Sumpter Township Director of Public Safety/Police Chief Eric Luke has found a means of honoring the officers of his department while adhering to the Stay Home Stay Safe executive order of the governor. That safety measure has curtailed official meetings of the Sumpter Township Board of Trustees and has delayed an important presentation to officers of the department.
Traditionally, the exemplary work of township police officers is recognized during an official meeting of the board of trustees attended by the public, friends and family members. With the delay of those meetings due to the COVID-19 pandemic, those meetings have been delayed for the month of April, when the awards would usually be presented.
To compensate for that lack of public recognition, Luke recently had the names of the honored officers listed on the police department Facebook page.
“Unfortunately, due to COVID-19, we're not sure when this type of gathering will be able to occur again safely,” the chief commented on the entry. “These officers deserve to be recognized for their outstanding work, though. I ask that we all take a moment to acknowledge and congratulate the award winners for 2019,” Luke posted.
OFFICER OF THE YEAR
Chosen as 2019 Officer of the Year was Ofc. Bart Devos.
His selection was based on his significant contribution to the mission of the Sumpter Township Police Department, Luke noted.
“Officer Devos exemplifies duty, honor, and integrity. His dedication and work ethic is top-notch, and he demonstrates the highest standard of character and professional conduct,” Luke explained. “His care for the community is evident at all times and his contributions are essential to the success of the department.”
LIFE-SAVING AWARD
The Life Saving Award is presented each year to an officer or officers who are credited with actively saving a human life. Chosen for the award this year were Sgt. Beth Egerer, Sgt. Joseph Balowski, Ofc. Colleen Gottschalk, Ofc. Chris Herrick, Ofc. Bart Devos, Ofc. Ken Toney, and Ofc. Jesiah Rodriguez
Gottschalk and Toney were selected for the award based on their response Feb. 26, 2019 to a residence on Sumpter Road where they discovered an unresponsive overdose victim. The officers administered Narcan, saving the 27-year-old man's life.
Gottschalk and Devos were selected for their response June 5, 2019, to a residence on Nevada Street for an Opioid overdose victim not breathing. They provided life-saving measures in the form of Narcan, saving the 31-year-old woman's life.
Balowski, Herrick and Rodriguez were honored for their response on Oct. 21, 2019, to a residence on Texas Street for an Opioid overdose victim not breathing. They provided life-saving measures in the form of Narcan, saving the 28-year-old man's life.
Egerer was awarded for her response on Nov. 10, 2019, to a residence on Rustic Lane North for an Opioid overdose victim not breathing. She provided life-saving measures in the form of Narcan, saving the 32-year-old man's life.
ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
This award is presented to a department member who advances their educational level while continually working for the department. This year, Sgt. Beth Egerer and Sgt. Brian Stffani were honored for their respective graduations from the Eastern Michigan University School of Police Staff and Command in October, 2019.
VALUED SERVICE
Members qualifying for this award have accrued a minimum of 20 years of continued service in the department. The officer must demonstrate a consistent commitment to the department through the quality of work performed. This year, the award was posthumously presented to Det./Corp. John Ashby. The award honored his 20th anniversary with the department in 2019.
“Sadly, Det./Cpl. Ashby lost his battle with cancer and passed on Feb. 28, 2020,” Luke noted.
PATROL PRODUCTIVITY
Honored as the most productive road patrol members during 2019 were Sgt. Beth Egerer on the day shift, Ofc. Bart Devos on the night shift and Ofc. Sean Hudson on the float shift.
CHIEF'S RECOGNITION
The chief of police may present this award to a member of the police department for any reason deemed worthy of recognition. Selected for the honor this year were: Lt. Patrick Gannon; Operations Coordinator Malissa Paquette; Det./Sgt. John Toth; Sgt. Beth Egerer; Corp. Todd Schrecengost of the Belleville Police Department and Ofc. Sarah Dzagulones, also of the Belleville Police Department.
Gannon and Paquette were selected as a result of their work when the police department undertook a switch of the Records Management System (RMS) and Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) in late 2019, moving to the CLEMIS system operated by Oakland County.
“A switch like this is a considerable undertaking for any department but was completed in a relatively short period and with very few hurdles due to their extraordinary work ethic, dedication, knowledge, and professionalism,” Luke said.
Toth, Egerer, Schrecengost and Dzagulones were chosen for the honor as a result of an Oct. 2, 2019 joint investigation between the Sumpter Police Department and the Belleville Police Department after threats were made against both departments in addition to the Van Buren Public Schools. These threats were sent from bogus Facebook and email accounts.
“Due to the excellent police work of these officers, the investigation quickly identified the 22-year-old Belleville resident behind the fake accounts/ threats, and he was subsequently arrested and charged with two felony counts; false report or threat of terrorism and using a computer to commit a crime,” Luke said. The suspect has since entered a guilty plea to the charges.
“I want to thank the award recipients along with all other members of the department for a job well done in 2019. Thank you for your continued dedication and service to the community,” Luke concluded.
