The Suffolk Police Department held its annual awards ceremony on March 19 at Suffolk City Hall. The event served to honor and recognize sworn and non-sworn members of the Department who have contributed to the success of the department and the service provided to the Suffolk community.

Special recognitions were presented for the Dispatcher of the Year, Supervisor of the Year, Police Officer of the Year and Civilian Employee of the Year. The following descriptions were provided in a city press release.

Communications Operator II Andrea Beale — Dispatcher of the Year

Communications Operator Andrea Beale is an asset to the Suffolk Police Department’s Emergency Communications Center. She is the community liaison for the department, and she holds this position with pride and dignity. Beale has been instrumental in creating a professional brochure for National Night Out, and she can often be found in the elementary schools educating the youth on 911 procedures. In July 2018, Beale began collecting backpacks and supplies to be donated to children in need. She also collected donations for animals in the Suffolk Animal Care Shelter. In October 2018, Beale spearheaded an operation to feed two families in need for Thanksgiving.

Sergeant Eric Crawley — Supervisor of the Year

Sgt. Eric Crawley was chosen as Supervisor of the Year for 2018 for his positive attitude and work ethic. He exhibits a positive driving force in each assignment he has received. Crawley brings with him an attitude that cannot help but make you smile and feel prepared to take on whatever tasks may lay before you. Officers feel confident in his decision-making abilities. When Crawley arrives at scenes, he demonstrates command presence and confidence. Crawley handles himself in a professional manner when dealing with officers and citizens alike. His knowledge and work ethic give credibility to his decision-making when addressing employee’s concerns and actions. He also provides positive and motivating training during roll call. Crawley, along with all of his other tasks, continues to teach at the academy as well as during post-academy. Crawley genuinely cares about the officers, the organization, and the citizens the department serves.

Officer Kyle Valois — Police Officer of the Year

Officer Kyle Valois was recognized as the Officer of the Year due to his exceptional work ethic. During the course of 2018, Valois investigated a common nuisance in his patrol zone and was able to obtain a search warrant for the residence as well as an arrest warrant for the homeowner. In May 2018, Valois assisted the detective bureau in identifying a suspect of a commercial robbery. In October 2018, Officer Valois responded to a shooting in the downtown area. While en route to the call, he was involved in a vehicle pursuit of the suspect. The pursuit ultimately led to the apprehension of two suspects. These are only a few examples of the meticulous and exemplary work performed by Officer Valois during the course of 2018.

Forensic Technician Mary DeLugo — Civilian Employee of the Year

Forensic Technician Mary DeLugo was a great asset to her leadership and the command staff while there was no supervisor for the CSI Unit from July through December 2018. DeLugo was responsible for many duties and became a temporary point of contact for many of the customers for the CSI Unit. During this time, she helped the unit achieve its ISO 17020 reaccreditation, ensured that the Police Academy received instruction, peer-reviewed reports, kept in contact with vendors and helped coordinate the daily operations of the CSI Unit. DeLugo did this while maintaining her street responsibilities, responding to 93 calls for service in this timeframe, including one homicide. She did this all along with her specialized duty as a latent print examiner. DeLugo is very dedicated to the department and the unit.

Life Saving Award:

• Officer Benjamin Holland
• Officer Daniel Ferster
• Officer Haley Brock
• Officer Jonathan Bulls
• Officer Josie Hall
• Officer Marco Leslie
• Officer Michael Holman
• Officer Zachary Hyman (2)
• CO II Barbara Hughes

Police Officer of the Quarter:

• Officer Corey Hubbard
• Officer Haley Brock
• Officer Zachary Hyman
• Detective Chris Scherer

Department Commendations:

• Capt. Cassandra Garvin
• Capt. John McCarley
• Lt. Cheryl Balzer
• Lt. Troy Shelton
• Lt. Michael Wise
• Sgt. Thomas Cain
• Sgt. Chad Hooker (2)
• Sgt. Jeffrey Lurie
• Sgt. Jason Lyons (2)
• MPO James Babor
• MPO Chalimous Grant
• MPO Michael Uriah
• MPO Tyson Wild & K9 Chamba
• Detective Chris Scherer (2)
• Detective Steven Ireland
• Investigator Kevin Dodson
• Investigator Nicholas Gasparini (4)
• Investigator Ryan Linville (2)
• Investigator Gary Parker
• Investigator David White
• Officer Shatera Bradley
• Officer William Bradshaw
• Officer Eric Brigham
• Officer Haley Brock
• Officer James Capehart
• Officer Marcus Carter
• Officer Grayson Craun (2)
• Officer Jonah Cravey
• Officer Benjamin DeLugo
• Officer Yamilai Diaz Ibarra
• Officer Lorri Ellis (2)
• Officer Adrian Feliz (2)
• Officer Jerry Fowler
• Officer Kristi Gaines
• Officer Judson Gauf
• Officer David Gawryluk
• Officer Lamont Greer (2)
• Officer Nicole Heyward
• Officer Corey Hubbard
• Officer Derek Jackson (2)
• Officer Khandi Johnson
• Officer Brad Little (2)
• Officer Christian McIntyre (2)
• Officer Ryan Moore
• Officer Matthew Moraczewski (2)
• Officer Daniel Nesbitt
• Officer Sean Powell (2)
• Officer Clifton Sessoms
• Officer Nicholas Smith (2)
• Officer Shane Sukowaski & K9 Salvo (3)
• Officer Hunter Triplett
• Officer Rosario Tumminello & K9 Rommel (2)
• Officer Kyle Valois (4)
• Officer Nicholas Walker
• Officer Michael Wingate
• Officer John Worth
• CLO Del Shannon
• CO II Elaine Holman
• CO III Tracy Pierce

Community Service Awards:

• Lt. Cheryl Balzer
• MPO Paul Hutta
• Officer Ginet Hart
• Officer Kyle Hall
• Officer Lauren Stabinski
• Officer Steven Turnmeyer
• Sgt. Chad Hooker
• CO II Andrea Beale (2)