The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office (JSO) recognized six employees of the month at its monthly meritorious awards ceremony September 24, 2009. A Six Pillars of Character award, five Certificates of Commendation, two Certificates of Appreciation, and three Purple Hearts were presented by Sheriff John H. Rutherford. 

Additionally, Rutherford gave special recognition to The 200 Club, a non-profit organization that provides assistance to family members of police officers killed or seriously injured in the line of duty, among their many charitable activities for law enforcement organizations in Northeast Florida.

 "As I present these awards each month, I am proud to recognize the excellent accomplishments of our employees. These recipients are dedicated to 'Working for Justice and Living with Honor'," the Sheriff said. "It is also critical to recognize the citizens and organizations that help us do our jobs day-in and day-out. Without the relationships we have built with the good people of this community we would not be experiencing a decrease in crime."
 

Police Officer of the Month~ Sponsored by Burger King; Detective Elvongie D. Everson, Burglary Unit
Det. Everson is September's recipient because she cracked an unsolved burglary  and forced a career criminal to pay for his crime. In January 2009, while investigating another burglary, Det. Everson learned of an unsolved burglary to a nearby residence which had occurred in 2006.

She took the initiative to assume responsibility for the case. Det. Everson had DNA tests run, re-interviewed witnesses, completed the case file and was able to have a capias (warrant) written for the suspect who was already in jail.  She was able to do all of this, and get the suspect charged within 15 minutes of having the case dropped because of the three year statute of limitations on burglary cases.

Corrections Officer of the Month~ Sponsored by Coggin Automotive; Corrections Officer David L. Harvey, Accreditation Unit
Corrections Ofc. David L. Harvey is September's Corrections Officer of the Month because he worked diligently to ensure that the JSO passed three re-accreditation assessments in 2008.

Because the hard work and attention to detail, by C.O. Harvey and others, the JSO received re-accreditation from the American Correctional Association (ACA), the Commission on Accreditation of Law Enforcement Agencies (CALEA), and the Commission for Florida Law Enforcement Accreditation, Inc, (CFA) . CALEA recommended that the JSO pass with DISTINCTION, and both CALEA and CFA concluded that the JSO was in 100% compliance with all of their mandatory standards.

Civilian Employee of the Month~ Sponsored by Solantic; Police Emergency Communications Officer (PECO) Brandi Keune, Communications
PECO Keune was instrumental in stopping a prank caller who was squandering resources and possibly endangering the lives of officers and citizens by abusing the non-emergency phone system 630-0500.

The suspect was reporting false burglaries in process, armed fights, and unverified 9-1-1 calls in the 2300 to 3000 block of Peach Drive. Since December of 2008, the suspect had called in more than 150 prank calls for service. PECO Keune pulled every non-emergency call in the area and created a spreadsheet documenting the case numbers, times, locations, and the number of repeat calls. The information was used by Police Officer J. Tiedeman, Zone 2 to locate and arrest the suspect.

Civilian/Corrections Supervisor of the Month~ Sponsored by First Coast Security Services Inc.; Corrections Sergeant Bill Messick, Pre-Trial Detention Facility
From January to April 2009, Sgt. Messick volunteered to assist the Jails Division Training Unit at the Firing Range helping corrections personnel pass their semi-annual firearms requalification's.

During this time period, Sgt. Messick certified more than 250 corrections personnel. Because of his training expertise, the pass rate was 100%. Those re-qualifying included corrections officers and dual certified officers, all of whom are required to carry a firearm to perform daily duties. 

Police Supervisor of the Month~ Sponsored by Stein-Mart; Police Sergeant Terrance W.  Riggs, Zone 2
Police Sgt. Terrance W. Riggs is September's Police Supervisor of the Month because his proactive approach to fighting crime demonstrates leadership and provides guidance for the officers working in Zone 2. In March, Sgt. Riggs and the Zone 2 Blue Task Force were responsible for capturing two burglary suspects who were conducting "Smash and Grab" burglaries in Zone 2. Then in April, Sgt. Riggs' task force captured six armed and violent offenders, two stolen cars and multiple firearms, after an armed car jacking incident. 

(Sgt. Riggs was unable to attend the ceremony.)

Reserve Officer/Volunteer of the Month~ Sponsored by Nimnicht Chevrolet; Reserve Sergeant Michael Barr 
In April of 2009, Reserve Sgt. Michael Barr responded to an escaped prisoner call-out. As a result of the quick response of reserve personnel, a perimeter was quickly established and after several hours the suspect was apprehended.  Sgt. Barr is a 15-year veteran of the JSO Reserve Unit. Through the years, he has volunteered as the reserve field training officer and in the Special Events Unit. Most recently Reserve Sgt. Barr is a part of the newly formed Rapid Response Team.

Certificate of Commendation~ Corrections Officer Edward B. Clayman, Pre-Trial Detention Facility
Corrections Ofc. Edward Clayman received a Certificate of Commendation for his actions during an inmate's attempted escape from the Intake Transfer and Release (ITR) station at the Pre-Trial Detention Facility.  The inmate tried to escape as he was being processed into jail. Corrections Ofc. Clayman immediately assisted the arresting officer by chasing the inmate through several parking lots. His aggressive pursuit slowed the inmate down several times, which gave patrol officers and Community Transition Center Sergeant Spates an opportunity to capture the escapee.

Certificates of Commendation~ Homicide Unit Detectives Patrick A. Bodine, Rudolph A. McClain, Juan L. Santiago, and Bryan J. Wolcott
Certificate of Appreciation ~Ms. Janice Lane
Homicide Unit Detectives Patrick A. Bodine, Rudolph A. McClain, Juan L. Santiago, and Bryan J. Wolcott were honored for locating a 19- year-old kidnap victim. Following the kidnapping, there was minimal information available to the detectives. Working quickly and effectively, the detectives were able to identify the suspect and his get-a-way vehicle. Then, by partnering with the U.S. Marshals Service Fugitive Task Force, they were able to determine the general vicinity of where the suspect had taken the victim.

The detectives, patrol officers and the K-9 unit searched the area attempting to locate the suspect, his car and the victim.   Ms. Janice Lane received a Certificate of Appreciation for assisting the JSO in the search for the young woman in her neighborhood. She realized that the suspect had parked his car in her yard. She ran down the street, searching until she located a police officer, advising the officer of the situation. Based on Lane's information, the suspect was located under a shed in the area and arrested. The victim was recovered and reunited with family members. The suspect had threatened the victim, telling her he would take her back to the house where he kidnapped her, and would kill all the occupants and then kill her.

Certificate of Appreciation~ Mr. Carlos Pena
Mr. Carlos Pena received a Certificate of Appreciation from Rutherford for assisting Detective Nicholas Butler in apprehending a career criminal. Det. Butler had entered the Winn Dixie Grocery Store located at 777 Market Street on May 12. Pena was attempting to detain the suspect, Gregory Lawson, for shoplifting.  Det. Butler saw the disturbance and indentified himself to both Pena and Lawson as a JSO detective. Lawson ran from the store. Det. Butler followed him into the parking lot.  A struggle ensued. Lawson was attempting to remove Det. Butler's service weapon from his belt, when Pena stepped into assist Det. Butler. Together, they were able to subdue the suspect.

Purple Heart Presentation~ Zone 5 Police Officers William F. Dyer, Frederick "Buck" Fillingham, and Braden D. Pursell; Sponsored by Ameris Bank and The Justice Coalition
Police Officers William Dyer, Buck Fillingham and Braden Pursell received the Purple Heart award for serious injuries received in the line of duty. The three officers responded to an incident at Hilltop Apartments on the evening of July 20. 

All three of the officers were injured during an altercation with suspected murderer Darryl Waters. The suspect rammed two of the three officer's patrol cars as he entered the Hilltop Apartment Complex, in a stolen patrol vehicle. 

As a result of the incident:
• Police Officer Dyer sustained a torn ACL in his left knee which later required surgery.
• Police Officer Fillingham received a severe  laceration to his left shoulder, where the suspect stabbed him, and
• Police Officer Pursell sustained broken ribs and a bruised lung from the crash.

The Jacksonville Sheriff's Office would like to thank Ameris Bank and The Justice Coalition for partnering to become the new Purple Heart sponsors.

Photo right- (l-r) Zone 5  Police Officers William F. Dyer; Braden D. Pursell; and Frederick "Buck" Fillingham.

The Six Pillars of Character award is given in partnership with Character Counts! In
Jacksonville. Any JSO employee who demonstrates one of the six pillars of character is eligible for this award. Those characteristics are: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring or Citizenship. For more information about the Six Pillars of Character award, or to nominate someone, please go to www.jaxsheriff.org and click on the Six Pillars of Character Award link under INITIATIVES.