*** The following officers have been awarded Officer of the Month by their Commanding Officer:

 

January: Jointly awarded to Officer Mast #3655 of the Business Patrol Initiative (BPI) and Officer Celissaint #6024 of Shift 3 Patrol.

Officer Mast handled a number of community complaints regarding a homeless population in the area, made several warrant arrests, cleared 6 misdemeanor traffic cases and made 5 additional arrests for misdemeanor crimes. In addition, he works tirelessly at building relationships with business owners in the community, walking foot patrol and routinely checking in at area businesses.

Officer Celissaint has just over a year on the road and is consistently leading his squad in enforcement of traffic violations and criminal acts month after month. In one noteworthy case he was the first to arrive on a call for a burglary in progress. He caught two would-be burglars in the act and was able to arrest both before they made it into the resident's home. We expect great things from Officer Celissaint in the future with such a good start to his policing career!

 

February: Officer Cooper #5811 conducted an exemplary investigation into a home invasion robbery in which an elderly victim was beaten and hospitalized. Officer Cooper detected inconsistencies in one witnesses account of events that led him to further investigate the witness, ultimately determining her involvement in the crime and identifying two other suspects, as well as locating valuable evidence in the case. Arrests warrants were secured for all three suspects.

 

March: Jointly awarded to Officer Smith and Officer Jackson, both assigned to patrol operations. 

Officer Smith continued an investigation into a robbery call without the assistance of the precinct Investigative Services Team, developing suspect information and ultimately charging that suspect for the crime. He was also proactive in the Maple Crest and Compass Road areas which have had difficulty with crime, making self-initiated crime arrests and banning problem subjects from local businesses, arresting one banned patron for trespassing when he recognized him after seeing him back on the property.

Officer Jackson was equally as productive and proactive, making 69 traffic stops for various violations, issuing almost as many written warnings to drivers, proving that traffic stops are for safety, not county revenue! Those stops resulted in a total of 28 misdemeanor traffic crime clearances with 6 arrests. Officer Jackson's supervisors describe him as an officer who sets the bar high for himself, setting the example for his peers in law enforcement.

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April: Officer Knight #4062, who did an exceptional job this month of suppressing crime with numerous high visibility proactive duties, the majority of which were conducted in identified crime trend areas. He also engaged in a series of foot patrols to aid him in being recognizable to the community he serves, but also to become more familiar with the people on his post. His self-initiated activities and enforcement is an example to the other officers on his shift and in our department.

 

May: Officer Ronning #5782 for his aggressive and proactive patrol of crime trend areas in the precinct. This strategy led to him making one misdemeanor arrest on a traffic violation, 2 misdemeanor criminal arrests, 5 felony arrests, clearing a total of 9 cases. This enforcement included an area along Back River Neck Road where community members have complained of narcotics violations taking place. Officer Ronning's patrol tactics  in this area have resulted in narcotics related arrests and confiscation of drugs and paraphernalia involved in drug distribution.

 

June: Officer Noppinger #5972 made arrests in two separate incidents for CDS possession where guns were also located and confiscated. In the first incident she was approached by a pedestrian who was lost. She offered the pedestrian a ride and dutifully requested to check the bag he was carrying before placing him in her patrol car, which he agreed to and gave her the bag. Officer Noppinger saw the stock of a shotgun and investigated further, locating a loaded shotgun, a loaded revolver, Heroin and Cocaine. The other involved a traffic stop on a vehicle with an inoperable headlamp during which she detected the odor of marijuana. She recovered a significant amount and charged the suspect with CDS distribution, as well as possession of a deadly weapon.

 

July: Officer Khraibani #6112 led her squad in both criminal and traffic violation enforcement immediately upon returning to patrol duties following a 5-month hiatus. She is a productive member of the Essex command, both in proactive enforcement and thorough investigations, clearing 13 criminal cases and 4 misdemeanor traffic cases this month.

 

August: Officer Ryan Ernst #6206 responded to 135 calls for service this month, more than any other officer in his squad. He served 2 warrants and cleared 12 criminal cases, including a theft from a home by someone contracted to do work. He also handled an assault call that through investigation he determined was actually a robbery. He was able to obtain vehicle information for the suspect, who was later spotted driving that same vehicle. two suspects were arrested and charged.