Police awards champion hard work and heroism

More than a dozen Glendale police officers were honored on Thursday at the 20th annual police awards luncheon for acts of bravery, as well as their professionalism and investigative chops.

Among those honored were Officers Jose Gutierrez, Scott Wessel and Chris Haddad, who earned the Chief’s Award of Excellence for handling with professionalism and empathy a traffic stop of the son of “Empire” actress Taraji Henson, who later accused police of racial profiling.

Shortly after police released a dash-cam video of the encounter that refuted her statement, Henson apologized to Glendale police.

“These officers conducted their business without ever knowing that this footage would become headline news across the nation months after the traffic stop,” said ABC7 anchor David Ono, who presented the awards.

Meanwhile, Officer Travis Bateman was recognized for his swift response to an emergency situation where a baby was turning blue from not breathing, while her mother was screaming for help. Bateman arrived to the apartment within two minutes of hearing the call and cleared the baby’s airway before paramedics arrived.

The baby, now “a healthy 1-year-old with a lot of energy,” began breathing shortly after, Ono said.

Two officers were honored for their roles in rescuing a suicidal student who was preparing to jump from the eighth floor of a parking structure. Officer Vahe Abramyan called the student from his cellphone, keeping her calm until officers arrived on scene.

When Officer Mark Cole arrived, he found the woman with her feet dangling over the side of a ledge. He convinced the student to walk slowly to him, after which he pulled her to safety. Cole earned the Medal of Heroism award at Thursday’s ceremony, which was hosted by the Glendale Police Foundation.

Det. Eric Meyer earned a Distinguished Service Award for his role in finding — after a 12-year manhunt — a fugitive Toonerville street gang member who was wanted in connection to four killings. After pouring through social media, Meyer found a picture of the suspect on Facebook, which led police to a Riverside address where he was eventually located.

Detectives Travis Goodreau and Kelly Kramer, as well as a Los Angeles County sheriff’s deputy trained in undercover operations, were recognized for catching the man accused of starting several suspicious fires last year using abandoned furniture or trash, including one that caused an estimated $250,000 in damage.

Meanwhile, three local civilians were recognized for their community service.

That included Haig Krikorian and Anthony Ziccardi, who while hiking in Brand Park in March, spotted a woman lying face down in the brush and called police.

Unbeknownst to them, police were searching for her after she’d reportedly made threats of suicide. She was transported to the hospital where she recovered.

“By being observant and willing to come to the aid of a stranger, both Haig and Anthony are the recipients of the Community Service Award,” Ono said.

Below is a full list of this year’s award winners:

Top Shooters:

Officer Bryan Young

Agent Nik Orloff

Sgt. Toby Darby

No Second Chance Award:

Officer Bryan Young

Community Service Awards:

Christina Burt

Haig Krikorian

Anthony Ziccardi

Special Recognition:

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Deputy Dylan Navarro

Divisional Awards:

Officer Vahe Abramyan

Det. Jonathan Owen

Officer Travis Bateman

Distinguished Service Awards:

Agent Dave Kellog

Det. Michelle Gonzalez

Det. Travis Goodreau

Det. Kelly Kramer

Det. Eric Meyer

Officer Jim Trudeau

Medal of Heroism:

Officer Mark Cole

Volunteer of the Year:

Vartan Hovnanian

Reserve Officer of the Year:

Officer Elisa Lozano

Professional Staff Employee of the Year:

Community Service Officer Amy Tate

Chief’s Award of Excellence:

Officer Jose Gutierrez

Officer Scott Wessel

Officer Chris Haddad

Glendale Police Officer of the Year:

Det. Scott Byrne