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Officer Awards & Promotions
Officer of the Month and other awards officers receive.
City of Annapolis Employee of the Year 2018
Congratulations to Paola Holby on being named the City Employee of the Year. Police Communications Operator II Holby, who is Crisis Intervention Team trained, was at Mills Parole Elementary School teaching Character Counts when she become aware of a child in crisis. PCO II Holby intervened in the situation and was able to calm the child down and avoid a more serious situation. PCO II Holby then spent the next 2 1/2 hours with the child while waiting for the child’s parents.
Congratulations to Paola and thank you for representing APD in a positive manner.
Dallas G. Pace, Sr. Humanitarian Award
Anne Arundel County 100 Club's Al Brandt Unsung Hero Award for 2017
We are proud to announce that Annapolis Police Department Officer First Class Kempton Urban has been awarded the Anne Arundel County 100 Club's Al Brandt Unsung Hero Award for 2017.
Officer Urban received this award because of his actions on December 29, 2016.
From Fire Chief David L. Stokes, Sr.
On December 29, 2016 at approximately 1753 hours units were dispatched for a shooting victim in the area of Forest Hills Avenue and Bricin Street, EMS supervisor, Lieutenant Tina Pitner, reported that upon arrival their crews found a taxi cab driver with a gun shot wound to the neck being treated by Officer Urban and Officer Jamoll McKay.
Lieutenant Pitner reported that the patient was bleeding profusely from the neck and that Officers Urban and McKay rapidly applied an Israeli Bandage and direct pressure to the wound to control the bleeding. They also protected his airway, supporting him in an upright position.
The officers assisted our crews with transferring the patient to our medic unit and then continued with their police duties. The quick actions of Officers Urban and McKay utilizing equipment and training that was meant for them on a critically injured civilian, potentially saved this shooting victim's life.
Both officers should be commended for their life saving actions.
Both Officer Urban and Officer Jamoll McKay received the Special Service Commendation - The Special Service Commendation is awarded to officers whose performance of duty exceeds even an exemplary manner. These officers display courage, alertness, professional knowledge, or devotion to duty above and beyond the call of duty.
Aggressive Driving Prevention Awards
Congratulations to Corporal Hil O'Herlihy and Officer Sam Ferracane who received awards on August 29th for their enforcement efforts in combating aggressive driving. Their efforts were recognized by the Maryland Highway Safety Office. Their dedication and services to the citizens of Annapolis and the Annapolis Police Department are appreciated and are to be commended.
Special Service Commendation
Officer Ryan Thiel received the Special Service Commendation - The Special Service Commendation is awarded to officers whose performance of duty exceeds even an exemplary manner. These officers display courage, alertness, professional knowledge, or devotion to duty above and beyond the call of duty.
On March 13th Officer Thiel responded to a home in Annapolis for an unresponsive 2 month old child. When Officer Thiel arrived the baby was pale, not breathing, and a pulse could not be detected. Officer Thiel began chest compressions until a pulse was detected. The Annapolis Fire Department arrived and took over medical care for the child. The child's condition was stabilized and they were transported to an area hospital.
Special Service Commendation
Officers Kempton Urban and Jamoll McKay received the Special Service Commendation - The Special Service Commendation is awarded to officers whose performance of duty exceeds even an exemplary manner. These officers display courage, alertness, professional knowledge, or devotion to duty above and beyond the call of duty.
From Fire Chief David L. Stokes, Sr.
On December 29, 2016 at approximately 1753 hours our units were dispatched for a shooting victim in the area of Forest Hills Avenue and Bricin Street, Our EMS supervisor, Lieutenant Tina Pitner, reported that upon arrival our crews found a taxi cab driver with a gun shot wound to the neck being treated by Annapolis Police Officers McKay and Urban.
Lieutenant Pitner reported that the patient was bleeding profusely from the neck and the Officers McKay and Urban rapidly applied an Israeli Bandage and direct pressure to the wound to control the bleeding. They also protected his airway, supporting him in an upright position.
The officers assisted our crews with transferring the patient to our medic unit and then continued with their police duties. The quick actions of Officers McKay and Urban utilizing equipment and training that was meant for them on a critically injured civilian, potentially saved this shooting victim's life.
Both officers should be commended for their life saving actions.
2019 Officers of the Month
October
January
2018 Officers of the Month
December
November
October
Officer Kreft has been named Officer of the Month for October. Officer Kreft went well beyond just taking a report for an assault. He investigated the matter by writing and executing a search and seizure warrant.
This recommendation is based on an assault investigation involving a firearm, in which the suspect was reported to have been in possession of a handgun. Officer Kreft proactively discovered information which gave him cause to believe that evidence of the crime was located inside of a residence. Detective Mann assisted Officer Kreft with drafting the search and seizure warrant, which was later signed by a judge.
During the search of the residence, what initially appeared to be a firearm (consistent with the description given by the victim), was located within the residence. It was determined to be a BB gun, complete with removable false rounds of ammunition. While not a firearm seizure, it undoubtedly supports the victim's account of events, and will likely be important to the prosecution of the case. A few hundred live rounds of .40 S&W ammunition, a small quantity of CDS, numerous cellular devices, and other items of evidence were also located within the residence.
I think it's important to recognize Officer Kreft's follow through and willingness to continue with this investigation. He did an excellent job and recovered important pieces of evidence which will hopefully lead to the successful prosecution of this case.
It should be noted that Officer Kreft conducted the investigation and secured the search warrant on his day off. He voluntarily took the initiative to follow through with this investigation on his own time. Additionally, he conducted the initial investigation while handling calls for service and writing other incident reports. He had six arrests in the month of October.
Officer Kreft deserves recognition for the high quality work that he produced during the month of October 2018.
September
Congratulations to Officer Chad Schaefer for being named Officer of the Month for September.
On September 17, Officer Schaefer was patrolling his post when he received a call that there were two suspicious subjects at the rear of a home in the 200 block of Croll Drive. Officer Schaefer was able to arrive within 30 seconds and discovered a burglary in progress. Officer Schaefer set up a perimeter while other units arrived. While waiting for the other units, both suspects fled the residence in different directions. Officer Schaefer gave chase after one and was able to give out suspect descriptions. Officer Schaefer captured one suspect while the other suspect was captured based on the description provided by Officer Schaefer. Both suspects were arrested and charged with 1st degree burglary. Officer Schaefer took it a step further and wrote three search and seizure warrants to help his investigation.
In addition, Officer Schaefer is assigned to West Annapolis Elementary but he has also been stopping in regularly to all schools in his post. He has made such a good impression that he was personally requested, by Germantown Elementary, to give a tour of APD.
Great job Officer Schaefer!.
August
Congratulations to Officer Wyatt Davis for being Officer of the Month for August.
Officer Davis works 12 post which includes Obery Court which is managed by Pennrose Group. Officer Davis recognized there were areas in Obery Court where people were congregating for CDS transactions and they were also damaging property. Pennrose told Officer Davis that subjects were damaging the A/C units on Obery Court. Officer Davis suggested that Pennrose install Cameras and place “No Trespassing" signs in the area and helped determine the location of the signs.
Officer Davis was able to make use of the sign and arrested three people for trespassing in the area. Officer Davis indicates after the arrests, subjects do not hang out in the area to damage the A/C units. Officer Davis was acting as a true community police officer in solving community issues. Officer Davis has maintained a heavy presence in the Clay Street area. Off. Davis’ proactivity and community interaction have reduced calls in the Clay Street area.
Officer Davis also had 14 arrests, wrote 52 reports, 25 vehicle stops with 20 citations, 13 parking citations (focusing on Clay Street and Abney Street), had 10 FIRs, and 10 Stop and Frisks. Officer Davis has cleared the warrant list on the share drive for his post as well. All remaining on the list in his post do not live in the area. Officer Davis epitomizes how an APD officer should handle his post in patrol.
July
Congratulations to Officer Travis McQueen for being named Officer of the Month for July.
Officers responded to a burglary in progress call in the 600 block of Tripp Creek Court on June 30, 2018. After searching the house and not locating the suspect, Officer McQueen started his investigation. He obtained video footage of the suspect and sent photos of the suspect to other officers in the department. Officers quickly responded with positive identification of the suspect as Sura Sohna. Sura Sohna has committed several burglaries in Annapolis. On July 1, 2018, Officer McQueen visited Sohna’s house in the 1300 block of Tyler Avenue.
Officer McQueen spoke to Sohna’s mother and obtained consent to search the house. He found evidence linking Sohna to the burglary. Officer McQueen located Sohna in the community and arrested him. Officer McQueen charged Sohna with three felonies and two misdemeanors.
Sohna's probation officer was able to file for violation of Sohna’s probation with 15 years of back up time looming. Also, to validate Officer McQueen’s good work, Sohna was indicted on July 27, 2018 in Circuit Court. Sohna has numerous theft and burglary charges in his past and this arrest and violation should prevent him from committing further crimes.
Great job getting him off the street.
Officer McQueen also led the squad in arrests, with nine, and maintains a strong presence every workday in communities that experience the most violent crime, keeping calls for service in those communities to a minimum.
June
The entire Annapolis Police Department has been named Officer of the Month for June 2018 for the response to the Capital Gazette on June 28, 2018. There are so many officers that had a hand in the quick response and resolution and with the events that followed the capture of the suspect.
Many officers were at the scene quickly and either entered the building or helped set up the perimeter, secured the bank and helped with traffic. Officers helped with the evacuation of the injured and those that worked inside of 888 Bestgate. We escorted them to the bank and then to the reunification center. Officers kept spectators from getting too close to the scene.
Officers and dispatchers helped handle all of the phone calls, radio transmissions and called officers in to work early. Officers came in early and went to the road to handle calls for service. Officers held debriefings and conducted follow-ups with those who were at the scene. Officers worked side by side with the county to get information out to the public.
Everyone did an outstanding job and answered the call. Thanks to everyone.
Congratulations to the Annapolis Police Department.
May
Congratulations to Officer John Murphy for being named Officer of the Month for May 2018.
Beginning the first week of May Officer Murphy received an anonymous tip that a resident of a home on Rosemary Street was selling CDS from the home. Based on the information he received a trash inspection was conducted. Cocaine and opiate paraphernalia was recovered from the trash.
Surveillance was conducted and suspected drug activity was observed, further validating the information Officer Murphy received.
Based on all the information gathered, Officer Murphy obtained a search and seizure warrant for the home. As a result multiple items of drug paraphernalia were recovered and an adult male resident was arrested.
Officer Murphy was able to investigate this complaint and bring a resolution for the neighborhood while working as a patrol officer, handling calls for service and completing his other duties.
Congratulations to Officer Murphy for his achievement and hard work.
April
March
Congratulations to Officer Gustavo Martinez!
Officer Martinez is always prepared for work. He maintains a good work ethic and attitude and never complains about job assignments.
Officer Martinez responded quickly when Anne Arundel County Police put out a lookout for a vehicle with an armed subject that might be returning to the Woodside Gardens neighborhood. He located the vehicle and stopped the subjects inside it until backup arrived. Three subjects were detained and a loaded handgun was recovered in the pocket of Jim Sheppard.
February
Congratulations to Officer George Artigues!
Officer Artigues worked a total of 10 days and made 8 arrests including one for robbery. He responded to 113 calls for service and made 20 vehicle stops with 22 citations/warnings/equipment repair orders. He made 7 warrant attempts. He also completed 4 field interviews.
Officer Artigues always presents himself ready for work and is willing to assist any other officer when needed. He continuously leads his shift in stats and productivity and has requested to take on trainees to help them on their beginning steps as police officers.
January
Congratulations to Officer George Artigues for being named Officer of the Month for January 2018.
On January 17, 2018 Officer Artigues responded to 1165 Madison Street in reference to a strong arm robbery that had just occurred. With the assistance of other members of Squad B Officer Artigues was able to quickly identify the two suspects involved. Officer Artigues quickly completed charging documents for the two and secured a search warrant for one of the subject’s residences. When that warrant was executed one of the suspects was located inside the residence. Both subjects have long criminal histories to include other crimes of violence. Both were committed to the Anne Arundel County Detention Center. This was a thorough investigation conducted at the Squad level by Officer Artigues. Officer Artigues takes pride in his work, handling this incident from start to finish, and he should be commended for it. His actions motivate other officers to perform at a higher level.
Congratulations to Officer Artigues for his achievement and hard work.
2017 Officers of the Month
December
Congratulations to Officer Courtney Moore for being named Officer of the Month for December 2017.
During the month of December 2017 Officer Moore worked a total of 10 days. During that time, Officer Moore responded to 94 calls for service, conducted 14.75 hours of foot patrol within his assigned post, attempted to serve 5 warrants, made 13 vehicle stops, and completed 10 FIR's. As a result of his proactive posture within his area of responsibility, Officer Moore made 11 arrests. These arrests included on-view CDS, theft, traffic and warrants.
Congratulations to Officer Moore for his achievement and hard work.
November
Congratulations to Officer Deborah Sauriol-Inoni for being named Officer of the Month for November 2017.
On 11/14/2017 Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni responded to the Rite Aid for report of a shoplifting that occurred on 11/13/17. Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni was able to obtain video surveillance and identified the suspect as Jonell Brown. Brown is a frequent shoplifter (12 charges related since 10/1/17) so before filing for charges Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni contacted the State’s Attorney’s office so an assistant state’s attorney could review the charging documents and then be ready for the initial appearance to secure a bond for Brown.
On 11/18/17, Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni was the first to arrive to the homicide on President St. She immediately took control of the scene. She advised other officers to come to the scene to set up a crime scene. She made sure people did not touch the victim. She did this as the only officer on scene. Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni spoke to the victim and encouraged him to keep fighting. Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni made sure other officers as they arrived contacted and kept witnesses on the scene so they could be available for detectives. Throughout this time, Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni was calm and clear on the radio. Because of her actions, the scene was preserved and witnesses were interviewed.
While handling her regular calls, Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni continued to follow up with prior cases.
On case 17-3022, Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni responded to Cricket Wireless for theft of cell phones. Three cell phones were taken at a value of $1,500.00. Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni reviewed the video footage but even after sending a BOLO no one could identify the suspect. Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni then went to Thrifty Muffler behind Cricket and looked at their camera footage. She was able to identify a possible suspect vehicle. She then put a request in for the license plate reader on West St. With the information from the tag reader and the video surveillance from Cricket Wireless, Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni was able to identify the suspect and apply for charges for the theft.
On cases 17- 4228, 17-4232, and 17-4487, Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni responded to a credit card fraud perpetuated on a 90 year old woman. The suspect also took the credit card from the woman’s granddaughter. Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni was able to obtain video footage of where the cards were used in Annapolis, Bowie, and Hyattsville. Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni was able to obtain 18 charges against the caretaker of the victim. Ofc. Sauriol-Inoni is still investigating to get more charges for using the credit cards for Lyft and Uber and will be issuing a subpoena soon.
September
Congratulations to Officer Hipsky for being named Officer of the Month for September!
On September 20, 2017 Ofc Hipsky was the first officer to arrive at the scene of a double shooting in the area of 1148 Medgar Evers Street. Upon his arrival he located two victims. Ofc Hipsky utilized his training and experience as a veteran officer and quickly triaged both victims. Realizing the severity of the injuries sustained by the male victim, he transitioned to administering life saving measures and performed CPR for several minutes on this victim until AFD arrived on scene.
While performing CPR, Ofc Hipsky was able to able to speak with the female victim until additional officers arrived on scene. As a result of Ofc Hipsky’s quick thinking and actions, the severely injured male victim was able to be transported to Baltimore Shock Trauma for further treatment. Unfortunately the male victim would later succumb to his injuries; however, Ofc Hipsky should be commended for sustaining the victim’s life long enough that the victim was given a chance at survival. Ofc Hipsky should be recognized for his quick forethought, actions taken, and dedication to our profession as well as the public we serve.
August
Congratulations to Officer Brett Schrack for being named Officer of the Month for August.
On August 22nd at 6:24pm officers responded to the unit block of Georgetown Court for a suicidal person. Dispatchers told officers that the caller stated he wanted to die and wanted police to kill him. The caller said he would approach officers with knives to force officers to shoot him, or he would stab them. Officers quickly arrived on scene and set up in positions near the home. Officer Schrack was in front of the home when the man exited armed with two knives. Officer Schrack gave several verbal commands to the man to drop the knives and convince him to not hurt himself. The man began to cut his own neck with one of the knives. Officer Schrack deployed his TASER and was able to prevent the man from causing serious harm to himself. The man was subdued and subsequently transported to a local hospital.
The man had minor stab wounds to his neck near the carotid artery. Had Officer Schrack not deployed his TASER the man would have caused a serious and possibly fatal injury to himself.
July
Congratulations to Officer Mildred Taveras who was named Officer of the Month for July.
Officer Taveras worked 12 days in the month of July. During that time she conducted 69 hrs of foot patrol within the 15 and 16 post communities and commercial establishments. Most notably as a result of her presence within the community, Officer Taveras observed a female subject commit a theft from the Rite Aid located in the Eastport Shopping Center. The suspect attempted to elude Officer Taveras but was apprehended in the Harbour House community. This arrest, albeit not significant when compared to other arrests, demonstrates Officer Taveras’ commitment to the community she patrols by being out of her vehicle and on foot, looking out for interests of local business establishments.
Officer Taveras extends her presence by conducting traffic enforcement when necessary and prudent. As a result, she conducted 16 traffic stops during July resulting in the issuance of 20 citations, 6 SERO’s, and 4 warnings. Her proactive presence within the community resulted in 6 arrests in July. It should also be noted that Officer Taveras speaks Spanish and is often called upon by APD, as well as AACoPD and MSP, for assistance in providing translation. She does this without hesitation or complaint. Officer Taveras consistently exhibits dedication, professionalism, and service with a positive attitude towards the residents of Annapolis.
Thank you Officers Taveras for the outstanding job.
June
Congratulations to Officer George Artigues who was named Officer of the Month for June.
Officer Artigues worked 14 days in the month of June. During that time he had seven arrests, walked 27 hours of foot patrol, and conducted 42 traffic stops. He maintained a proactive presence within his assigned post. Most notable was his awareness of a reported stolen auto (201700002484) which he discovered while walking foot patrol within the Robinwood Community. The vehicle was recovered and, most importantly, the suspect was arrested. Officer Artigues presents a model image for the department and maintains a positive attitude during the course of his duties.
Thank you Officers Artigues for the outstanding job.
May
Congratulations to Officer Joe Mann who was named Officer of the Month for May 2017.
On May 21st at 12:20am officers responded to West Street at Hudson Street for a check the welfare of a man who had taken off his clothes, but had been wearing a black shirt and brown pants. The man has a history of mental illness and is homeless. He was agitated at the predicament he was in and was wearing a pair of brown pants that were completely torn at the legs. He has very few possessions in life and due to his mental status has a difficult time retaining those possessions, as he forgets where he leaves things. Officer Mann is familiar with the man and has a good rapport with him.
After seeing the condition of the man's clothing, Officer Mann went back to his personal vehicle and retrieved a large bag of old and brand new clothing he was getting rid of and gave all of the clothing to the man without hesitation. The weather was a bit chilly and there were no long pants in the bag of clothing. Officer Mann spent his own money on a pair of pants and when he returned to work on his next shift made a point of finding the man and giving him the pants so he could stay warm in the chilly overnight air.
Thank you Officer Mann for the outstanding job.
April
Congratulations to Officer Brittany Artigues for being named Officer of the Month for April.
Off. Artigues was involved in two incidents in April that are noteworthy:
17-1600 Officers responded to the 1500 block of Forest Dr for a theft that just occurred. The suspect was seen running towards the Annapolis Middle School. Off. Artigues located the suspect in the 1300 block of Tyler Av. The victim made a positive ID on the suspect. The suspect was arrested and charged. Off. Artigues had the foresight to respond to the area where the suspect was most likely traveling to and subsequently located them.
17-1610 Officers responded to the 1200 block of Oak Hill Pl for an overdose. Off. Artigues was the first officer to arrive. She quickly assessed the situation and utilized her medical training to render aid to the victim by directing a roommate to start rescue breathing while she monitored the victim's vitals. This most likely contributed to the survival of the victim.
February
Congratulations to Officer John Lee III for being named officer of the month for February.
On February 25, 2017 Annapolis Police Department officers responded to the 500 block Annapolitan Lane in reference to shots fired. At this residence in this area officers located a victim suffering from gun shot wounds. Miguel Chacon Mendez was identified as the shooter. He fled the scene prior to the arrival of police.
Officer John Lee was in the area of the shooting with other officers and observed two men fleeing from the area on foot. Officer Lee told the other officers in the area what he saw and was able to stop both men. Miguel Chacon Mendez was one of the two men. Officer Lee saw Chacon Mendez throw an object onto grass nearby. Officer Lee walked to the object and saw that it was a handgun. Chacon Mendez was arrested at that time.
The handgun recovered by Officer Lee was connected to the residence where the shooting occurred.
Great work by Officer Lee III
January
Congratulations to Officer Ashton, January's Officer of the Month!