Although the Lake Orion Police Department is operating with 50 percent less officers than the year before, Chief Jerry Narsh said the hours served by officers dropped only by a few 100 hours, thanks in part to the dedication of the department’s reserve force.
Those LOPD reserve officers were honored, along with the department’s other officers and Village of Lake Orion employees, at the Village’s Annual Appreciation and Awards Dinner, held at Kalloway’s in Oxford on March 23.
Volunteerism was the theme of the night, and Narsh said it wasn’t only reserve officers who were volunteering their time.
‘It’s really everyone in the Village who goes above and beyond,? he said.
Narsh noted that the LOPD’s reserve officers volunteer their own money, staffing the bicycle patrol, and that their training is all time away from their families.
‘They are the second person in our patrol cars,? he said. ‘They are not just fluff…They are knowledgeable.?
Reserve officers staff the LOPD’s Youth Bureau, which works with first-time youth offenders in an informal setting, to divert them from formal court, and hopefully future brushes with the law.
‘They do a tremendous service with the children in our community,? said Narsh. ‘Eighty percent of those kids stay one-time offenders.?
Many reserve officers left their jobs to respond to the fire at Sagebrush Cantina in 2004. Narsh said that shows they don’t just volunteer their time ‘when it’s convenient.?
‘They risk their own safety in defense of the community,? he said. ‘In 2005, there were 2,858 hours volunteered.?
Narsh also thanked the spouses and families of his officers.
‘That volunteer spirit is what makes this Village great,? he said.
Reserve officers contributing more than the required 96 hours in 2005 were Sergeant Steve Bauer (205), Sergeant Rob Reetz (208), Reserve Commander Dave Mirku (302), Sergeant Amy Fong-Kretzmer (318), and Officer Joseph Sare (468).
LOPD Officers Rob Barker and Todd Stanfield were both recognized for 10 years of service to the department. Fong-Kretzmer, who was not present, was honored for 15 years.
Narsh also presented two service citations, one to citizen Jeff Lijana, who came to the aid of people injured by an intoxicated driver on M-24 after the fireworks in 2005.
The other went to Orion Fire Department Captain John Pender of Station 1, who came to the aid of a man injured by an attack in Children’s Park in June of 2005.
Other awards included:
* Officer Chris Mires honored for going above the call of duty by producing holiday safety information bulletins handed out at elementary schools, and producing crime prevention videos.
* Ordinance Officers Reetz and Charles McLaughlin recognized for starting a program to help citizens in need, who can not afford to make improvements.
* Officers Paul Deesen and Barker for their work regarding a child ejected from a vehicle in a crash on M-24.
* Deesen for his work on a series of hit and run accidents on M-24 involving six accident scenes.
* Lieutenant Harold Rossman for helping to stop Lake Orion High School students who planned to jump off the Mackinac Bridge.
* Rossman and dispatcher Corrine Salmons for their help in locating a woman who planned to commit suicide, using information obtained from a cell phone call outside the area.
* Salmons for her work in fielding numerous 911 calls after a gas main ruptured in a corner of Orion Township. Salmons dispatched assistance without ever dropping a 911 call.
* Officer Roman Sobilo for his quick thinking in helping a suicidal and intoxicated man walking in traffic on M-24.
* Barker and Stanfield for their work in cracking a case involving a man trying to obtain funds from a fraudulent account at Lakes Community Credit Union. It turned out the man had taken thousands of dollars from his grandmother’s checking account.
Village Manager JoAnn Van Tassel gave recognition to all of the dispatchers, calling them the true ‘first responders.?
‘They are going 17 directions at one time, and doing it in a calm, collected manner,? she said.
Van Tassel also recognized members of the Village’s Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and Planning Commission, as well as her staff at Village Hall.