Seven Longmont Public Safety officers this month received awards for outstanding service from Boulder County Sheriff Joe Pelle.
Five employees were honored for their efforts in tracking down a suspect involved in a domestic violence incident in which his children were believed to be in danger.
In early September, a woman called emergency dispatchers to report her ex-husband was intoxicated and had driven off with their two children. The woman had been badly assaulted and said her ex-husband had made threats to kill her and her children, according to a Longmont Fire, Police and Community Health and Resilience Facebook post.
Longmont officers began researching possible locations and searching the streets and later located the suspect’s car.
“Sheriff Pelle said that the collective performance of this team of Boulder County Sheriff’s Officer personnel and Longmont Public Safety staff created noteworthy and measurable results in the safe return of two children and the arrest of a man that perpetrated violent and criminal acts,” the Facebook post states. “Working together, feverishly and without delay, deputies, officers, and dispatchers were able to locate the suspect and children ... a little over two hours after the initial call.”
Pelle awarded five Longmont officers with the Sheriff’s Teamwork Award of Excellence for their work on the case. The recipients are Sgt. Tim Madigan, Master Police Officer Daniel Kilian and officers Walter Arvisais, Jonathan Laundy, Brad Steinke, Matt Corsetti and Malaka Dharmarathna.
“It is absolutely rewarding (to be given an award). I have yet to meet a cop who is into awards or recognition but it is nice to be recognized and know that good work was done that day but even more so, it was nice to be able to get that suspect into custody and make sure the kids were OK,” Arvisiais said.
Also honored by Pelle were two officers who work in Longmont’s Emergency Operations Center. Deputy Chief Kevin Esmail and Shannon McVaney received a Sheriff’s Commendation for their work to activate the Boulder County Emergency Operations Center to support the first responder efforts at the onset of the CalWood and Lefthand Canyon fires.
McVaney participated in the resource mobilization unit, which assists with securing resources for emergency responders in the field. Esmail worked in the situational awareness section, where he said he captured data on the fires and ensured it got to the people who needed it.
The CalWood and Lefthand Canyon fires came on quickly in July, burning more than a combined 10,000 acres.
The Calwood fire was fully contained on Nov. 14, and the Lefthand Canyon fire was 100% contained on Oct. 22.
Both McVaney and Esmail were surprised by the award, both said they were just there to do their job and help however they could.
“It is great to be recognized but knowing that every single person in that room was part of that, none of us do it alone. It just feels like this is us doing our jobs,” Esmail said.
Although they each received an award for their work, both emergency management coordinators said they felt the real award was the training opportunity they were able to experience by being part of the Boulder County Emergency Operations Center.
“In this unprecedented past year of protest, pandemic, and wildfire, interagency cooperation and mutual aid have never been more important. None of us have large enough agencies to handle everything on our own, and we really appreciate the help and cooperation of our county partners,” Pelle said.
