Behind the Badge
Police officers wear many hats these days. Depending on the situation, they might have to be “a counselor, a psychologist, a mediator, a social worker, a friend and, unfortunately, a judge and a jury when confronted with a decision to use deadly force
Negative publicity over officer-involved shootings in other parts of the country was clearly on the mind of Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada May 28 when his force gathered at The Grove of Anaheim for its annual awards and retirement ceremony.
“This is a tough and dangerous job that is often taken for granted…And always an easy target for blame,” the chief told the crowd. “Despite daily negative comments, you continue to come to work each and every day.”
Why?
Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada talks about those receiving awards during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
“Because they care. And they want to make a difference in Anaheim.”
Quezada said officers are rarely thanked.
“The person they helped is all they need to fuel their drive until their next shift.”
And that is why the awards ceremony is important.
Quezada thanked the force’s families for standing by them.
“They get up with you, make your lunch and kiss you goodbye. They are your rock.”
Dyan Hobday sings the national anthem during the opening of Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
He asked everyone in attendance, more than 400, to “proudly spread the word that you are a member of the Anaheim Police Department. Tell them that police department employees are your heroes. God bless the Anaheim Police Department.”
Over the next two hours, actor/voice-over artist Michael Villani called out dozens of awards. Honorees took the stage to snippets of famous theme songs (from “The Pink Panther,” “Rocky,” “The Andy Griffith Show”) as attendees applauded while dining on chicken, pasta and desserts.
COMMUNITY MEMBER RECOGNITION AWARDS
Esther Wallace receives the Community Member Recognition award from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Esther Wallace accepted her award with a cane and a corsage pinned to her pink sweater set. She started the West Anaheim Neighborhood Development (WAND) Council 18 years ago along with the annual West Anaheim BBQ, where “her sauce is legendary.”
Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada presents the Community Member Recognition award to Kevin Kidney.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Kevin Kidney was honored for bringing Green Bird to Anaheim (after seeing it in action in Tokyo). The eco-conscious group works with business owners and residents with the philosophy that a clean town can lead to clean hearts and clean minds.
Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada presents the Community Member Recognition award to Robert Ahardt.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Robert Ahart was recognized for contacting police over a hunch that gang members were using a house in his neighborhood as a hangout. “The unsavory tenants were evicted.”
Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada presents the Community Member Recognition award to Paul “Andy” Klein.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Paul “Andy” Klein read an Anaheim Hills Buzz Facebook post about $33,000 worth of trees that had been chopped down in Ronald Reagan Park. He later heard some kids talking about the crime and tipped off police, leading to arrests. The kids’ parents paid for the damage.
SPECIAL APPRECIATION AWARDS
FBI Special Agent Steve Wrathall was honored for helping the department become a leader in cracking down on human trafficking.
Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada presents Sandra Sagert of Anaheim Code Enforcement a Special Appreciation Award during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Sandra Sagert accepted an award on behalf of Anaheim Code Enforcement for working with police to reduce blight from the city’s homeless population.
Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada presents Lynn Fulton of Coast to Coast Foundation a Special Appreciation Award.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Lynn Fulton accepted an award on behalf of the Coast to Coast Foundation for its mission to help the homeless population in the city find the resources they need to get off the streets.
Ken Johnson, right, receives the Operations Division Officer of the Year award from Capt. Mark Cyprien during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony. Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AWARDS
Ken Johnson was named Officer of the Year in the Operations Division for being a leader and a team player.
Michael Fernandez, right, receives the Operations Division Sergeant of the Year award from Capt. Mark Cyprien during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Michael Fernandez got Sergeant of the Year for being a mentor and a coach.
Robert Warren was named Investigator of the Year for revitalizing the anti-terrorism program.
Caroline Gonzalez, right, receives the Special Operations Division Employee of the Year award from Capt. Mark Cyprien during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Caroline Gonzalez, who works in traffic control, got the Special Operations Employee of the Year award for, in part, developing an electronic system to report abandoned vehicles.
Julissa Trapp, right, receives the Investigations Division Detective of the Year award from Capt. Eric Carter during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Julissa Trapp was named Detective of the Year. She led the investigation of two paroled sex offenders who removed their electronic tracking devices to commit murders. Trapp got laughs when she took a selfie on stage.
Jason Smith, right, receives the Investigations Division Investigator of the Year award from Capt. Eric Carter during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Jason Smith was named Investigator of the Year for his work on the gang detail. He used his rapport on the streets to find the shooter of a 9-year-old girl struck by gunfire outside her house.
Christina Medina, right, receives the Investigations Division Employee of the Year award from Capt. Eric Carter during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Christina Medina was named Employee of the Year in the Investigations Division. Because of her work on a murder case, “now two dangerous men are off the streets.”
Terri O’Sullivan, right, receives the Administration Division Employee of the Year award from Capt. Ben Hittesdorf during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Terri O’Sullivan was named Civilian Professional of the Year in the Administration Division, partly for her ever-present smile and problem-solving skills. She got a huge round of applause. O’Sullivan does payroll.
Steve Marcin, right, receives the Administration Division Officer of the Year award from Capt. Ben Hittesdorf during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Lt. Steve Marcin was named Officer of the Year in the Administration Division. He overseas professional standards, including the body cameras now worn by all officers.
Joseph Hockenberry, right, receives the Support Services Division Employee of the Year award from Division Commander Shelly McKerren during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
In the Support Services Division, Property and Evidence Tech Joseph Hockenberry was named Employee of Year. A lady in the crowd erupted into screams leading Villani to joke that he hoped Hockenberry’s wife was in the crowd, otherwise he had a stalker.
Jacques Laffoon, left, and Mathew Beck, right, receive the Operations Support Division Officers of the Year award from Capt. Jaret Young during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Mathew Beck and Jacques Laffoon were named Operations Support Division Officers of the Year. In 2014, the department got more than 1,500 psychiatric calls. These two handled 405 of them.
Nancy Loewe, right, receives the Operations Support Division Employee of the Year award from Capt. Jaret Young during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Nancy Loewe, a crime prevention specialist, got Employee of the Year in the Operations Support Division for organizing the program Coffee with a Cop.
Jennie Negrete walks out on stage with Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada as she receives the Chief’s Civilian Professional of the Year award during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Jennie Negrete was named Civilian Professional of the Year in the Chief’s Division. Negrete, who grew up in Anaheim, took the stage with a cane. She started out as a custodian at City Hall and now sorts through the daily mail at the police department. She also greets co-workers “with a smile and a kind word and even a hug.” She was the only awardee to request the mic. “Thank you everyone,” she said to big applause.
Steve Sheflin, left, and Antonio Reyes, right, receive the Reserve Officer of the Year awards from Capt. Mark Cyprien during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Reserve Officer of the Year, “for little money and almost no recognition,” went to Steve Sheflin and Tony Reyes. The two worked 435 hours last year combined and team up often.
Sgt. Mike Sigmund, right, receives the Meritorious Service award from Capt. Mark Cyprien during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
The Meritorious Service Award went to Sgt. Mike Zigmund.
The Records Bureau receives the Unit of the Year award during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
The Records Bureau nabbed Unit of the Year.
Records Manager Barbara Nail (right) with Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada, left, and Anaheim Deputy Chief Julian Harvey, right, after receiving her Career Achievement medal for 30 years of service.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Records Manager Barbara Nail gets a hug from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada as she receives her Career Achievement medal after 30 years of service.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
One of the biggest honors of the night was the Joseph T. Molloy Career Achievement Award, named after a man described as “the Vince Lombardi of chiefs” in a video montage. The award went to recently retired (after 30 years) Records Manager Barbara Nail, who is credited with moving the department records into the online world and offering “care and compassion to victims of domestic violence,” some of whom wrote her letters of thanks.
Officer Jose Duran, right, receives a Lifesaving Medal “for quick actions and immediate lifesaving efforts that saved a 5-year-old girl’ from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Officer Ken Johnson receives a Lifesaving Medal “for quick actions and immediate lifesaving efforts that saved a 5-year-old girl’ from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Officer Ted Petropulos receives a Lifesaving Medal “for quick actions and immediate lifesaving efforts that saved a 5-year-old girl’ from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
The Lifesaving Award went to three officers. Medals were hung on the necks of Jose Duran, Ken Johnson and Ted Petropulos for saving a girl who severed her arteries after running through a sliding glass door.
Officer Jesse Romero receives the Distinguished Service medal from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Officer R.J. Young, center, receives the Distinguished Service medal for “courageous and brave actions while providing emergency assistance while shot were fired on partners at the Orange County Probation Department”, from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada, left, and Deputy Chief Julian Harvey during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
The Distinguished Service Award went to Sgt. James Cossin, Investigator Paul Delgado, Officer Jesse Romero and canine handler Officer R.J. Young. Last year the officers, along with Bruno the police dog, took fire from a suspect. Bruno located the man to some trash cans where he was shot in the face. He was rushed to an animal hospital and later recovered, making international headlines and retiring a hero. Bruno got his award last year. This year his co-workers got theirs. “Their bravery in the face of imminent danger” got them a standing ovation.
Officer Brian Snowden receives the Distinguished Service medal for “fast reaction and quick thinking during an armed felony car stop” from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Officer Jonathan McClintock receives the Distinguished Service medal for “fast reaction and quick thinking during an armed felony car stop” from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Officers Brian Snowden and Jonathan McClintock also nabbed Distinguished Service awards. Last July the officers were arresting a gang member when they felt a gun in his waistband. The suspect “spun around and broke grip and reached for the gun.” Mcclintock shot the suspect once in the hip area, ending the fight “and saving the lives of each of those officers.”
Abigail Vasquez sings during the closing of Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada talks about those receiving awards during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Helen Scott receives the V.F.W. Volunteer of the Year award from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada, left, and Anaheim Deputy Chief Julian Harvey during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Patrick Bradley receives the V.F.W. Officer of the Year award from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada, left, and Anaheim Deputy Chief Julian Harvey during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Officer Happy Medina, center, receives the TIP Officer of the Year award from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada, left, and Anaheim Deputy Chief Julian Harvey during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Lt. Sharon Pietrok receives recognition of 24 years of service during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Capt. Robert Conklin, right, receives recognition of 34 years of service during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Sgt. Mark Irwin is recognized for his 24 years of service. Photo courtesy of APD
Maura Cruz, center left, Crystal Paqua and Heidi Geary receive the California Public Safety Radio Association Award from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada, left, and Anaheim Deputy Chief Julian Harvey during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony. Not present are Heather Madrick, Michelle Siemer and Rachel Fitzgerald.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Sgt. Mike Lozeau receives the Anaheim Masonic Lodge Community Service award from Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada, left, and Anaheim Deputy Chief Julian Harvey during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Anaheim Police Chief Raul Quezada presents the Harold A. Bastrup Explorer of the Year award to Anthony Melendrez during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Anaheim PD Explorer Omar Gallardo receives the Dr. Alice Grant Scholarship.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Receiving the Anaheim Police Survivors & Scholarship Fund are Caitlin Nguyen, left, Samantha Grisotti and Branden Estrada. Not present are Madelyn Atkinson and Madison Lynch.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Officer Bruce Linn, center, receives recognition of 25 years of service during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
Senior Secretary Karyn Flutts, center, receives recognition of 11 years of service during Anaheim PD’s 2015 Awards and Retirement Ceremony.
Photo by Steven Georges/Behind the Badge OC
