to see the recent Award of Valor program with

The Lakewood Award of Valor Luncheon
is generously sponsored by:
LAKEWOOD CENTER
City Light & Power, Inc.
EDCO Waste Services
H & H Nursery
Lakewood Lions Club
Lakewood Pan American Association
Lakewood Regional Medical Center
Long Beach City College
Los Angeles County Supervisor Don Knabe
Piazza Family McDonald’s Restaurants
R.F. Dickson Company
Rotary Club of Lakewood
Soroptimist International of Lakewood-Long Beach
Water Replenishment District Director John Allen
West Coast Arborists, Inc.
Willdan
A City of Lakewood tradition
honoring bravery, devotion to duty
and community service
November 18, 2015
2015 Award Of Valor Program
Introduction of Master of Ceremonies............................. Council Member Diane DuBois
Opening Remarks............................................................ Ed Arnold, Master of Ceremonies
Invocation........................................................................ The Reverend Dr. John C. Bonner
Lakewood's Chaplain Emeritus
Posting of Colors........................................................ Sheriff ’s Department Color Guard
Pledge of Allegiance. ........................................................... Council Member Steve Croft
Luncheon
Lakewood's Commitment to Public Safety..................................................... Mayor Jeff Wood
Introduction of
Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby............................................................. Council Member Todd Rogers
Remarks and
Award Presentations. ............................................................................Fire Chief Daryl L. Osby
Introduction of
Sheriff Jim McDonnell............................................................................Vice Mayor Ron Piazza
Remarks and
Award Presentations. ...............................................................................Sheriff Jim McDonnell
Adjournment........................................................................... Ed Arnold, Master of Ceremonies
2005
Community Service Officer Adela Biddle, Alice Anderson, Fire Fighter Specialist Russ Antol, Deputy Steven
Bazem, Battalion Chief Dale W. Gain, Deputy Matthew
Garfin, Fire Fighter Jeff Garrett, Fire Fighter Paramedic
Todd Hood, Mike Huso, Captain Gary Isaacson, Fire
Fighter Paramedic Matt Kaller, Deputy Billy Lovell,
Deputy James McGee, Michael Morgan, Fire Fighter
Specialist Richard Ortiz, Deputy Jerry Ortiz, Clarinda
Powell, Earl “Denny” Reed, Jack Reitsma, Sergeant
Elizabeth Sachs, Deputy Osvaldo Santa Ana, Deputy
Robert Spracher, Roberta Stanfield, Deputy Thomas
Vernola, Fire Fighter Jeramy Virgin, Deputy Steven
Vranek, Deputy Craig Walker, Fire Fighter Paramedic
Mike Warren, Lieutenant Mark Weldon, Fire Captain
Joe Woyjeck.
2010
Deputy Willie Agustin, Fire Fighter Paramedic Allan
Anolin, Stephanie Baca, Michelle Bracy, Deputy Freddy
Brown, Howard Chambers, Deputy John Denney, Deputy Jose Diaz, Sandra Endsley, Deputy Matthew Ferguson, Deputy Christopher Gensel, Cynthia Guardado,
Joel Hernandez, Sergeant Scott Hoglund, Sharon
Jaffke, Ronald Kuiper, Fire Fighter Paramedic Trainee
Kenneth Lee, Jean Marksbury, Deputy Michael McCarty, Deputy Grant Oberle, Richard Olson, Fire Fighter
Paramedic Greg Perez, Gabrielle Pineda, William Pollack, Miguel Ramirez, Deputy Francine Rizzio, Deputy
Christine Roam, Florence Robinson, Joe Sapien. Sally
Shipley.
2011
Everett Avila, Deputy Brian S. Bank, Deputy Chris
Bronowicki, Detective Thomas E. Brown, Uwe Bruhn,
Firefighter Jameson Burmeister, Firefighter Paramedic
Patrick Cary, Deputy Sergio Cosio, Firefighter Paramedic Michael Depew, Deputy Andrew Emch, Deputy
Matthew Ferguson, Craig Hendrix, Firefighter Paramedic Cheryl Hoffman, Sergeant Jodi L. Hutak, Captain
Craig Ibanez, Deputy Anthony A. Johnson, Engineer
Marc Lecocq, Charles & Dorie Lopez, Tyler Marlowe,
Firefighter Paramedic Eric McNamara, Alice Mitchell,
Deputy Charles Nowotny, Deputy Grant Oberle, Deputy
Samuel Orozco, Deputy Osvaldo Santa Ana, Deputy
Robert Solorio, Firefighter Mike Thompson.
2006
Lieutenant Terry Benjestorf, Terry Denning, Sergeant
John gannon, Craig Hendrix, Sergeant Eddie Hernandez, Jay Hubatch, Deputy Shawn Kehoe, Fire Fighter
Paramedic Mario Lemos, Deputy Billy Lovell, Gloria
Mannion, Christopher Mannion, Jean Marksbury, Marilyn Nickles, Deputy Grant Oberle, Deputy Daniel Rudd
Deputy Scott Scally, Deputy Shawn Snyder, Deputy
Richard Torres, Rene Uribe, Officer William R. Wendt
Fire Fighter Paramedic Anthony Wren.
2007
Deputy Willie Agustin, Deputy Roy Aldana, Sergeant
Sonja Bracken, Deputy Shawn Cliver, Detective Michael Del Real, Deputy Joseph Fleischmann, Deputy Patrick Gudut, Fire Fighter Specialist Larry Hann,
Deputy David Harrison, Sergeant Eduardo Hernandez
Deputy Daniel Holguin, Arlin Koops, Deputy John Lee,
Fire Fighter Paramedic Mario Lemos, Gisbert Lenny
Tiffany Logan, Sergeant Phillip Marquez, Fire Fighter
Scott Miller, Deputy Gregory Moore, Detective Daniel
Morris, Captain Daniel B. Murchison, Mona Overby,
Sergeant Steven Paul, Officer Joshua Rice, Deputy
Salvador Rios, Anthony Ruiz, Sally Shipley, Deputy
Shawn Spoonhunter, Deputy Richard Torres, Sergeant
Yancy Walden, Sergeant Josie Woolum, Fire Fighter
Paramedic Anthony Wren.
2012
Deputy Jeffrey Burke, Richard Dykens, Paul Gallegos,
Captain David Garcia, Engineer Lawrence Hann, Deputy Michael Herrera, Sergeant Scott Hoglund, Elisha
Hollens, Deputy Janette Leo, Barbara Liberator, Karen
Lutz, Virginia Martinez, Firefighter Paramedic Aaron
Morris, Edward Newby, Justin Nguyen, Deputy Grant
Oberle, Guyla Romero, David Romero, Firefighter Paramedic Aron Rowe, Detective Shawn Snyder, Deputy
Roberto Solorio Jr., Daryl Takaki, Brian Thatcher, Firefighter George Youssef.
2013
Firefighter Paramedic Christopher Barth, Gilbert Bonilla, Laura Brown, Officer Daniel Camarillo, Diana Carlos, Deputy Keith Collinsworth, Cindy Del Orbe, Diane
Dietrich, Donna Domingo, Firefighter Paramedic Antonio Felipe, Deputy Matthew Ferguson, Wanda Figueroa
Deputy Anthony Johnson, Danny King Jr., Thomas Laing, Linda Manis, Dorothy Meyer, Charles Meyer, Deputy Grant Oberle, Deputy Grant Oberle, Captain Richard Piercy, Barbara Schoolmeester, Chazz Siqueiro,
Deputy Robert Solorio, Deputy Steven Vranek, Gary
Wills, Trevor Wills.
2008
Fire Fighter Paramedic Gustavo Aguirre, June Anderson, Engineer James M. Armijo, Anthony Baker, Deputy Steven Baze, Maggie Billingsley, Fire Fighter Paramedic Ronald Castro, Alfredo Contreras, Fire Fighter
Joshua C. Costello, Bruce DuAmarell, Kevin Hamilton
Sergeant Carlton Hinchman, Deputy Cesar Hinojosa,
William Holland, Rose Johnson, Bryan Kekacs, Dennis Kildall, Deputy Brian Nowell, Deputy Charles Nowotny, Captain Richard L. Piercy, Carole Pippin, Division Chief John E. Radeleff, Carli Sherman, Glade
Smith, Michael Zwick.
2014
Deputy Willie Agustin, Deputy Jose Arciga, Sailesh
Chintada, Devyn Collado-Nicol, Deputy Keith Collinsworthm Gaurav Datta, Deputy Rachel De Hoyos,
Richard A. Frederick III, Deputy Tera Frudakis, Marcel
Galima, Raymond Garcia, Deborah Gonzales, Ray Grier II, Elia Huerta, Captain Stephen R. Kolstad, Ayub
Manjra, Brenda Nowak, Lisa Osterman, Fire Fighter/
Paramedic Michael Pradin, Deputy Michael Sanchez,
Ivone Santos, Michael Schicora, Diane Searer, Glade
Smith, Deputy Nicholas Stewart, Fire Fighter/Paramedic Mark Suarez, Deputy Chad Vanden Berg, Clifford Vanderwal.
2009
Kevin Arias, Fire fighter Paramedic Ron Castro, Russell Collison, Deputy Andrew Emch, Deputy David
Harrison, Fire Fighter Chiyoshi Hasegawa, Katherine
Hinsche, Deputy Cesar Hinojosa, Adam Hobbs, Captain Garry Isaacson, Deputy Eliseo Lopez, Jr., Emelda
Lopez, Deputy Brian Nowell, Deputy Alberto Romero
Patricia Rubio, Sandi Ruyle, Fire Fighter Paramedic
Theodore T. Saraf, Jr., Thomas Sherwood, Sr., Joseph
Stranges, Jr., Sam Torres, Deputy Neil Wendland,
Cameron White.
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Welcome to the 2015 Lakewood Award of Valor Luncheon. We thank
you for joining with the Lakewood city family in paying tribute to the
T
33 men and women who have shown a commitment to public safety in
hree years ago, the BOLO Award category, named after the law enforcement term for “Be
On the Look Out,” was created in response to a positive movement in the community—conscientious citizens making a concerted effort to look out for their neighbors. These residents took
responsibility for improving the safety of their Lakewood neighborhoods and have made a real
difference on their streets and in the community. When these residents “see something,” they
“say something,” and quickly report unusual or suspicious activity that should be brought to the
attention of authorities.
This year, five individuals didn’t ignore their sense that something was amiss in their neighborhoods, and it resulted in their either preventing or stopping crime right in its tracks. They are
the honorees of the third annual BOLO Award.
In each incident, BOLO honorees saw activity that raised their suspicions. Keeping careful
watch until the moment seemed right, each contacted the Sheriff’s Department to further investigate the unfolding situation. They have modeled behavior that is appreciated not only by law
enforcement, but especially by their fellow neighbors. n
our community. Their selfless acts will leave you inspired and heartened by the level of bravery and courage demonstrated here in Lakewood.
Among the stories you’ll hear today: first responders working to
extricate a driver trapped in his transit bus and treat other passengers
injured in a major vehicle accident; sheriff’s personnel dealing with an
agitated man in the station lobby holding a large pair of scissors and
making quick gun motions with his hands; and residents who chased
down burglars running from their homes.
To all of this year’s honorees, we applaud and thank you for your
service and contributions to the Lakewood we all love.
Lakewood Award of Valor
The Lakewood Award of Valor reflects six categories of exceptional service to our community:
n The
Award of Valor is given to deputies, firefighters and other uniformed officers whose courageous actions or command of a life-threatening situation is worthy of special commendation.
n
L to R: Stephanie Janisse, Veronica Portugal, Cheryl Portugal
n
a public safety capacity for the Lakewood community.
The Mayor’s Award is given to residents or others visiting Lakewood who assisted deputies,
firefighters or paramedics in the performance of their duties or who stepped forward in an emergency to aid a neighbor.
n
Lane Bixler
The Distinguished Service Award is given to someone with exemplary service over many years in n
The Community Service Award is presented to volunteers whose time and energy are directed toward improving public safety in Lakewood.
The Dave Powell Community Policing Award is given to a Sheriff’s deputy who has provided a high level of service as a PAVE Deputy and who supports the objectives of the “beat policing”
philosophy in Lakewood.
The BOLO Award, named after the law enforcement term for “Be On the Look Out,” is n
presented to those whose keen observations and timely reporting of suspicious or unusual activity led to the apprehension of criminal suspects and/or the return of stolen property.
Edward Blanchard
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Deputy Clark Lopez
tepping up to an ice cream truck during the dog days
of summer wouldn’t ordinarily create cause for concern.
On an afternoon this past August however, an individual
at Lakewood’s Mayfair Park saw a man lying unconscious inside the truck and knew he needed help. He
enlisted another passerby to call 911.
Deputy Clark Lopez responded to the medical emergency call and saw the man inside the ice cream truck
unconscious and not breathing. Deputy Lopez removed
him from inside the driver’s compartment area so medical aid could be rendered.
Deputy Lopez gave CPR to the unconscious man until
Los Angeles County Fire Department units arrived.
For his valiant efforts in administering life-saving
procedures, the City of Lakewood is proud to present
Deputy Clark Lopez with the Award of Valor. n
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L
akewood resident Nancy Kirstenpfad has been a
Neighborhood Watch block captain for 10 years.
When Nancy joined Neighborhood Watch, she
jumped right in and became active. She has attended
almost every scheduled event and activity over the past
10 years, including quarterly seminars and the annual
picnic and Public Safety Expo. She has even devoted
extra time to Neighborhood Watch by staffing a recruitment table at various city events and telling her fellow
residents why it’s so important to get organized with
their neighbors and to follow the principles of “see
something, say something.”
Nancy didn’t just stop there. She has also taken the
extra time to go through city training on emergency
preparedness so that she can play a critical role in her
neighborhood should an earthquake or other disaster
strike.
Nancy’s ongoing support of Neighborhood Watch
is precisely what makes the program so effective and
successful. For her commitment to public safety and her
dedication to Neighborhood Watch, the Lakewood City
Council is proud to name Nancy Kirstenpfad the 2015
Neighborhood Watch Block Captain of the Year. n
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Nancy Kirstenpfad
Block Captain of the Year
S
Sandra Weisenstein
Station Volunteer of the Year
andra Weisenstein has volunteered at the Lakewood
Station for 20 years and has worked over 5,000 hours
during that time.
She has played an especially valuable role in the
set-up of station events, such as the Haunted Jail, open
house, Community Run and Public Safety Expo. She’s
gone above and beyond by doing things like opening up
her own home to store decorations for events.
Sandra has built great friendships with other volunteers, and she’s known as one of the go-to people for new
volunteers where they can learn valuable advice and get
help with assignments and projects.
When asked why she does so much, she’s been heard
to simply say, “I do it because I want to help and give
back to my community.”
For her 20 years of valuable work with the Lakewood
Station Volunteer Program, it is a privilege for the City of
Lakewood and the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department to honor Sandra Weisenstein as the 2015 Lakewood
Station Volunteer of the Year. n
I
n January 2015, a man entered the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station lobby and appeared visibly
upset and mentally impaired as he approached the female staff member at the front counter. The
man reached into a bag and pulled out a large pair of scissors. He attempted to tell the staff member something, but due to an unknown type of disability was unable to communicate with her.
He then made a gesture with his right hand, fashioned as a gun, acting as if he was shooting or
pointing a gun at the staff member. She feared for her safety.
She closed the counter windows and contacted sworn personnel. Watch Deputy Michael
Rinden joined Deputies James Perkins Jr. and Stephanie Sloan and Sergeant Thomas Vernola in
approaching the agitated and potentially dangerous man in the lobby.
The sergeant and deputies were able to calmly take the scissors without incident. As the man
tried to vocalize his concerns, he again fashioned his hand quickly into the form of a gun several
times, pointing his “hand gun” in the direction of the deputies.
As they worked to find out what was wrong, it appeared that the gentleman was likely deaf,
and possibly mute. Through the use of gestures and written notes, the sergeant and deputies were
able to communicate with him.
He indicated that while attempting to enter the local Social Security office to check on his
benefits, he was confronted by security guards who took his scissors, and he attempted to grab
the scissors back. He indicated one of the guards had pointed his firearm at him, possibly because
they thought he was going to attack them with the scissors. He had run from the building and
come to the Sheriff’s Station to report what happened.
Once the situation was fully explained to all parties, the gentleman was appreciative and left
the station without further incident.
For their calm, professional demeanor in defusing a potentially volatile situation, the City
of Lakewood is proud to present the Award of Valor to Sergeant Thomas Vernola and Deputies
James Perkins Jr., Michael Rinden and Stephanie Sloan. n
L to R: Deputy Michael Rinden, Deputy Stephanie Sloan, Sergeant Thomas Vernola and Deputy James Perkins Jr.
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Deputy Roberto Solorio Jr.
hen the staff of a special needs program took
participants for a daily walk in San Martin Park last
April, one patient, Steven Atilano, began choking and
having difficulty breathing.
Responding first to the 911 call, Lakewood Station
Deputy Roberto Solorio Jr. found Mr. Atilano unconscious on the ground. His skin color was blue, he
wasn’t breathing, and he didn’t have a pulse. Deputy
Solorio checked Mr. Atilano and found food lodged in
his throat.
Deputy Solorio cleared Mr. Atilano’s airway and
performed CPR to successfully bring back his heartbeat
and breathing. County Fire Station 45 from Lakewood
arrived and took over CPR.
Mr. Atilano was transported to Lakewood Regional
Medical Center and admitted to their Critical Care Unit.
After two weeks of treatment, Mr. Atilano had recovered and was discharged from the hospital.
Fire Captain Victor Garcia commended Deputy
Solorio. Having personally observed him performing
chest compressions, Captain Garcia credited Deputy
Solorio’s proper CPR techniques and early recognition
and clearing of the blocked airway with saving Mr.
Atilano’s life.
When Mr. Atilano arrived at the emergency room,
Dr. Monica Serna observed that he was awake and had
a strong pulse. Informed that Mr. Atilano had choked
on food and was previously without respiration or a
pulse until Deputy Solorio intervened, Dr. Serna said
the deputy’s speedy and successful actions were critical
in Mr. Atilano’s recovery.
For his quick action in reviving Steven Atilano from
certain death, the City of Lakewood is proud to present
Deputy Roberto Solorio Jr. with the Award of Valor. n
4
S
ally Shipley has been a volunteer at the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station for 22 years. During that time
she has volunteered over 15,000 hours. That’s the
equivalent of more than seven full-time years of work.
Sally’s duties include live-scanning all new Sheriff’s Explorers, and interviewing and live-scanning
new station volunteers. Sally also oversees vacation
checks to make sure that the homes of residents are
secure. She patrols at least once a week, and works the
Community Relations front desk at other times.
As one of the longest-serving volunteers at the
station, Sally mentors new volunteers and serves on
the station’s Advisory Committee. She enjoys helping
with station events that enhance community relations
such as the Haunted Jail and open house and holiday
charitable giving.
Sally makes the staff at Lakewood Station feel
happy by bringing in freshly cut roses from her garden
and by exuding a personality that makes you her
friend the moment you interact with her.
Sally’s long-time work for the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station and her supportive and helpful attitude
are definitely noticed and appreciated, which is why
the City of Lakewood and the Los Angeles Sheriff’s
Department are proud to honor Sally Shipley as the
Volunteer on Patrol of the Year for 2015. n
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Sally Shipley
Volunteer on Patrol of the Year
O
Michael Hopwood
n a Friday afternoon, Michael Hopwood was
driving through the parking lot of the Lakewood Post
Office on Clark Avenue. All of a sudden, he saw one
vehicle back into another, causing a collision. To his
shock, instead of stopping to get out and exchange information, the first vehicle drove off. Michael decided
to jump into action.
He pursued the vehicle, honking his horn and waving to try to get the driver’s attention and get him to
pull over. His efforts succeeded. The driver pulled over
into, of all places, the front parking lot of Lakewood
City Hall.
Sheriff’s deputies arrived on the scene and determined that the fleeing driver was unlicensed and uninsured.
For his quick and selfless action in the cause of public safety, the City of Lakewood is proud to present the
Mayor’s Award to Michael Hopwood. n
O
n the evening of June 10, 2015, a horrific traffic accident occurred at the intersection of
Woodruff Avenue and Centralia Street in Lakewood. A Long Beach transit bus and a pickup
truck collided.
The bus driver’s area had completely collapsed, pinning and trapping the driver in his seat
between the frame of the bus and the dash area. Additionally, there were four passengers in the
bus who sustained injuries, three of which were seriously life threatening.
Los Angeles County Fire Station 45 in Lakewood responded quickly. And due to the complexity of the incident and number of victims involved, other teams were also dispatched.
Engine 45, along with Squad 45, performed emergency medical triage and care for the patients. Squad 45 members were responsible for medical communication and coordinating patient
destinations to hospitals that could accommodate the injuries involved. Personnel from Engine
45 were responsible for the safe and timely extrication of victims. In total, there were six people
involved in this accident, including the driver of the truck who was released at the scene. The
pinned bus driver required a complicated extrication that lasted over an hour.
For their dedication, professionalism, and swift action to safely treat, extricate and transport
the victims of this horrible accident to the hospital, the City of Lakewood is proud to present the
Award of Valor to nine members of Engine 45 and Squad 45. n
L to R: Firefighter Specialist Cary Windes, Firefighter Paramedic Michael Depew, Firefighter Paramedic Michael Pradin,
Firefighter Specialist Brian T. Audet, Captain John Lopez, Captain Brian Jones, Firefighter Paramedic Chris Barth,
Firefighter Paramedic Michael Nielsen, Firefighter Specialist Kevin Banfield.
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Deputy Samantha Lee Jones
amantha Lee Jones joined the Los Angeles County
Sheriff’s Department in 2009 and graduated from the
Sheriff’s Academy in 2010. Her first assignment was
working at the North County Correctional Facility in
Castaic, which primarily housed felony and high-risk
inmates.
After additional assignments with the Vice Unit and
Personnel Division, Deputy Jones was transferred to
Lakewood Station in 2014 where she was trained in
patrol duty. She has taken on that training with vigor,
eagerly learning all the aspects of community-oriented
policing. She has proven herself to be a proactive deputy
who does not shy away from hard work. She knows the
importance of handling her calls to conclusion, thereby
solving problems rather than putting them off. She has
applied herself to learn about the various public safety
concerns in Lakewood such as patrol checks of fumigated houses to reduce burglaries, trash scavengers, illegal
fireworks suppression during the Fourth of July and
homeless issues.
Deputy Jones has educated herself in Lakewood’s
Neighborhood Watch Program and has developed excellent working relations with many block captains and
community members. She also takes part in lots of Lakewood community events, such as Concerts in the Park.
For her enthusiasm and commitment to the community-oriented policing concept, her dedication to promoting public safety in Lakewood and her outstanding work
ethic, the City of Lakewood is pleased to name Deputy
Samantha Lee Jones as the 2015 Dave Powell Community Policing Award recipient. n
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O
n a mid-morning day this past July, Joe Brown and
his daughter Latanya were home when suddenly, Latanya
told her dad that a man had just tried to break into their
house by removing a front window screen. Latanya had
scared him off.
Joe ran outside and decided to run after the fleeing
man. The man headed toward Lakewood’s Biscailuz
Park, with Joe in hot pursuit. As they both got to the
park, deputies arrived on the scene. Joe flagged down
the deputies and pointed to the attempted-burglar fleeing
across the park. Other deputies found someone fitting his
description a few minutes later hiding behind a nearby
trash dumpster.
Joe and his daughter subsequently identified the
dumpster-hiding man as the one who had tried to break
into their house.
For his fearless pursuit of a potentially dangerous
burglar, the City of Lakewood is proud to present the
Mayor’s Award to Joe Brown. n
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Joe Brown
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hile walking past Applebee’s Restaurant at Lakewood Center after shopping at
Costco, Ramzi and Christie Bettendorf passed a young man on the sidewalk going the opposite direction. Five seconds later, the man turned around and was running back at them to
try to grab the Costco shopping bags that Mrs. Bettendorf was holding.
She pulled away from the man, grabbing hold of her bags. Then Mr. Bettendorf began
fighting with the suspect. The suspect hit and pushed Mr. Bettendorf to the ground and then
returned his attention to Mrs. Bettendorf and her shopping bags. The suspect punched her
in the face. She responded by hitting him hard in the head with a bag full of new batteries.
That stunned the suspect. He yelled out a series of expletives, ending up by saying that Mrs.
Bettendorf was “Crazy!” He then ran off holding his head.
Two witnesses had called 911 during the struggle, and deputies showed up quickly.
Unfortunately, the suspect could not be found. The Bettendorfs were fortunately not
injured significantly, and they hopefully taught a strong-armed robber a lesson that crime
doesn’t pay and instead left him with bumps and bruises on the head to remember that by.
For their fearless self-defense in the face of a strong-armed robber, the City of Lakewood
is proud to present the Mayor’s Award to Ramzi and Christie Bettendorf. n
A
31-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Department,
Detective Mark Campbell has served 25 of those years
with distinction at the Lakewood Sheriff’s Station.
His specialty is traffic safety and traffic-related
investigations. On a daily basis in the region, he conducts investigations into hit-and-run incidents, fatal
traffic collisions and all other traffic-related crimes. He
also serves as the Sheriff’s Department liaison to the
Lakewood city government on a wide range of other
traffic-related issues.
Detective Campbell holds many specialized advanced training certificates in the areas of field sobriety testing and traffic collision investigations.
For his dedication, commitment to public safety and
long-standing service to the community, the City of
Lakewood is proud to present Detective Mark
Campbell with the Distinguished Service Award. n
Christie and Ramzi Bettendorf
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Detective Mark Campbell
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Ahmed Abouzid
n a December evening last year, as Ahmed Abouzid and his young son pulled up in front of their Lakewood home, Ahmed saw a strange man looking into the
bathroom window on the side of their house. Ahmed
knew his wife and daughter were home.
Ahmed sprung from his car and yelled at the male.
The strange man turned and ran down the driveway to
get away. Ahmed tackled him and yelled to his son to
get his sister and mother to call 911.
Ahmed held the suspect down until deputies arrived,
even while the suspect threatened to get his gang members. On the suspect, deputies found a “shaved key,” a
tool used for stealing cars. The suspect told deputies he
was trying to break into the house to hide, because he
had an outstanding “no bail” warrant and he had noticed
what he thought were police lights coming at him.
What a good thing that Ahmed arrived home when
he did, and that the suspect didn’t successfully break
into the house. Ahmed’s wife and daughter had no idea
someone was trying to get in, and that could have led to
a whole different scenario.
For his quick and fearless action in protecting his
home, his family and his community, and for subduing a
wanted criminal, the City of Lakewood proudly presents
the Mayor’s Award to Ahmed Abouzid. n
I
t was 4:00 in the morning at a Lakewood apartment complex when resident Dale Atkinson and his
girlfriend returned home. Dale was taking a shower while his girlfriend started to go to sleep in the
bedroom. Suddenly she was startled by a strange man standing in her bedroom. She screamed.
The man ran back out through the sliding screen door he had just broken open to enter the residence. Dale grabbed his cell phone and chased after the man as he dialed 911.
Two neighbors of Dale’s, Jimmy Ngo and Andy Pham, joined in chasing the suspect down an
alleyway. The chase went on for a couple hundred feet. The suspect stopped running as deputies arrived on the scene and took him into custody.
The suspect admitted to living in the apartment complex with his mother, just a few doors away
in fact, and thought the victims were outside in a common area of the complex. He thought he could
just break in quickly and steal a few things to, in his words, make a “quick buck.”
For their quick and determined action to pursue a fleeing and potentially dangerous criminal, the
City of Lakewood is proud to present the Mayor’s Award to Dale Atkinson, Jimmy Ngo and Andy
Pham. n
L to R: Dale Atkinson, Jimmy Ngo and Andy Pham
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