In the News & Local Events

Police officers receive awards
Before a throng of more than 150 family, friends, and fellow police officers, the city of Marco Island Police Department held its 2010 award ceremony at the First Baptist Church of Marco Island and bestowed 223 awards in various categories. "We have come a far way from presenting the awards in a garage years ago to not having an award ceremony at all to having this wonderful event in such a magnificent place as this," said Capt. David Baer. "It is for that reason that there are so many different awards that we wish to present tonight so please bear with us." Pinch-hitting for the ill chief of police, Thomas Carr, Baer kept the evening moving at a snappy clip in addition to presenting City Manager Steve Thompson along with City Council Chairman Frank Recker and Vice Chairman Jerry Gibson. Cpl. James Hassig kicked off the evening's ceremonies in leading the assemblage in the Pledge of Allegiance with assistant pastor and reserve officer Aaron Lundquist giving the invocation. Baer then introduced Thompson, who had a few short remarks before the audience was treated to a slide show illustrating the first 10 years of the Marco department. "I've worked with some great police departments over the past 30 years, which have shared a number of common elements such as being well-prepared, dedication to the community, and the ability to make do with the resources they had at their disposal," Thompson said. "The Marco Island Police Department certainly has all three and they do it all with a great team effort. It is an organization that supports innovation and stepping forward to indeed do what's best for the community." Winners Winners of the Citizen/Business Commendations were: Bernardo Bezos, Deb Sanders, Dick Shanahan, Douglas Andrews, Terry Bush, Dave and Deborah Aune, Paul Orr, Glen and Diane Kelnhofer, the Marco Island Police Foundation, U.S. Coast Guard station at Fort Myers Beach, the Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission and the First Baptist Church. Ray McChesney and Don Schwartz received awards for their volunteer excellence. Other award categories and the amount of awards presented in each included: Physical Fitness (19); Professional Development (21); Higher Learning (10); National Defense (8); Safe Vessel Operation (19); Honorable Police Service (19); Community Recognition (26); Community Service (5); Meritorious Service (23); Emergency Operations (31); Chief's Achievement (17); Operation Excellence (7) and Life-Saving (5).