City of Grosse Pointe Officers Receive Awards

City of Grosse Pointe Director of Public Safety Stephen Poloni gave awards to several officers this week in recognition of their work in 2012 that led to convictions, department efficiency or went above and beyond in their duties.

Officer of the Year

Detective Christopher J. Lee received the Officer of the Year award for 2012. Poloni described Lee's performance as a detective, noting the bigger cases that have resulted in arrests and prosecutions.

He is credited with gathering evidence that helped convict the three people invvolved in the $1 million jewelry heist from Lincoln Road. He is also recognized for his work as the City's fire inspector and for his work on the Arson Team. Poloni also highlighted Lee's work in "organizing and updating" evidence handling for the department, which helps achieve "enhanced prosecutions."

Department Citation

Two officers received Department Citations for work they performed on unrelated drunken driving cases.

Lt. Edward Tujaka received the citation for his work on May 16, 2012, during which he responded to a hit and run crash, provided care for the victim and broadcast a detailed description of the runaway vehicle to other officers. The description led another officer to a home where he found the driver highly intoxicated. Tujaka's quick response led to the arrest of the drunken driver responsible for the crash, who was convicted of third offense drunken driving--a felony.

Public Safety Officer Christopher Cotzias also received a Department Citation for his work on a case that ultimately took a drunk driver off the roadways. While helping another officer on a traffic stop, Cotzias took note of a vehicle that passed by at about 70 miles per hour. He attempted to initiate a traffic stop but the driver continued out of the City's limits. Cotzias caught up with the motorist and ended up arresting him related to his level intoxication. Taking the driver, who had previous convictions for drunk driving, off the streets eliminated potential risk for other motorists.

Unit Citation

Lee and Detective Sgt. Alan Gwyn were given a Unit Citation for the detective bureau related to their work on the $1 million burglary in May. According to Poloni, both provided "excellence in service" in handling search warrants and interviews. Additionally, they were able to track down a lot of the stolen jewelry so it could be returned to the owners.

Department Commendation

Public Safety Officer Joe Adams received a Department Commendation for his work in 2012 as the department's vehicle maintenance officer. He addressed concerns quickly. The project, Poloni said, was one requiring organization and time.

Congratulations

Lastly, Poloni recognized Sgt. John Alcorn for his recent completion of the School of Staff and Command from Northewestern University. Alcorn's completion, according to Poloni, will be beneficial to the department. The 10-week course involved topics such as management theory, organizational behavior, budgeting, staffing, personnel and more. He is the first graduate in the City from the program.

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