bring justice to families impacted by violence this entire group all of them never forgets and this mantra was proven in 2017 like never before in 2017 the homicide unit solved more cases from past years 23 of them than ever before in MPD's history detectives and supervisors understand the only way they can provide a small amount of closure to families is to bring someone to justice some of the high profile cases cleared in 2017 that occurred during the previous year include nine-year-old Zelaya Jenkins who was killed when shots were fired into her home in 2017 Jimmy Nash who was killed in 2014 and his killer was brought to justice in 2017 the family of Trayvon Johnson who was killed in 2012 finally got justice in 2017 when his killer was charged because of this unit standing right here because of their dedication and their mission of relentless follow-up they have one of the highest clearance rates for large metropolitan cities the overall clearance rate reported to the FBI for 2017 was 78 percent that's the highest in Milwaukee since 2009 while we honor these detectives and supervisors from the Homicide Unit the clearance rate is the result of many different areas of the department as they work together all of them to bring justice to these families let's give them a round of applause [Applause] the second unit service award is going to the northwest side sexual assault investigation unit from district 3 police sergeant debbie allen from district 4 police officer Shane M bishop police officer Jermaine a Graham police officer Martinez team or police officer Conway Nimr junior police officer Kelly Parker police officer Marlon G Schiller police officer Russell Russell J Shoop police officer sharee R sowlaty police officer shall let abhi wither winners from the Criminal Investigation Bureau police sergeant Melissa a friend Kovac detective John a Charles detective jonathan Mejias riviera rivera detective Christopher K slaughter detective Timothy J Wallach from the eternal affairs division police sergeant Irwin s Astacio detective Elizabeth Stewart detective Stephen E Wells from the investigative management division detective Matthew J bug men detective Richard F McCune forensic investigator Paul a surveyor forensic investigator Alfonso Lazo forensic investigator James C Peterson forensic video examiner Robbie L Lloyd latent-print exam Kenneth S shield from the office of community outreach in education police sergeant Amy C Rivera police officer Philip be Lewis police officer Dennis be McKnight jr. from the sensitive Crimes Division Sergeant David a like us junior sergeant Lisa M Saffold detective Timothy s spinning detective Joleen a dell morale detective Jerry Lynn e gu hagen gu hagen detective Rodney Peete Gonzales detective Sonja and Griffin detective Andrew are wholesome detective Michael W Tomei detective Rana M vertiginous police officer Lewis s Brae police officer Cindy cake arson officer Kurt deed Daniel Daniel officer Nicholas B Deng Kurt police officer Kerrie Jade own police officer Ryan fiddlin police officer Henry Fleming police officer James our Henry Junior police officer Joan M Muller police officer Gerardo Orozco police officer Kristine L Rutherford and from those specialized patrol division tactical enforcement unit police officer Matthew G hell where and from the Milwaukee County District Attorney's Office assistant district attorney Aaron Carson whose daughters Caitlin and Maya are receiving the award on her behalf in 2016 for stranger sexual assaults occurred on the northwest side of Milwaukee Milwaukee police sensitive Crimes Division formed a partnership with district 4 and engaged in an extensive investigation detectives forensic investigators police officers and supervisors worked around the clock in an unrelenting search for that suspect a canvass of the area was conducted and a composite sketch of the suspect was shown to those in the area a manager at a local business was shown shown the sketch and said it looked like a man who lived at an apartment building nearby when while the manager did not know the man's name she knew the woman he lived with so the officer did follow up with that woman with the alleged suspect lived with and found out that she was the victim of a battery by a person named Jonathan Brown Brown was on probation and a warrant was put out for his arrest once Brown was arrested a lineup was conducted and several victims positively identify him as the person who assaulted him Brown confessed to all of the assaults and analysis revealed Browns DNA was on all of these victims 88 Aaron Carson issued charges against Brown who was convicted and sentenced to 54 years in prison these members standing here before you demonstrated a high degree of teamwork diligence and perseverance during this high-profile incident resulting in the arrest and prosecution of brown while the victims will undoubtedly have a difficult road to have ahead of them it's our hope that the arrest and successful prosecution of the suspect will assist them in their healing let's give them a round of applause [Applause] now we're gonna end this evening honoring two special men and their sacrifice to the City of Milwaukee families of both are in attendance tonight and we are presenting them with special plaques mr. Andrew Tyler's family will be receiving that first plaque on November 10th 2017 Andrew Tyler an MPD school crossing guard was struck by a vehicle while walking to his post mr. Tyler suffered major injuries he underwent numerous surgeries but died on December seventh mr. Tyler was well-known in this community and by the children at kludgy elementary whom he helped get across the street every day at mr. Tyler's funeral the Milwaukee Police Department presented his family with MPD's purple valor purple star award it's the first one given to a civilian member of the department this medal is presented to members who have been injured usually or wounded while performing their duties mr. Tyler's selfless sacrifice will forever be remembered by the Milwaukee Police Department [Applause] the second family is the family of Greg Ziggy sis kovitch and they're receiving the second honorary plaque on March 22nd 2017 Ziggy was performing his work as a city home inspector near North 23rd Street and West Cherry Street when he was shot and killed Ziggy was a family man he was married to his wife for 40 years he had three children and several grandchildren he was also a dedicated civil servant with more than 30 years of service 30 years of service to the City of Milwaukee the Milwaukee Police Department mourns with Ziggy's family at his loss but they are honoring his legacy tonight of dedication and commitment to the citizens of Milwaukee let's give his family a standing ovation [Applause] [Applause] now I know it's hot in here so I won't take too long but I just wanted to thank everyone for being here tonight you know families families like Ziggy's family and members of the police department who were awarded tonight are an inspiration to all of us including members of the media you know we look at the jobs that you do and you know some of these stories I read tonight that I could never do these things and most people can't and for you all at second nature so you and your families should definitely be proud tonight and I just thank you so much for your service and allowing me to take part in this special event thank you [Applause] and I just wanted to thank Amanda for being here and as always we get our MC a gift it's nothing newsworthy it's probably nothing she's used to at CBS 58 but it's a little piece of Milwaukee Police Department thank you for enduring the heat thank you to our band again to Elizabeth who organizes everything to bill bono who sets up this event six hours ago we were doing defense and arrest tactics in here and now it looks beautiful we have refreshments in room 182 which is just across this hallway it's cookies for those kids who are overtired and need the sugar boost and water so and I want to remind all the award recipients to please pick up your awards in room wanted you to enjoy thank you [Applause] [Music] [Music] [Music]