The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office recognized five employees of the month at the monthly meritorious awards ceremony, held Thursday, June 18, 2009. Additionally, the Motor Unit presented Sheriff Rutherford with the Champion Trophy won at the 20th Annual Southeast Police Motorcycle Rodeo.

"These award ceremonies give me the opportunity to recognize employees for their hard work and dedication to the agency and the citizens of Jacksonville," said Sheriff Rutherford. "To be surrounded by employees of such high caliber is an honor. I am proud to recognize excellent performance, and let their families and loved ones know how much I appreciate the commitment to public safety each honoree has exhibited."

Police Officer of the Month~ Sponsored by Burger King; Undercover Officer
An undercover detective was named Police Officer of the Month because his thorough investigative skills led him to uncover a drug dealer running an organized dog fighting ring from a Northwest Jacksonville home.

In July 2008 the Vice Unit responded to complaints by neighbors of possible drug sales and dog fighting taking place on the Northside of town. An investigation followed with the detective going undercover and building a relationship with the suspect.

After witnessing the crimes, a search warrant was served and on October 17, 2008 four people were arrested for using animals for the purpose of fighting and drug related charges. More than 100 pit bulls were taken into custody, along with weighing scales, cattle prods, syringes, canine drugs, and other fighting paraphernalia. Illegal narcotics were also taken from the scene. Of the 116 pit bulls confiscated, more than 100 had to be destroyed. The detective's investigation interrupted a dangerous criminal enterprise and may have saved the lives of other animals.

Corrections Officer of the Month~ Sponsored by Coggin Automotive; Corrections Officer Tokena L. Lee; Montgomery Correctional Center
On April 17, 2008 Ofc. Lee was responsible for making sure inmates were secured and accounted for at the Montgomery Corrections Center. As she was conducting an "armband roll call" of the inmates, she noticed a discrepancy.

Ofc. Lee conducted a diligent search of the records at all JSO corrections facilities and discovered that two inmates, with similar names, where both housed in JSO correctional facilities, but listed incorrectly on the rosters.
 
Corrections Officer Tokena L. Lee is the Corrections Officer of the Month her because attention to detail and follow through reinforced the important safety and security protocols of the Montgomery Corrections Center and the PreTrial Detention Facility.

Civilian Employee of the Month~ Sponsored by Solantic; Angela M. Swafford; Fleet Coordinator; Fleet Management Unit
Angela Swafford earned the Civilian Employee of the Month Award because she sets an example for Customer Service in the Fleet Management Unit and supports the Sheriff's core values of "Always Improving" and "Community Focused."

In February 2008 Angela received more than two dozen positive comments related to outstanding service and customer satisfaction for the Fleet Management Unit. She has also been instrumental in implementing the Fleet Management Unit's new procedures that reduce the time for issuing cars and increase overall efficiency. 

Police Supervisor of the Month~ Sponsored by Stein-Mart; Sergeant Barry L. Stevenson, Homicide Unit Violent Crimes Task Force
June's Police Supervisor of the Month is Sergeant Barry L Stevenson. He received this honor because he is a leader with extensive investigative knowledge that has led to many solid arrests in very difficult-to-solve cases.

On July 25, 2008 a home invasion robbery occurred on Beach Blvd. As the suspects were fleeing in the victim's stolen car, the driver accelerated and steered the car into JSO Police Officer C. Kornegay's patrol car. Ofc. Kornegay was able to discharge his duty weapon, striking the  front seat passenger. That passenger, Jerry McTyre, had a shotgun on his lap at the time he was arrested. The driver and the back seat passenger were able to flee on foot and elude responding officers.

On Feb. 26, 2009 the case was assigned to Sgt. Stevenson's Violent Crimes Task Force. Sgt. Stevenson guided the team through the follow-up investigation and they were able to identify the driver as Antonio Stevens.

Through Sgt. Stevenson's excellent supervisory and investigative skills, Stevens was arrested for Attempted Murder and Home-Invasion Robbery. The back seat passenger, Daequain Cooper was also identified and arrested on March 19, 2009. 

Civilian/Corrections Supervisor of the Month~ Sponsored by First Coast Security Services Inc.; Civilian Sergeant Kelly J. Torres, Communications Unit
Sergeant Kelly J. Torres has committed her life to serving her country. She served 13 years in the United States Air Force before joining JSO as a call taker in 1992. In 2003, she became a dispatcher and was then promoted to the rank of Communications Sergeant in 2006.

Sgt. Torres was selected to train Emergency Communications Officers while the regular training Sergeant was on emergency leave. Sgt. Torres then began working on the training processes, with the goal of making them more efficient.

During her time with the training department, 38 new Emergency Communications Officer positions needed to be filled, along with 17 vacancies. Sgt. Torres not only kept up with all the training tasks, she also assisted with the interview and hiring process to get the positions filled, more than doubling her workload.