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Employee of the Month

2010

February:  Winston Meadows
Pfc. Meadows illustrated his dedication to improving the quality of life for the citizens that reside in his assigned zone through his January 2010 investigation of illegal activity of counterfeit DVD movies and CD audio recordings.  Pfc. Meadows began a month long investigation and developed probable cause to obtain a search warrant.  In February 2010, with the assistance from the NC Secretary of State, the search warrant was executed.  Thousands of counterfeit DVD movies and CD audio recordings were seized along with DVD/CD burners, computers, marijuana, numbers tickets, non-tax paid liquor, and counterfeit clothing.  Charges include: Possession With Intent to Sell and Deliver marijuana, manufacturing Marijuana, Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, Sale and Possession of Illegal Lottery Tickets, Possession of Numbers Tickets, Possession of Non Tax Paid Liquor, Illegal Possession of Counterfeit Recordings and Recording Devices.


January:
  Derek Wilkie
As a result of Pfc. Wilkie's alert observation of a suspect vehicle in a B&E occurring in December of 2009 and then his recognition of the same vehicle in January of 2010, two suspects were arrested and charged with multiple felony offenses, which included: 17 B&E Motor Vehicles, 2 Larceny Motor Vehicles, 1 Larceny Gasoline, 3 Armed Robberies.
 

Employee of the Month

2009

 
September:  Stephanie Chatman and Angela Conner
Recognized for illustrating a "great example of teamwork and relying on past training to get them through a very hectic call and situation".  While working in Communications during an active shooting call, both "kept it together and handled the situation". 

August:  Jerry Wade
Recognized for his "forward thinking" and his initiative and "actions resulting in improving the quality of life and overall safety of the citizens of Burlington".  After a female approached Pfc. Wade to report a crime that did not happen in the jurisdiction of the city, the victim provided additional information that was followed up on by Wade.  As a result of his follow up investigation, 3 subjects were arrested and a total of 26 drug and weapons related charges were made.

July:  Al Smith
Recognized for going "above and beyond his normal duties" during the investigation of a stolen wallet.  Through Cpl. Smith's efforts, a suspect was identified.  He then determined the same suspect was involved in 10 fraudulent credit card transactions at 5 Burlington Businesses.  The efforts of this investigation resulted an arrest and 11 Felony and 2 Misdemeanor charges.

April:  Erica Smith and Tatiana Verdeck

Recognized for remaining calm and professional during a fire event and demonstrating their commitment to the Telecommunications Profession and the values for the Burlington Police Department.  Smith received a 9-1-1 call from a subject reference an apartment fire. Smith obtained the pertinent information and turned the conversation over to Verdeck while Smith dispatched Fire units.  Verdeck stayed on the phone with the victim, continuing to calm and reassure her while gathering additional information as to her exact location to be relayed to the responding units.  Two victims were rescued and transported to receive medical treatment within 15 minutes of the original call for help.

 

March:  Phillip Bolton

While investigating a domestic complaint, Cpl. Bolton detected signs of marijuana.  The subsequent investigation revealed 11.5 grams of marijuana and drug paraphernalia. During a follow up interview with the suspect, additional information was obtained leading to the discovery of a small marijuana growing operation.  In addition to plants and equipment, an additional 120 grams of marijuana that had been packaged for sale was discovered. Additional interviews led to additional locations, and another 272 grams of marijuana and cash was seized.  Charges included 14 felonies and 13 misdemeanor charges against 8 individuals.

 

February:  Tom Meisenbach

While patrolling an area where a series of break-ins had occurred, Meisenbach observed suspicious activity at some apartment buildings and began an investigation.  As a result, two arrests were made for B&E of Coin Machine and another suspect was identified.  CID began surveillance of the identified suspect with the goal of solving a large amount of commercial break-ins that had occurred in the area.  As a result of the surveillance, the subject was arrested and linked to over 20 commercial break-ins.

 

January:  Terri Taylor and Sheila Lackey

Recognized for their outstanding work during a time the division was going through personnel changes, and implementation of new computer systems in which they assisted in the training and transition of, while maintaining a high level of customer service and their own workloads.

 

Employee of the Month

2008

 

December:  Tom Meisenbach

Recognized for his investigation of a breaking and entering and larceny.  Through his investigation, Pfc. Identified and charged three suspects and recovered stolen property connected to several cases.

 

November:  Jay Snow

Recognized for his ?diligence, patience and investigative skills? while assisting in the investigation of a Bank Robbery.  Cpl. Snow located crucial evidence and it was his recovery of a fingerprint that provided the necessary elements for the case to be tried on the Federal level.

 

May:  Chad Laws

Recognized ??because of his diligence and persistence?? during an investigation while serving as an SRO. ?Without his efforts we may not have been able to bring the investigation to a close so quickly??  ?Because of Cpl. Laws awareness, the school was able to return to its normal daily activities.?

 

April:  Jennifer Bradley, Phillip Bolton, Kristian Klicker

Recognized for their self-initiative to investigate a citizen?s complaint of possible illegal activity.  The results were the uncovering and elimination of an indoor growing drug operation.  ?This is a fine example of their commitment to teamwork and their commitment to attempting to improve the quality of life for the citizens of this city.?

 

March:  Jared Buckner

Recognized for his actions during a 911 call.  Jared was able to obtain crucial and valuable information during the call that assisted officers to locate a murder suspect quickly and the murder weapon.

 

February: Jack Boyles

Recognized for his conscientiousness and work ethic that led to him to discover a serious crime in progress involving a juvenile victim in which he acted upon and made an arrest.  Boyles works to follow up and clear cases daily and this was one example of his exceptional work.

 

2007 Recipients

 

November:  Chris Edwards

Recognized for his ?officer safety skills on his approach to the business as well as once he arrived? after being dispatched to an alarm call.  Due to his actions and tactical thinking, officers were able to apprehend a suspect inside the business and make several charges, which include the following: Breaking and Entering, Larceny after B&E, Safe Cracking, Attempted Larceny after B&E, Simple Possession Marijuana, Injury to Real Property.

 

 

October:  Jeff Patterson

Recognized for the work he does daily in the Animal Services Division as an Animal Control Officer.  Jeff was complimented for being a ?TEAM? player and assisting where he was needed.  Jeff is very familiar with the City and the people who live here.  Jeff was commended for his work in particular while responding to a call and his ?calm professional fashion? in which he dealt with a difficult situation.

 

 

August:   Matt Huckabee and Osceola Red Shirt

After responding to a Domestic Disturbance call, these officers located numerous baggies of marijuana and items of drug paraphernalia at the residence.  From this arrest, the suspect continued to cooperate and gave detailed information of his involvement in local drug sales and distribution.  This information led to the arrests of 4 additional people on 12 felony drug offenses.

 

 

May:     Jeremy Paul

For his dedication to not only serving and protecting at his assigned school, as a School Resource Officer, but for the safety of all young people attending school in the City of Burlington.  In April 2007, Cpl. Paul updated all of the Critical Incident Response Maps for both the public and private schools.  To ensure accuracy, he made personal visits to each school and then distributed the information to all the BPD Bureaus.

 

March:    Enos Henderson, Osceola Red Shirt, Matt Huckabee

While theses 3 officers were working together on a Weed & Seed assignment, they observed a vehicle commit a minor traffic violation.  The vehicle was stopped and occupants questioned.  Based on the responses of the occupants and an odor of burning marijuana from the vehicle, the vehicle was searched.  Located during the search were 24 clear baggies of Heroin, or 4.3 grams.  Both suspects were arrested and charged with numerous felony drug charges and the vehicle was seized.

 

February:   Jennifer Bradley

Officer Bradley made a traffic stop when suspecting the driver was impaired.  When speaking to the driver, she noticed a strong odor of marijuana coming from the vehicle.  A large amount of marijuana and controlled substances were located inside the vehicle. The items found, along with Officer Bradley?s interview, led to a more in-depth investigation.  Special Operation detectives were called out and the investigation then led to a search of the vehicle occupants? residence.  Items seized during the search included paraphernalia associated with the growing, cultivation, manufacture and processing of marijuana and live marijuana plants and processed marijuana totaling 7,864 grams with a street resale value in excess of $250,000.

 

January:   Rafael Nieves & Dana Mitchell

After a routine contact with a 14-year-old boy, these officers made extra efforts to build and maintain a relationship with him.  They followed up to make sure he was attending school and made contact with his teachers.  The officers discovered the boy and his mother were struggling in means of food and shelter.  The officers assisted this family by making contacts with the appropriate community resources to improve their living condition.  The officers also committed personal time and resources.  After their Team discovered their efforts, the Team contributed and helped the family with needed items at Christmas.  ?These officers identified a humanitarian issue and quietly made every attempt to make the lives of this family better. This was done without fanfare and reward. Neither officer asked for nor sought recognition for their actions and quite honestly dismissed their efforts in an attempt to minimize their involvement.?

 

2006 Recipients

 

December

Brian Long, Sam Epps, Annie Boone

All 3 officers were instrumental of collecting information and based on the information, setting up an undercover drug buy, which resulted in two arrests. 61.1 grams of cocaine and 7.4 grams of marijuana were seized.

 

November

Rick McBride

While entering the parking lot of a convenience store, Cpl.

McBride noticed a male leaving abruptly from the business. Due to Cpl. McBride?s observation and quick reactions to include pursuing the subject on foot and relaying vital information via the radio, the subject was arrested without incident.

 

October

Graham Sappington

Recognized for his work during an investigation of an

Armed Robbery of the Car Shop. He was able to build a rapport and obtain both a verbal and written confession from the suspect.  Graham used ?good interview technique and patience in doing his job?.

 

September

Eric Watkins

Recognized for his work in an undercover alcohol sting.  As

a result of his efforts, 18 employees at seventeen establishments were charged with selling alcohol to a minor.

 

August

Annie Boone

Recognized for her initiative in responding to reported drug

activity, resulting in a search, seizure of drugs and paraphernalia, and an arrest

 

July

Jeremy Coleman

Recognized for his exceptional work and follow up on

several investigations resulting in confessions.

 

June

Josh Hall

Recognized for his work after his response to a B&E

alarm and break-in. Through his investigation, he developed a suspect resulting in an arrest.

 

May

Maurice Hedgepeth & Reid Metters

Recognized for their investigation of a Breaking and Entering resulting in a confession and recovering property.

 

January

 

Bill Marsh

 

Recognized for going above the call of duty during his

Investigation of a False Pretense/Embezzlement case at J R Tobacco.  His investigation involved interviewing several subjects, which resulted in 2 taped confessions.  Five suspects were charged with 18 felony charges.

 

2005 Recipients

 

December

Jack Boyles

Recognized for his response and investigation of a robbery

at Sam?s Food Mart.  Through his thorough on-scene investigation and follow up investigation, this case was solved, along with a Graham robbery where shots were fired.

 

November

Charlie Shehan

Recognized for his ?uncanny recollection in his

investigations of suspects and events.? He has been able to utilize informants and information from the street to close cases. These skills came into play during his investigation of an Armed Robbery in October. After obtaining a description of the suspect, Pfc. Shehan developed a suspect based on his past dealings with people and recalling specific identifying marks when described to him from the victims.

 

October

Rick McBride

Recognized for his work coordinating Street Operations

targeting specific areas with a history of problems including drugs and prostitution. Cpl. McBride has planned, coordinated, and implemented street operations on Key St. & Ireland St. resulting in arrests while portraying a positive & professional image and showing that the City and BPD is concerned with safety and quality of life issues facing our community. Operations Cpl. McBride has contributed to have produced a 100% conviction in court to date.

September

No nominations

 

 

August

Shane Brown

Recognized for his work during an investigation of a Home

Invasion in which due to Detective Brown?s work and quick response, property was recovered, confessions were obtained and six (6) individuals were arrested.  Brown was commended for being a team player, his work ethic and investigative skills.

 

July

Chip Ferguson

Recognized for his assistance when he observed a

suspicious person when he was leaving Grill Works. He then heard a Robbery call dispatched over his radio and through his actions of staying close by in the area and observing the suspect running, Chip was able to divert the direction the suspect was running in and officers were then able to apprehend the suspect.

 

June

Bruce Shoe

Recognized for his work during an investigation of a larceny

and fraud. While off duty and on his way home, Officer Shoe recognized the suspect, who was walking down the street, from the store video.  Identification of this suspect resulted in an arrest and charges of multiple felonies involving four different victims and two jurisdictions, including a recovered stolen vehicle.

 

May

Brian Becmer

Recognized for his work during an investigation

in March after officers responded to a riot with shots fired.  Through observant police work by Brian, three suspects were arrested, 2 firearms seized along with 57 grams of marijuana and $960.00 in cash.

 

April

Sam Epps,  Phillip Bolton & Lisa Overcash

Lisa was recognized for her attentiveness in the Records Division that helped a victim recover his $4,000.00 bicycle.

Sam Epps & Phillip Bolton were recognized for their work on an investigation of drug activity which resulted in them executing a search warrant, making 13 felony charges, 4 misdemeanor charges, seizing 130 grams of cocaine, $1,600.00 cash, recovering a stolen handgun, and seizing 2 vehicles.  They displayed what could be accomplished by working as a team to identify and solve a problem.

 

March

Johnie Keeter

Recognized for his work during an investigation

of an Assault. Keeter demonstrated his commitment and dedication to the victim and community as he continued the investigation on his day off and identified 5 suspects involved in the assault. Several charges were made and Keeter is continuing with attempting to locate additional information and whereabouts of the suspects.

 

February

Leslie Valencia

Recognized for her performance during the

attempted service of a warrant.  Officer Valencia discovered 7.5 pounds of marijuana, 120.4 grams of crack, fake ID and Social Security cards and over $20,000.00 in cash.

 

January

Laura Aldrich

Recognized for her work on the Web Page,

Creating DV and ID Theft pamphlets and various tasks in the Criminal Investigations Division.

2004 Recipients

 

January

 

February

 

March

 

April

 

May

 

June

 

July

 

August

Cpl. R. P. Ingram

 

Dink Vaughn

 

Pfc. J. Comer & Cpl. M. Rascoe

 

Sgt. C. Gaddis

 

Pfc. J. Coleman

 

Paula Enz

 

Ptl. L. Maness

 

Cpl. J. Paul & Pfc. H. S. Brown

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

September

 

Cpl. T Somers

 

Recognized for his work towards Community

complaints and problems.  Specifically acknowledged for his efforts while off-duty on September 8, 2004 when he aided the Graham Police Department in apprehending a purse-snatching suspect.

 

October         Sgt. R. Metters

Recognized for his work during a Forgery &

Uttering investigation.  Through his efforts, Sgt. Metters was able to identify more than one victim and charged the suspect with multiple offenses including First Degree Burglary, Unauthorized Use of Motor Vehicle, 4 Counts Forgery & Uttering, 2 Counts Common Law Robbery.

 

November 

 Brian Becmer

Recognized for his actions while off duty

shopping at BMOC when he observed subjects acting suspicious.  He notified the officer working at BMOC and assisted.  Property worth $1,749.63 that had not been paid for from several stores was recovered.

 

December

 

 Annie Jones

 

Recognized for her work on a Counterfeit

Investigation.  Through her investigation, more than one suspect was identified, additional counterfeit money was found along with the equipment and location where the money was being made.