INFORMATION RELEASE

JPD Awards Ceremony

On 02/06/2023, the Juneau Police Department held an awards ceremony to recognize department staff members who perform their duties in a manner that exceeds the highest standards of the Department and to honor those members of the community who substantially assist the Department in an extraordinary manner. Police Chief Ed Mercer and Deputy Chief David Campbell presented the following awards and commendations;

Medal of Bravery - Officer Patrick Vaughan and Outstanding Police Service Medal - Officer Ron Shriver

On March 2, 2019, off-duty JPD Officer Ron Shriver reported a subject with an arrest warrant was at a business in the 8100 block of Glacier Highway.  Officer Patrick Vaughan went to the business and located the man, who was inside a vehicle in the parking lot. Officer Vaughan spoke with the man about the warrant and gave him verbal instructions to comply with the arrest. In an attempt to escape, the man put the vehicle in reverse and started to drive away. Officer Vaughan was caught in the doorway of the vehicle, dragged underneath the car, and driven over. The suspect crashed the car a short distance later and ran away on foot. After being injured, Officer Vaughan and Officer Shriver pursued the man on foot, ultimately taking him into custody on the warrant.

Lifesaving Medal - Officer Ron Shriver

On December 9, 2021, Officer Ron Shriver responded to a disturbance call on Teal Street.  Upon arrival, Officer Shriver was told the man involved in the disturbance had calmed down and went to his room, but the man had made comments about harming himself.  Officer Shriver went to the man's room to talk with him and ultimately found him hanging from his door.  Officer Shriver was able to force entry into the room, revive the man, and provide him with basic life support until Capital City Fire & Rescue arrived.

Lifesaving Medal - Officer Terry Allen and Citizen's Award for Lifesaving - Pre-Trial Probation Officer Deanna Komar

On March 22, 2022, Officer Terry Allen and Pre-Trial Probation Officer Komar responded to a person in distress who wanted to take their own life.  The person had walked up into the woods behind Gruening Park.  Probation Officer Komar and Officer Allen began hiking in the woods to attempt to find the woman.  After searching for almost two hours, they located the woman on the hillside in steep terrain.  The woman was cold, wet, and nearly hypothermic.  Officer Allen put his jacket on the woman, and both officers stayed with her until rescue units could reach them and transport the woman to the hospital.

Lifesaving Medal - Officer Jonah Hennings-Booth and Officer Hannah Malone

On April 2, 2022, Officer Jonah Hennings-Booth and Officer Hannah Malone responded to a trailer on Mendenhall Loop Road for a CPR-in-progress call.  Upon arrival, officers began doing CPR and applying an AED. After applying the shock from the AED, along with chest compressions, the man was revived.  The man was transported to Bartlett Regional Hospital.  Capital City Fire & Rescue Chief Quinto stated that the man was going to “walk out of the hospital” because of their actions.

Lifesaving Medal - Officer Hannah Malone and Officer Chris Herrick

On September 13, 2022, Officer Hannah Malone and Officer Chris Herrick responded to Trafalgar Avenue for a report of a man found unconscious and unresponsive. Officers obtained an AED and began CPR on the man who was down and without a pulse.  They applied the AED and switched off providing CPR for about nine minutes while awaiting the arrival of Capital City Fire & Rescue.  The man ultimately regained a pulse and was transported to Bartlett Regional Hospital.

Lifesaving Medal - Officer Austin Thomas

On May 22, 2022, Officer Austin Thomas responded to Nowell Avenue regarding a man who had cut his wrist.  Officer Thomas found the man inside an apartment suffering from what appeared to be a severe cut, and he had lost a significant amount of blood.  Officer Thomas applied a tourniquet to the man’s arm, stopping the bleeding.  After several minutes, Capital City Fire & Rescue arrived on the scene and took over lifesaving measures.

Lifesaving Medal - Chief Ed Mercer 

On October 7, 2022, while off-duty, Chief Ed Mercer was traveling in his boat near Favorite Reef in Lynn Canal.  Chief Mercer came upon a boat that had run aground on Favorite Reef. While contacting JPD Dispatch about the boat, one of the passengers called out to Chief Mercer from the deck of the boat.  Ultimately, Chief Mercer was able to get the three passengers off the boat and safely back to Juneau.

The following employees  received Certificates of Appreciation, recognizing their years of service to the CBJ:

• 5 Years of Service – Officer Mattie Shriver, Dispatcher Alyssa Storbeck
• 10 Years of Service – Record Technician Brianna Youll, Officer Steve Scherrer, Civilian Investigator Joey Fox
• 15 Years of Service – IT Supervisor Eric Meyer, Sgt. Matt Dubois, Officer John Cryderman
• 20 Years of Service – Lt. Krag Campbell, Civilian Investigator Jennifer Adams, Detective Kathy Underwood, Lead Dispatcher Celeste Lopez
• 25 Years of Service – Lead Community Services Officer Bob Dilley, Officer Kevin Fermin

Senator Jesse Kiehl presented a legislative memoriam honoring the late JPD Police Chief Pat Wellington (who passed in May 2021).  Present to receive the memoriam was Chief Wellington’s niece, Karen Petersen.

Photos from the awards ceremony can be found on the Juneau Police Department's Facebook page.