Blog Posts Tagged ‘prescott-valley’

Arizona City and Town Police Officers Honored

Congratulations to Arizona city and town police officers on commendable efforts that were recently recognized!

Officer Wes Kelley of Apache Junction Police Department (Photo Courtesy of City of Apache Junction)

Apache Junction Police Department Officer Wesley Kelley was recently named the Officer of the Year by the local American Legion.

Kelley was given the honor on April 9 by American Legion Post 27.

American Legion posts nationwide name officers of the year. The American Legion then annually selects a National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award. It is awarded to a well-rounded law enforcement officer who has exceeded the duty requirements expected of his or her position and has demonstrated a distinct pattern of community service coupled with professional achievement, according to the American Legion website.

“It is always an honor to have one of our officers recognized by one of armed service organizations,” said Police Chief Thomas E. Kelly. “It is especially humbling as these are the same people that have previously placed themselves in harm’s way in defending our country.  Officer Kelley is one of those officers that requires minimum supervision and is respected by his peers. He presents himself well and treats all with dignity and respect as stated in the Apache Junction Police Department’s mission statement. Very proud of the recognition.”

Prescott Valley Police Department Officer of the Year Cozens (Photo Courtesy of Town of Prescott Valley)

The Prescott Valley Police Department also held its annual police recognition awards. The Officer of the Year was announced as Officer Caleb Cozens.

Officer Cozens started his career with the Prescott Valley Police Department in June 2015, laterally transferring from Chino Valley.  He demonstrates a positive, upbeat attitude and is known for his professionalism, representing the Prescott Valley Police Department and the Town of Prescott Valley with pride.

A team player, Officer Cozens consistently produces a high quality of work, especially in the handling of drug investigations. He is a leader within the department in drug arrests and is always willing to take on extra work. Over the last year Officer Cozens has written 83 citations/warnings, written 262 reports and supplements, and made 131 arrests.

The Town of Prescott Valley also honored other officers with awards:

Prescott Valley Police Department Rookie of the Year Officer Loughmiller (Photo Courtesy of Town of Prescott Valley)

 

2016 Rookie of the Year – Cameron Loughmiller

2016 Community Policing Ribbon – Officer Tyler Brown

2016 Unit of the Year – Community Services Unit

2016 Civilian of the Year – Jerry Ferguson

2016 Volunteer of the Year – Dave Demski

 

 

 

Profiles of Arizona Municipal Clerks: Diane Russell, Prescott Valley

Diane Russell, MMC
Town of Prescott Valley

How many years have you served as a clerk?  Deputy town clerk for nine years and town clerk 13 years.

Where are you originally from?  Born in St. Louis and grew up in Parry Sound, Ontario, Canada.

What is the strangest/most unique task you have had to perform as part of your duties?  Snake catcher!  When a little red racer snake was slinking across the floor in our records center everyone deserted me, leaving me to catch it and take it outside.

What is the most rewarding part of your job?  Mentoring those who will follow me in the municipal clerk profession is something I enjoy doing.  Nothing is more rewarding than helping a ‘new recruit’ discover that continuing education leads to success.

Arizona’s Playful City USA Communities

11406721_10152890631191016_1366047240839771119_oKaBOOM! recently announced its Playful City USA honorees: communities that are leaders in “playability,” the commitment to providing balanced and active play to children.

The KaBOOM! Playful City USA program honors cities, towns and communities across America that are taking bold steps to ensure that all children, especially the 16 million American kids living in poverty, have easy access to balanced and active play in their communities. 241 cities nationwide have been recognized this year, 14 of which are in Arizona.

Playful City USA honorees include major cities such as Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Chicago. In Arizona, these honorees include cities and towns across the state. They range from nine-time honorees like Chandler, Gilbert, and Tucson, to first-time recipients like Avondale, Florence, and Queen Creek.

Tempe is once again recognized by KaBOOM! as a Playful City USA for its commitment to keeping kids active through accessible playspaces and youth sports programs.

Tempe is once again recognized by KaBOOM! as a Playful City USA for its commitment to keeping kids active through accessible playspaces and youth sports programs.

These Playful City USA communities are making a commitment to transform their communities to become more playable by developing unique local action plans to increase the quantity and quality of play in their community. Listed below are the Arizona cities that were given the “playful” title and the number of years they have won:

Avondale: 1

Buckeye: 4

Casa Grande: 7

Chandler: 9

Coolidge: 8

Florence: 1

Fountain Hills: 5

Gilbert: 9

Mesa: 7

Oro Valley: 5

Prescott Valley: 2

Queen Creek: 1

Tempe: 7

Tucson: 9

Playful City USA Honorees in Arizona: 

To see the full list of the 241 communities named 2015 Playful City USA honorees, or for more information on the Playful City USA program, visit www.playfulcityusa.org.

Prescott Valley Police Awards 2015

The Prescott Valley Police Department recently recognized exemplary employees who strive to make the Town of Prescott Valley a safe place to live. Take a look at this year’s heroic individuals  who showcase just how many great people are making Arizona cities work!

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Civilian of the Year – Geni LeQuesne

Geni LeQuesne is a vital member of the Prescott Valley Police Department.  She handles all aspects of training and travel for employees of the Department, monitors and tracks training reimbursements and scheduling, maintains the Police Department website, manages Administrative Review/Personnel Complaint/and Use of Force records, provides backup for Administrative Staff, in addition to many other additional tasks.  In 2014 alone, Geni arranged and completed over 250 different training/travel requests for Department personnel.

Geni is always pleasant to work with and extremely helpful to everyone.  She has a positive attitude towards both her work and her fellow employees that makes working with her truly a joy.  Geni is always willing to step in and help wherever necessary to accomplish Department tasks, and does so with a smile on her face.

Geni consistently demonstrates a professional and helpful attitude that is noticed by all of those around her.  She is truly a valued member of the Prescott Valley Police Department and very deserving of the Civilian of the Year Award for 2014.

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Community Policing Award – James Tobin

Detective James Tobin has been in law enforcement 18.5 years and served with the PVPD Family Violence Unit for 3 years. He has a clear understanding that criminal incidents are a much broader issue that can’t be addressed solely by a single call for service; however Detective Tobin takes every call for service as an opportunity to make a difference for the community he serves. In working closely with other community agencies and law enforcement professionals, Detective Tobin provides leadership and insight to a variety of community policing programs. Detective Tobin is a community steward and frequently participates in programs that help promote community policing, community outreach and education.

Detective Tobin is a leader with the Coordinated Community Response Team, whose mission isto end domestic and sexual violence in Northern Arizona.  He is also part of the Yavapai County Domestic Violence Fatality Review Board, and has coordinated an intergovernmental study with the Northern Arizona University to study and develop advanced domestic violence threat assessments to further combat domestic violence related issues impacting our community.  Detective Tobin helped facilitate the “Take Back the Night Candle Light Vigil” the community awareness program that honors Domestic Violence homicide victims from Yavapai County, as well as the “Start By Believing” campaign in support of sexual assault victims. He also participates in the “Teen Maze” educational event, Hopefest, Salute to Heroes, and the Northern Arizona Regional Training Academy to represent the PVPD Family Violence Unit.  Finally, Detective Tobin has become a community leader on the MATFORCE Coalition to reduce substance abuse in our community.

Over the past 6 years, the number of Domestic Violence incident calls for PVPD has increased by 53%.  Due to community outreach, more careful statistical capture, as well as education in the community that creates a supportive environment in which victims feel safe to report domestic violence, family violence crime has been addressed assertively by our Family Violence Unit. Community policing, community outreach and education have become synonymous with the nationally recognized PVPD Family Violence Unit through the efforts of Detective James Tobin.  On April 21, 2015 the PVPD Family Violence Unit was recognized by the State of Arizona Attorney General’s Office for distinguished service to victims. This award was largely due to the outstanding work of Det. James Tobin and his community policing efforts with the PVPD Family Violence Unit.

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Medal of Valor – John VanGundy

On March 09, 2014 at 2:55PM hours, Officer VanGundy and other Prescott Valley Police Officers responded to an in progress domestic violence call at 9420 Magma Drive.  During the call to dispatch, a female caller said her husband fired a weapon inside the house during a domestic argument, and that he had assaulted his father who was also inside the residence.  It was reported that a child was possibly in the home when this occurred.  The female caller reported that her husband, the suspect, was possibly outside of the residence; however his whereabouts were unknown.

Upon arrival, officers set up a perimeter of the residence.  Officer VanGundy was one of the first responders on scene as he was acting as a field training officer for that shift.  Officer VanGundy stationed himself on the south east corner of the residence behind a wall and a tree while waiting for additional officers to respond.  While Officer VanGundy was at his perimeter location, he observed a male subject walk from behind the south side of the residence towards the front of the residence where other officers were arriving.  Officer VanGundy observed that the suspect had a long gun in his hands and challenged the suspect to drop the weapon.  The suspect pointed the long gun in the direction of Officer VanGundy.  Officer VanGundy fired two rounds from his patrol rifle striking the suspect with both rounds.  Officer VanGundy used proper approach tactics to detain the suspect and get him medical attention.  Subsequent investigation indicated the suspect had exited the residence upon police arrival and may have been trying to obtain a position of advantage in ambush of responding Officers.

Officer VanGundy’s decisive and effective response to this situation resulted in the elimination of potential further harm to three victims in the residence as well as multiple responding Police personnel and civilians in the area.  It should be noted the residence in question is across the street from the George Anderson Park.

Officer VanGundy handled himself as a true professional from start to the end of the call.  We would like to fully commend Officer VanGundy for his ability to handle himself in this type of serious incident in such a professional manner.  This type of behavior is deserving of a Medal of Valor.

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Officer of the Year 1 – Brad Penner

Officer Brad Penner has provided over 20 years of dedicated service as a police officer in Arizona.  With his years of service, he possesses vast experience and knowledge to draw from and is always willing to share his knowledge to assist fellow officers. Officer Penner is truly selfless and always gives freely of his time to help and mentor others.

Officer Penner displays compassion, kindness and genuine empathy for the citizens he encounters each day. He has a special talent for defusing and de-escalating tense situations with confrontational subjects in a calm, patient and practical manner.

With his many years of excellent service, Officer Penner shows no signs of slowing down.  In 2014 Officer Penner responded to 765 calls for service, investigated 29 traffic crashes, issued 528 traffic citations and warnings and made 86 arrests. His unrivaled work ethic is just one of the many ways in which Officer Penner provides an excellent example for other officers to follow.

Officer Penner is a role model in the community and within the Prescott Valley Police Department; he is the embodiment of what a law enforcement professional should be.

Officer Brad Penner is very deserving to be named as the 2014 Prescott Valley Police Department “Officer of the Year.”

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Officer of the Year 2 – Jennifer Watson

In just over two years at the Prescott Valley Police Department, Officer Jennifer Watson has distinguished herself as a hardworking, dedicated and highly productive patrol Officer.

In 2014 Officer Watson responded to 318 calls for service, issued 230 traffic warnings, issued 65 traffic citations and made 98 arrests. She works tirelessly to help crime victims and provide excellent service to the community. She is always willing to assist fellow officers and brings a positive and enthusiastic energy to every task and assignment.

In addition to her outstanding work on patrol, Officer Watson has taken on numerous additional responsibilities throughout 2014, including working with a multi-agency task force to target sexual predators. She is a member of the Family Violence Unit adjunct team, is a member of the Yavapai County Coordinated Community Response Domestic Violence Task Force, and was a valued contributor at the Take Back the Night candlelight vigil, Teen Maze and Shop-With-a-Cop. Officer Watson also volunteers her time to assist as a Big Sister for Yavapai County Big Brothers-Big Sisters.

In 2014 Officer Watson received numerous letters of appreciation from community members and numerous commendations from supervisors, detectives and peers who have recognized the quality and professionalism of her work.

Officer Jennifer Watson is a tremendous asset to the citizens of Prescott Valley and is very deserving to be recognized as the 2014 Prescott Valley Police Department “Officer of the Year.”

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Rookie of the Year – Ryan Spriggs

Officer Ryan Spriggs joined the Prescott Valley Police Department in August 2013 and was accepted into NARTA class 35. He joined the department as a reserve police recruit and attended the academy for the first several months as an unpaid reserve. Officer Spriggs knew he wanted to be a police officer and felt becoming a reserve would help him in his quest to reach his goal.  Several months into the academy, he accepted the offer to become a full time employee.  Officer Spriggs graduated the academy in December of 2013 as a well-respected recruit, and was also chosen as the NARTA class Treasurer.

During field training, Spriggs showed how much of a dedicated employee he is.  Throughout his field training, he worked very hard to excel and learn what it takes to be a solo police officer. During many of Officer Spriggs’ shifts, he worked very long hours to complete his cases.  Officer Spriggs has been known to dedicate over 17 hours to complete a single in-depth case.  He progressed along through training at a solid rate and finished his required training and became a solo police officer.

Once assigned to a full time squad on the graveyard shift, Officer Spriggs became very proactive by making traffic stops, field contacts, going on as many calls as possible and learning as much as he could in his first year.  During his first year, he wrote 155 reports, issued 266 citation and warnings and made 61 arrests.  He also took it upon himself to complete several SARA projects which directly impacted the community in a positive way. Officer Spriggs continuously makes an effort to attend trainings to help further his career.  He has shown to have a very positive attitude and is an asset to not only the Prescott Valley Police Department, but the Town of Prescott Valley as well.

When asked, fellow officers said that Officer Spriggs has shown his willingness and motivation to learn this difficult, yet rewarding career.  Officer Spriggs constantly steps up when both challenges and opportunities present themselves, and always involves himself in conversations among the squad as they pertain to our line of work.  Officer Spriggs, in his first year of service has shown to be an officer of great quality and character.  He has shown his ability to not only be a leader, but also a well-respected teammate.  Officer Ryan Spriggs deserves and has shown to have earned the award of Prescott Valley Police Rookie of the Year.

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Unit of the Year – Patrol 

In 2014, the Patrol Section of the Town of Prescott Valley Police Department was comprised of 2 Lieutenants, 6 Sergeants, 6 corporals and 31 officers. Last year, the Patrol Division responded to over 23,000 calls for service, made more than 2,000 arrests, and wrote over 7,100 documented reports along with an additional 4,400 supplemental reports. Additionally the officers responded to over 600 accidents, wrote over 3,100 citations, issued over 4,900 warnings and more than 1,600 repair orders for minor equipment violations.

2014 was a challenging year for Patrol, with multiple retirements and turnover of officers, along with numerous injuries.  The Patrol Section worked efficiently, responding to both major and minor crimes and accidents in a timely manner. While the community continued to grow, the number of officers remained constant. The Patrol Division truly overcame and learned to do more with less, while providing a high level of service to the community.

The patrol officers of our department work 24 hours a day 7 days a week, 365 days a year.  Each day our officers encounter agitated, aggressive criminals and have to take action to protect the community and maintain law and order. Our officers interact with community members in need of help, and deal with major and minor issues, always solving the problem. Our officers ensure the Town of Prescott Valley remains safe and as a result, our community is thankful that they have such a dedicated and professional group of officers upholding the laws of the state and country.

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Volunteer of the Year – Bob Jensen

Robert Jensen, or K-Bob as all of us know him, has been a volunteer with our agency since 2007. K-Bob was nominated by his Police Department family as the 2014 Volunteer of the year, for his work as a Patrol VIP. You will most likely never see K-Bob without his ball cap on, a Pepsi in his hand, and a smile on his face! He always has a good sense of humor and a positive demeanor. K-Bob has always stressed that he does this job because he wants to help, not for the recognition.

K-Bob is quick to help in any area he can, and always finds tasks that need to be completed, with little or no direction. He was instrumental in transporting vehicles to Phoenix during the redesign of the patrol vehicles and also assisted in getting additional drivers to assist. K-Bob has never wavered in his enthusiasm to the agency and does his job with the utmost dedication and consistency.

K-Bob has been a vital part in the upkeep, maintenance and design of the Mobile Command Post. He is the main driver and operator of the Mobile Command Post, in which he takes a great deal of pride. K-Bob is always reliable for anything from a midnight call-out to assist Patrol with a critical incident or a chili cook-off at a local church.

K-Bob gave 976 hours in 2014 as a volunteer, the most of all VIPs. This averages out to over 80 hours a month that he is donating for the greater good of our agency and community. K-Bob is a great example of the benefit and necessity of having the VIP Unit within our agency. Having VIPs like K-Bob make not only the daily operations of the Police Department run smoother, but he completes beneficial tasks that would otherwise go undone.  Thank you for your enthusiasm, commitment and ongoing dedication to our agency.

Mountain Splash- Prescott Valley

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Mountain Splash is Prescott valley’s outdoor aquatic center. It’s located in Mountain Valley Park and features a “zero-depth” entry pool with a mushroom fountain kiddie area that cascades water from above.

Within the recreation area is a 75-foot spiral slide, a corporate picnic area, multiple shade structures, a concession stand and up to six lanes for lap swimming.

Visitors of the aquatic center can also enjoy the Splash Pad. The Splash Pad is an exciting combination of ground sprayers, water cannons, dump buckets and soakers.

Playful City USA Communities

 

The Town of Gilbert celebrates its 2014 Playful City USA status. Gilbert is one of four cities in AZ to receive the award eight consecutive times.

The Town of Gilbert celebrates its 2014 Playful City USA status. Gilbert is one of four cities in AZ to receive the award eight consecutive times.

KaBOOM! recently announced its Playful City USA honorees: communities that are leaders in “playability,” the commitment to providing balanced and active play to children.

The KaBOOM! Playful City USA program honors cities, towns and communities across America that are taking bold steps to ensure that all children, especially the 16 million American kids living in poverty, have easy access to balanced and active play in their communities. 212 cities nationwide have been recognized this year, 12 of which are in Arizona.

Playful City USA honorees include major cities such as Washington, D.C., San Francisco and Chicago. In Arizona, these honorees include cities and towns across the state. They range from eight-time honorees like Chandler, Gilbert, Tucson and Yuma, to first-time recipient Prescott Valley.

Tempe is once again recognized by KaBOOM! as a Playful City USA for its commitment to keeping kids active through accessible playspaces and youth sports programs.

Tempe is once again recognized by KaBOOM! as a Playful City USA community for its commitment to keeping kids active through accessible playspaces and youth sports programs.

These Playful City USA communities are making a commitment to transform their communities to become more playable by developing unique local action plans to increase the quantity and quality of play in their community.

Playful City USA Honorees in Arizona: 

Buckeye
Casa Grande
Chandler
Coolidge
Gilbert
Maricopa
Mesa
Oro Valley
Prescott Valley
Tempe
Tucson
Yuma

To see the full list of the 212 communities named 2014 Playful City USA honorees, or for more information on the Playful City USA program, visit www.playfulcityusa.org.