Posted on Friday, 15th May 2009 by Glenn D. Frankovis
Last night I had the pleasure of attending the Milwaukee Police Department Awards Ceremony honoring exemplary performance on the part of members of the Milwaukee Police Department. There were too many recipients to list all of their individual achievements, so I have copied and pasted the achievements of several award recipients to give the reader a flavor of the kinds of deeds that earned them this recognition:
MERITORIOUS SERVICE
POLICE OFFICER RICHARD K. LITWIN
POLICE OFFICER STEVEN L. STRASSER
Police Officer Richard K. Litwin, and Police Officer Steven L. Strasser, District 3, are hereby awarded a Meritorious Service award under the following circumstances:
On Friday, September 5, 2008 at 2:27 p.m. , Officers Strasser and Litwin were on patrol when they saw a man being attacked by two people in a doorway of a food store. The officers noticed that one of the subjects was wearing latex gloves and had a handgun in his right hand. When the subjects saw the officers approaching, they ran.
Officer Litwin pursued one of the subjects on foot, while Officer Strasser drove their squad to cut off the path of the other the fleeing subject. After their apprehension, Officer Litwin canvassed the area of the chase and recovered a loaded, semi-automatic pistol and a pair of latex gloves concealed in a gangway window well. Both subjects were charged with attempted armed robbery. One is an admitted member of a criminal street gang.
Officer Litwin and his partner displayed diligence and teamwork in apprehending two individuals for attempted armed robbery.
MERITORIOUS SERVICE
SERGEANT JASON MUCHA
POLICE OFFICER MICKAL J. CHEMLICK
POLICE OFFICER JEFFREY A. CLINE
POLICE OFFICER WILLIAM J. ESQUEDA, SR.
POLICE OFFICER MICHAEL A. VAGNINI
On October 6, 2008 , at 11:10 p.m. , these officers were on patrol and were alert to the fact that multiple armed robberies had happened there within recent weeks. They saw a subject in dark clothing with his arms hidden beneath his black windbreaker. The subject started walking away quickly, ignoring the officers’ commands that he take his hands out of his pockets. Officers pursued the subject saw that he was armed with a gun – in fact, he pulled a sawed-off shotgun, which he was concealing underneath his jacket near his hip area, and dropped it to the floor. He was arrested. Due to the sergeant and officers’ diligence and tenacity, an armed suspect was apprehended.
MERITORIOUS SERVICE
POLICE OFFICER CHAD E. BOYACK
POLICE OFFICER NATHAN H. FAGER
Police Officer Chad E. Boyack and Police Officer Nathan H. Fager, District 5, are hereby awarded a Meritorious Service award under the following circumstances:
On December 20, 2008 , at 1:30 a.m. , Officer Boyack and his partner heard a broadcast of a robbery of a pizza delivery employee. Upon their arrival, the officers saw a pizza box in the middle of the street and footprints in the fresh snow leaving the scene. Officers Boyack and Fager followed the footprints through backyards, over fences, and through deep snow to a residence.
A subject matching the physical description of the robbery suspect was located within the residence. He had attempted to hide the black clothing he wore in the robbery in a laundry basket. Further inspection of the laundry basket revealed a neoprene facemask that was also identified as being used in the robbery.
Officers Boyack and Fager displayed exceptional observation skills, diligence, and initiative by identifying the footprint evidence and subsequently locating the subject responsible for an armed robbery.
MERITORIOUS SERVICE
POLICE OFFICER CHAD E. BOYACK
POLICE OFFICER NATHAN H. FAGER
Police Officer Chad E. Boyack and Police Officer Nathan H. Fager, District 5, are hereby awarded a Meritorious Service award under the following circumstances:
On January 19, 2009 at 11:35 p.m. , Officers Boyack and Fager were in area where an armed robbery occurred. A radio broadcast described three subjects in this offense. They couldn’t find them.
On January 20, 2009 , Officers Boyack and Fager went back to the area to find the robbery suspects from the prior day. They went to a nearby gas station and saw a subject matching the description of the one of the robbery suspects. The officers did a field interview and found the subject had a cell phone and Officer Boyack was able to determine that this was the same phone taken in the armed robbery the day before.
Shortly after, another subject walked into the gas station lobby. Officers Boyack and Fager and his partner talked to him and identified him as also being involved in the armed robbery offense the previous day.
Officers Boyack and Fager demonstrated diligence and perseverance by pursing the identity of armed subjects wanted for an armed robbery offense.
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5 Responses to “Milwaukee Police Department Award Ceremony”
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May 15th, 2009 at 11:13 am
Thank you to all those honored. You are a credit to your profession.
Can we expect a piece from Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reporter Gina Barton on these accomplishments? Is she capable of that level of objectivity and professionalism?
May 15th, 2009 at 11:17 am
Roland, I highly doubt that Ms. Barton will even acknowledge these officers and their service. I, however, would like to thank each and every one of these officers and for that matter, every officer who serve the people day in and day out, with or without recognition.
May 15th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
District Five, anyone?
May 15th, 2009 at 2:59 pm
Hats off to each and every one of these folks for their brave service to community.
Don’t worry, Roland, Gina Barton stands by the accuracy of her hatchet piece. I have her on the record, in writing, stating so, as recently as earlier this year… in spite of the fact that the passing of time has not been kind to her reporting.
May 15th, 2009 at 8:16 pm
Largely, but not totally, explains why newspapers are dying a slow death. Traditional media outlets need to get back to journalistic principles. Professionally, they should be apolitical in the extreme. Their decline started when the ability to use reason and gather facts aimed at thoroughly examining an issue took a back seat to pushing particular agendas. The old “I became a journalist to change things” has left behind the inquisitive. People who bother to read the paper don’t want to be told how to think…they want to be given the pieces so they can complete the puzzle themselves and see the whole picture.
Gina Barton is an activist who writes for the paper. So when she wrote her piece trashing police officers, it was steered toward a particular conclusion. She wants to be an activist, fine. But it’s not what most people want from their newspaper…and they are voting with their wallets.
Bruce, I’m sure she zealously defends her work. Those who are “true believers” wrap their arms around a cause so tightly, there’s no room for objectivity in there…for skeptical analysis of what one has uncovered. They dig only so deep as to collect what they need to support their belief.