- November 25, 2024
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During opening remarks before an awards presentation on Wednesday, Sarasota Police Chief Rex Troche was explicit in describing how police personnel are not all that fond of receiving awards. He then proceeded to hand out nearly two dozen of them to sworn officers and civilian employees at SPD headquarters.
The annual awards event recognized feats in 2022 ranging from saving lives to solving homicides to launching a new website.
“We’re really bad about bragging about ourselves because we feel like, in this profession, we do this because this is what we're about," Troche said. “We really have to force these officers to come up here against their will. It’s simply just not in our nature.”
Among the honorees was Det. John Lake, who was named Detective of the Year for, among other accomplishments, his work in solving a property crime operation involving goods worth some $100,000. Ironically, Lake was Troche’s training officer more than two decades ago.
Lake is retiring after 33 years at the end of this year.
Nine officers received Lifesaving Medals and four were named Civilian Employees of the Year, among others.
“I have the honor of hiring people on a regular basis,” Troche said. “We’ve hired 30 people last year. I get to meet people in those nascent stages of their career, and then I’m reminded of those meetings when I see people getting awards in five years, 13 years, 20 years and still staying committed.”
Following are the 2022 award winners and brief descriptions of their accomplishments.
Officer Dominic Farina: On Sept. 23, 2022, Farina responded to a call about an unconscious male who was not breathing from a possible drug overdose. He did not have a pulse, and Farina immediately began CPR chest compressions. After approximately three minutes, the subject gasped for air. Paramedics arrived on scene and transported him to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
Officers Molly Spencer and Aaron Modrow: On July 11, 2022, patrol officers responded to a call in which a civilian was attempting to rescue a male subject from a swimming pool. Modrow entered the pool and brought the subject to the side where Spencer began CPR. The officers provided continuous compressions until paramedics arrived. The subject had suffered a heart attack in the pool and survived thanks to the officers’ efforts.
Officer Laura Tomlinson: On Dec. 31, 2022, Tomlinson responded to a call about where she found an unconscious male lying on a couch and immediately began to perform CPR until rescue arrived. After several attempts, a heart rhythm was restored and the patient was transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital.
Officers Garrett Shaffer and Matthew Hughes: On July 22, 2022, responding to a call about a female in cardiac arrest, Hughes located the woman who was unconscious and checked for vital signs, but the woman was unresponsive. He administered sternal rubs and chest compressions. Shaffer, meanwhile, cleared the victim’s airway. The officers continued lifesaving efforts until paramedics arrived on scene.
Officers Jarrod Chapman, Ryan Block, Whitney Bentz and Dominic Farina: On December 30, 2022, a call for service was dispatched for a suicide attempt, Bentz found a female subject in the water adjacent to Bird Key Park holding a cellphone with a flashlight on. She was visibly cold but refused to return back to shore. At the time, both the air and water temperature were 62 degrees. Block, Chapman and Farina entered the water and safely brought her back to shore and provided dry blankets to keep her warm. Suffering hypothermia, she was later transported to Sarasota Memorial Hospital for further evaluation.
ATF Agent Dino Balos, Strategic Investigations Unit and Community Action Team: In August 2022, members of the units partnered with the Florida Department of Corrections during their Planned Compliance Initiative for home visits. The operation resulted in four arrests for probation violations, two warrant submissions for violation of probation, and multiple weapons were recovered.
David Hubbard: As network administrator, Hubbard is responsible for SPD’s two server clusters, four server hosts, 58 servers, 31 wireless access points, 16 network switches, two firewalls and 75 miles of cable infrastructure. In addition, he became the project manager for new IT deployments and was crucial to the creation and implementation of the SPD’s new website. During Hurricane Ian, he offered 24/7 IT support for the city’s Emergency Operations Center.
Genevieve Judge: As public information officer, Judge is the liaison between the agency and media outlets, sharing information with all city of Sarasota residents, visitors and employees. In addition to her duties, she played an integral role in the redesign of the new SPD website.
Barbara Ross: Administrative supervisor to the chief of police, during the last four months of 2022, Ross stepped in to assist the deputy chief as well when that administrative assistant position was vacant.
Marissa Moore: As administrative assistant to the deputy chief of police, Moore took on the additional role of the accreditation manager. As she learned the inner workings of accreditation and policy writing, she assisted the office of the chief by preparing weekly and monthly reports.
Sgt. Charles Riffe: From Jan. 1 to Oct. 31, 2022, the Criminal Investigations Division was assigned to follow up on six homicides, each under the supervision of Riffe. Most notably, Riffe led the investigation into the similar deaths of two women within a few weeks of each other. His team identified a likely suspect in both cases, which was later confirmed by DNA evidence.
Officer Timothy Bales: A member of the Traffic Unit, Bales has expertise in working complex traffic crash investigations and conducting traffic operations. In 2022, Bales saw a need for training and assistance to patrol officers who were lacking experience in conducting DUI investigations. He offered to provide additional training to the patrol officers on all shifts, developed a lesson plan and rearranged his work schedule around the night shifts so the officers’ schedules would not be affected.
Det. John Lake: A member of the Criminal Investigations Division, Lake was vital in solving several high-priority cases in 2022, including a residential burglary case in which the suspects stole numerous designer purses, jewelry and watches. Lake reviewed surveillance footage in the area and identified several vehicles associated with the suspects, resulting in five arrests for burglary and grand theft over $100,000. In addition, he is also the administrator over 14 training and certification programs.
David Hubbard, Genevieve Judge, Barbara Ross, Marissa Moore: After 16 months of work, the new and improved SPD website launched on Sept. 20, 2022. This team spent hundreds of hours in researching, brainstorming design ideas, creating and editing content, selecting photos and creating useful videos. In the final week before launch, the team worked into the night and weekend to ensure all content was prepared.
Lt. Richie Schwieterman, Officer Alfonso Varlaro, Paul Shumway and Terry Ruthruff: On July 13, 2022, a diesel fuel release valve was expelling excess fuel into the SPD parking garage during the early morning hours. After discovering the leak, the team assisted in the cleanup and placed bags of dry sweep on the ground around the drainage system to contain the spill. Approximately 200 gallons of fuel were cleared from the concrete and roadway behind the garage. The retention pond in Payne Park was checked to ensure the surrounding natural habitat was not impacted.
Rory Martin: The president and CEO of Sarasota County Fairgrounds and Robarts Arena extended the use of the property and buildings for training for the International Police Mountain Bike Association Police Cyclist course, which requires 40 hours of instruction over diverse terrain and infrastructure. The success of the SPD Bicycle Program is credited in part to collaboration with Martin and his team.
