NORTH HOUSTON GREENSPOINT The Chamber of Commerce held their annual recognition luncheon for public safety officers and officials last Thursday, Oct. 19th at the Wyndham Hotel Greenpsoint.
This year for the first time, an award was given to the Airline Improvement Districts president, Glenn Nitsch, for the districts efforts in crime prevention and economic improvement.
The ceremonies were chaired by Chamber president, and past peace officer, Jerry Lowry. In his opening remarks, he noted how dangerous it is to be a police officer– one police officer is killed in the line of duty every 63 hours, nationwide. Their bravery is one of the reasons for this recognition luncheon, Lowry said.
Special appreciation and a moment of silence was taken for HPD Officer Rodney Johnson, who gave his life only this year.
Awards and commendations were given to the following officers:
Community Service Award:
Sgt. Frank Escobedo, HPD. for his work in the community, and the North Division. Notably, the C.O.P. program, and the Christmas Toy Drive.
Glenn Nitsch, President of the Airline Improvement District, for his dedication to improving the Airline area and support in creating the improvement district.
Special Recognition:
Deputy Jimmy Whalen, HCSO, for his work in nuisance abatement.
Officer Gustavo Adame, Aldine ISD Police Dept., for aiding a stranded citizen during Hurricane Rita.
Officer Lowell Lovelace, HPD, for successfully clearing robbery cases through investigative initiative.
Distinguished Service:
Sgt. Daniel Silva, HPD, for success with the Robbery Reduction Initiative and the Multi-Agency Violent Gang Crime Initiative.
Deputy Joe Shriver, HCSO, for his work as the new deputy assigned to the Airline Improvement District, and the number of arrests and citations during his career.
Officers S.K. Franklin, A. Garcia, A. Verslius, P. Alegria, K. Muse, J. Lopez, D. Meza, A. Rendon, and P. Day, all HPD, for their successful work as a team in apprahending a gang of 4 robbers involved in bank and business robberies.
Distinguished Unit:
Sgt. Greg Capers, Deputies T. Perez, R. Nichols, and R. Martinez, for their work as a unit under an auto theft prevention grant, administered with the Greater Greenspoint District.
North Division Tactical Section, and Narcotics Division Squad #9, for Operation Greensweep, utilizing both uniformed and plainclothes officers, to combat the criminal element in the Greenspoint District in a most effective way, resulting in 541 arrests or charged suspects.
Lifetime Achievement:
Lt Freddy Guidry, HPD, for 39 years of outstanding service to the community and the HPD, and before his retirement in December is currently Commander of Storefront operations, Field Training, and Community Services in the North Division.
Public Safety Professional of the Year:
Lois Gibson, a Forensic Artist with the HPD Robbery Division, for 24 years of service in helping apprahend criminals with her artistic skills. She has also written a book on the subject, Faces of Evil.