2011 Awards Banquet Award Recipient Scripts
ANAHEIM POLICE DEPARTMENT
Sgt. James Rodriguez & Sgt Rich La Rochelle
In January 2010, the San Bernardino County Sherriffâs Department responded to an assault at a grocery store. When deputies arrived they found the 26 year old suspect being detained by several employees. The suspect was in possession of several credit cards as well as car keys to a car parked in the lot belonging to the elderly woman whom lived in Anaheim.
The suspect could not provide a reasonable explanation to why he was in possession of these belongings so the Anaheim Police Department was contacted to investigate. Detective James Rodriguez and Detective Rich La Rochelle arrived at the home of the elderly woman. It was obvious a burglary had occurred but upon entering they found the lifeless body of the victim, an 84 year old widower whom had suffered obvious signs of severe trauma.
Through the hard work of Det. Rodriguez and leadership of Det. La Rochelle they were not only able to assist the family members by providing Community Service Programs to them, but had also taken the time to coordinate a community meeting for the concerned citizens living in the close knit neighborhood. They addressed hundreds of concerns and reassured everyone this was an isolated incident and that the sole suspect was in custody. They received numerous compliments for their compassion and responsiveness.
It is a great honor and privilege to announce Sergeant James Rodriguez & Sergeant Rich La Rochelle as this yearâs Crime Survivors recipients of the âAbove and Beyond Award.â
CALIFORNIA HIGHWAY PATROL
Officers Todd Steaffens, Christopher Hopkins, Patrick Goddard
On July 26, 2010 at approx. 2:42pm Officers Todd Steaffens, Christopher Hopkins and Patrick Goddard were leaving from a court appearance at West Justice Center in Westminster. The officers heard screams of a woman. They located a male adult attempting to rape a woman nearby. The officers immediately took the perpetrator into custody. Following his arrest it was determined that he was wanted for an outstanding arson warrant. He is currently in custody and awaiting trial and is no longer a danger to the public.Â
Crime Survivors is honored to present this years âAbove and Beyondâ Award to Officers Steaffens, Hopkins & Goddard for their exemplary performance as role models for the community and their peers.Â
CYPRESS POLICE DEPARTMENT
Officer Paulo Morales
Officer Paulo Morales is a 22 year veteran and an avid supporter of M.A.A.D. He has extensive experience in DUI investigations and served as an instructor at Golden West College. In May 2010 he presented a âDeath Notification Seminarâ at Kent State University in Ohio which provides a greater understanding of the needs of bereaved individuals and helping officers understand the complexities of making these notifications.  The following quote says it all âOfficer Morales presentation was compassionate and professional, and certainly provided a wealth of information to those attended.â
Crime Survivors is honored to present this years Above and Beyond Award to Officer Paulo Morales
HUNTINGTON BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT
Retired Volunteer Ralph Lanternier
Ralph Lanternier joined the Huntington Beach PD Retired Seniors Volunteer program in 1996. Since then he has been recruited to assist in various programs including the Economic Crime detectives unit, Crime against Persons unit as well as volunteers 2 Saturdays a month in the downtown substation.  Mr. Lanternier is from an era that has been recognized by this nation as our âGreatest Generation.â He has dedicated much of his valuable time protecting and empowering crime victims for over 15 years and has received not only the respect but appreciation from those whom he has worked with.Â
It is a great honor and privilege to present Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ award 2010 to Mr. Ralph Lanternier.Â
IRVINE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Advocate Kendall Russell
In 2010 the Irvine PD contracted with CSP Victim Assistance Programs for a dedicated victim advocate position. Kendall Russell was selected for this position and immediately made an impact. Although she had no prior training in the area of victim services she was a quick learner, completed the required classes and hit the ground running.Â
Kendall has served hundreds of victims many which have commented how deeply they appreciated her patience, compassion and willingness to help. She frequently rides with the Irvine PD in the field to provide immediate support.
Crime Survivors is honored to present this years Above and Beyond Award to Kendall Russell a respected member of the Irvine Police Department
Cheryl Morgan
Cheryl Morgan had been a victim of domestic abuse for many years and in 1997 chose to leave the situation and never look back. Her courage led her to volunteer in 2005 at the Crime Survivors Annual Survive & Thrive Run/Walk. In 2009 she was asked by the Irvine Police Department to participate in creating a public service announcement designed to connect with victims of domestic violence. As you can imagine this was a difficult and emotional experience for Cheryl, having to revisit her past, but she understood the importance to share her story.
The Public Service Announcement has aired over 100 times and thousands of people have heard her message.
Cheryl is a perfect example to other women whom feel trapped in a relationship and has shared hope and support by sharing to others her story.
God Bless you Cheryl, it is truly an honor to announce that you are a recipient of the Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ Award tonight.
Officer Frank Caruso
Frank Caruso became a police officer in 1989 to make a positive difference in the lives of people. In 1998, while eating lunch with a group of first graders, he realized he had a new goal as a police officer: To help build better relationships between kids and cops. As Officer Frank sat there eating a sandwich that day, a young boy stared at him in amazement and asked, âYou eat food?â Stunned, Officer Frank replied, âOf course I do. Iâm a person, just like you are.â
That incident combined with subsequent on-the-job contacts with children made Officer Frank realize that many kids misunderstand the basic role of police officers in the community and actually fear the police.
These types of misconceptions can be a fundamental reason for the early breakdown of trust and respect between authority figures and youth in America. In order to help bridge this gap, Officer Frank wrote a book that not only teaches children that police officers are their friends who care and are there to help and protect them, but are ârealâ people just like they are.
On behalf of all parents of young children, it is truly an honor to present the Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ award to Officer Frank Caruso.
LONG BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT
Officer Joe Seminara
Officer Joseph Seminara is a police officer for the city of LB assigned to the âquality of lifeâ unit he and a fellow officer created approx. 4 years ago when he noticed a recurring pattern with the homeless in downtown LB.
Officer Seminara would frequently be dispatched to calls involving the homeless and would eventually take them to jail. He would then see the same person the next day in the same place which seemed to be a recurring cycle so he decided to start talking to them to hopefully break this cycle. As he learned more about them he was able to work with them and nurtured relationships with private agencies such as hospitals & shelters.
One example of his above and beyond efforts occurred in 2009 when he began working with a man who had mental illness as well as heart issues. He attempted to get this man placed in housing yet this was not an easy task. In 2010 the man was a victim of a robbery where he was thrown on the ground and broke his hip and the suspects stole his bicycle, one of his only possessions.
Officer Seminara was able to work with local agencies to obtain permanent housing for the man as well as made him able to testify against the persons who robbed him and convict and send them to prison for a long time.Â
Officer Seminara is to be commended for improving the quality of life of both the tax paying citizens as well as the homeless in the city of Long Beach and it is truly an honor to present him with the Crime Survivors Above & Beyond Award for 2010.Â
Detective Jackie Bezart
Detective Bezart is a 16 year veteran of the Police Department and has a thorough understanding of the police organization. She is also keenly aware of the sensitive and often unique needs of hate crime victims.
Detective Bezart has consulted with City Prosecutors, LA County Deputy District Attorney as well as met with graduates of the Crisis Intervention Team to develop a clearer understanding on how to approach hate crime victims and provide them with the resources needed to assist them.
Detective Bezart has been known to interact with victims of these crimes during her days off, never waiting for the next shift but rather immediately addressing the victimâs needs.
It gives me great honor to present Crime Survivors Above & Beyond award for combating crime to Detective Jackie Bezart.
Detective Jerry Poole
Detective Poole has been a police officer for 17 years and has worked in Patrol, Community Policing, and Felony Car/Drug Investigation and Gang enforcement Sections.
In December 2010 he began investigating a series of 5 shootings that he discovered were committed by the same gang. One of the shootings resulted in a victim being shot thru & thru in the back striking his girlfriend in the leg who was holding her 18 month old nephew and was 8 months pregnant.
Detective Poole was able to identify 15 associates related to the gang members involved in the shootings. The operation resulted in 13 felony arrests, including 2 juveniles for assault with a deadly weapon, 2 misdemeanor arrests and 7 firearms being seized. Det. Pooleâs investigation was very thorough and required hundreds of hours of work.Â
He is to be commended for his dedication to the community he serves and for making Long Beach a safer place and is honored tonight by receiving Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ Award for 2010.
Detective Stacey Holdredge
In Oct. 2008 Detective Holdredge began investigating a case of financial elder abuse. She received information that the suspect was taking financial and physical advantage of the victim. Her investigation revealed that the victim (a self made millionaire) had suffered a stroke in 2002 and required a caretaker.
The suspect became the caretaker and began influencing the victim by limiting family memberâs access to her and also fired her long term financial advisors.
Det. Holdredge discovered that between 2002-08 the suspect, her boyfriend and her son utilized their associates & resources to steal more than $4 million dollars from the victim.
Good news is because of Detective Holdregeâs commitment to this case, justice may finally be served. The suspect turned herself in August of 2010 and is currently in jail awaiting her preliminary hearing and is facing 8 years in prison as well as paying full restitution.
Thank you Detective Stacey Holdredge and congratulations on receiving Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ award for 2010.
 LOS ANGELES POLICE DEPARTMENT
Detective Tammy Thomas
Detective Tammy Thomas has worked for the LAPD for over 26 years. She started working various patrol assignments until she was assigned to the training division.Â
For 17 years she was a member of the LAPD honor guard and was selected as the 1st female Emergency Vehicle Operations instructor where she trained officers in pursuit and defensive driving skills. After 10 years as an instructor she transferred to the Threat Management Unit, the Mental Evaluation Unit, Hollywood division Detectives and then specializing in Forgery and Identity Theft related crimes.
A quote from a victim that Detective Thomas had assisted while working for the Threat Management Unit says it all
âShe treated me like I was human, like my case was important.  She took special interest in my case and walked me thru some dense areas where I couldnât see 2â in front of me. Detective Thomas became my friend at a time when a lot of friends fell thru the cracks either out of fear or just not wanting to deal with the drama.â
Detective Thomas helped this victim move from victim to survivor and that is why she is being honored tonight by Crime Survivors for going âAbove & Beyond.â
LOS ANGELES COUNTY SHERIFFâS DEPARTMENT
Chief Thomas Laing
Thomas M. Laing, a veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, was
promoted to the rank of Chief by Sheriff Lee Baca and assigned to Field Operations
Region III. He and his staff are responsible for seven Sheriffâs Stations, 15 contract cities and a very diverse and complex unincorporated county area. Chief Laing was introduced to Crime Survivors approximately five years ago, he has always been involved and a strong victim advocate giving of his time and support to many groups. Through meetings and conversations he decided to take it one step further by starting the FAMILY ABUSE INTERVENTION RESOURCE (F.A.I.R.) PROGRAM. Patrol stations in Field Operations Region III along with Crime Survivors, Community/Law Enforcement Partnership Program, have combined efforts to revitalize the Family Abuse Intervention Resource (F.A.I.R.) program. Training’s took place in October, 2010 and program has been put into place with great feedback from volunteers and survivors. The common goal is to bridge the gap between law enforcement and victims of domestic violence through collaboration and synergy, and to ensure victims are aware of their rights and the cadre of resources available to them. The long term goal of this program will be to extend similar services to victims of all reported violent crimes that will empower crime victims to survive and thrive. Crime Survivors is honored to work side by side with Chief Laing and thank him for his dedication and support for our organization and for all victims of crime.
Crime Survivors is honored to present Chief Laing this yearâs âAbove & Beyondâ Award.
Detective David Campbell
Detective Campbell has an outstanding reputation advocating on behalf of crime victims and works cooperatively with all multi-disciplinary groups and public agencies that collectively collaborate together.
In August 2009 Detective Campbell began investigating a violent sexual assault case that occurred in the LA County where the victim had been left with severe injuries and hospitalized for several days. Det. Campbell remained in constant contact with the victim while pursuing all leads which led him to believe the suspect belonged in the trucking industry. With the assistance of the FBI he was able to receive a break in the case almost 9 months later with a match made on the suspects DNA. The suspect was located in NY and arrested by local authorities.Â
Det. Campbell flew to NY to extradite the suspect where he learned he was also a prime suspect for other vicious sexual attacks in 2 other states.
Det. Campbell went beyond just investigating the crime and due to his efforts in working with the victim to testify; the suspect held to answer for all counts and is looking at life in prison.
There is no doubt that the Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ Award belongs to Detective David Campbell
Detective Jerry Saba Â
In late 2009, Detective Saba became the lead investigator on a cold kidnapping case that occurred in 2003. The case surrounded the kidnapping of a 1 year old from her foster parents. They had allowed the child to visit with juvenile family members who in turn kidnapped her.
Detective Saba was given a lead of the childâs whereabouts and began actively working on the case even though it had been âcoldâ for almost 7 years. He had to recreate much of the case files and had to gather âout of stateâ evidence as the child was almost 8 years old now. His investigation led him to Arizona which resulted in executing a search warrant of the location where they finally recovered the child and she was flown back to California to be placed with the Department of Children and Family Services.
Detective Saba is truly worthy of the Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ Award for his tireless efforts to solve this case.
ORANGE COUNTY SHERRIFFâS DEPARTMENT
Investigators Yvonne Shull and Ray Wert
In 1988, OC Fire Dept & OC Sheriffâs deputies were sent to respond to a structure fire. After arriving and finding a fully engulfed apartment the fire authority extinguished the flames. The remains of a male were discovered and the investigation revealed the man had been tortured, stabbed & nearly decapitated. Evidence was collected but no suspects were identified. Forensic evidence was not available so the case went cold.
In 2000 the victimâs mother spoke to Investigator Yvonne Shull fearing the case would never be solved yet Investigator Shull assured the mother that she would see to it to not let her down. The case stayed on her desk and in 2003 she was promoted to Sergeant and she continued to keep the case with her. In 2006 she was assigned to homicide detail and asked Inv. Raymond Wert to reexamine the case and resubmit evidence.
In 2007 a man was arrested for brutally attacking his girlfriend and was asked to submit DNA. He was released from custody but put on probation. In 2008 he was arrested again on drug charges and this time had his DNA placed in a nationwide database which created a match to the homicide back in 1988. It was the 1st viable lead.
Investigator Wert travelled to Nevada where the suspect had been transferred to and after interviews where the suspect did admit to being in the residence of the victim (of course not admitting to the crime) finally enough evidence was gathered to file charges against him.
In 2009 he was arrested and booked and extradited back to Orange County where after extensive investigation was finally convicted by a jury trial in November 2010 and received a sentence of life without parole.
Throughout this entire process both Sergeant Shull and Investigator Wert never gave up with there ultimate goal seeing that justice was served and to ânever forgetâ the victims and families of these violent crimes.
It is with great pleasure and honor to present the Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ award to Sergeant Yvonne Shull and Investigator Ray Wert.
Investigator Wendy Davis
Detective Davis has been with the Orange County Sherriffâs Department for 21 years. She was assigned a domestic violence case involving a victim who had reported over 4 ½ years of abuse from her boyfriend. The victim never reported the violence for fear of her boyfriendâs violent family history and ties to gangs.
In April 2010 the victim & her intoxicated boyfriend, driver of the vehicle, were involved in a traffic collision. The victim sustained multiple injuries – 14 broken bones, a shattered pelvis, fractured neck, broken shoulder and knee injury which left her hospitalized for over a month. The victim had told family members that the boyfriend tried to kill her in the accident.
Unfortunately the victim became financially dependent of the boyfriend who continued to berate her and on several occasions locked her in a closet.
In December 2010, while attending an event together – the victim and her boyfriend, who was abusing prescription drugs now, were involved in an argument that led to further abuse.Â
Detective Davis not only treated the victim with compassion, but kept her informed on the case filings as well as provided her with information for Victim Advocate program.
Her commitment and dedication resulted in the District Attorneyâs office filing 3 felony counts of domestic violence, 2 counts of great bodily injury & 1 count of sexual assault & criminal threats.
Wendy is an outstanding representative of the OC Sherriffâs Department and an excellent recipient of the Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ Award for 2010.
SEAL BEACH POLICE DEPARTMENT
Officer Al Cabrera
In June 2010 Officer Cabrera was dispatched to a Ralphâs Supermarket for a purse theft. The victim a 97 year old woman explained she had been distracted for a moment and had not noticed her purse was missing for over 20 minutes. She also mentioned that her PIN number was written on a post it note in her wallet. Officer Cabrera assisted the victim by showing her how to protect her credit and assets.
Later that same afternoon her account had been accessed by an ATM in a nearby city and Officer Cabrera was able to get permission to leave the city to investigate. Â Through some great investigative efforts and contacts made he was able to locate the suspect matching the description and was able to get her to admit to the theft.Â
Many officers, would have merely taken a report and gone away to handle the next call.Â
Officer Cabrera demonstrates great diligence and determination and is definitely worthy of the Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ Award for 2010.Â
UC IRVINE POLICE DEPARTMENT
Corporal Michael Keller and Corporal Jamie Park
In December 2010, the UC Irvine Police Department responded to a domestic violence attempted homicide. During this incident a husband strangled his wife to unconsciousness in front of their 2 daughters ages 6 & 7. The children bravely called 9-1-1.
Corporals Keller & Park responded and arrived to a chaotic scene where they found the injured and distraught victim and two hysterical children. The suspect had fled.
Corporals Keller & Park on their own volition began a 3 day search in the South OC area which is highly populated. Two days following the attack the Corporals spotted a vehicle matching the description of the suspects in a parking lot. They searched the truck and found the suspect inside deceased from apparent self inflicted injuries.
Corporals Keller & Park are recognized this evening with Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ Award for their investigative tenacity, determination & commitment to this violent, heinous crime.
WESTMINISTER POLICE DEPARTMENT
Detective Michael Nguyen
It has been said that you can often see true character and leadership traits of a person by the way they treat others, especially when those others are unable to care for themselves.
Detective Nguyen definitely exemplifies this by handling a case involving a 26 year old female that had been forced into prostitution.
This woman was arrested numerous times during the past several years for disturbances, petty crimes and misdemeanors against people. His initial investigation was for a restraining order violation but as he began actively listening to the suspect he found out she had become more of a victim as he learned about her pimp raping her and forcing her at a young age into prostitution which led to alcohol abuse.
Detective Nguyen immediately arranged to have a victim advocate assigned to her to help counsel her and transition her into a better life. Det. Nguyen also helped get her into a rehab program for her addiction and continued to monitor her success.
Det. Nguyen continued to work on the case to try and track down leads of the pimp who had been working not only in the Orange County but San Diego, Las Vegas & Reno Areas. Unfortunately most of the crimes committed against the victim were out of state and criminal filings against the suspect did not prevail.
Det. Nguyen is commended for going the extra mile in his efforts to seek justice and is definitely worthy to receive the Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ Award for 2010.
Martha Nix Wade
Martha Nix Wade has had tremendous success as a former child actress (co starring on The Waltons, Days of Our Lives, and many other television shows) She also continues to be an active writer, informative speaker, educator, singer & director.
Marthaâs message comes from her personal experience of surviving sexual abuse. Her passion is to educate and empower adults & children to avoid becoming victims of sexual abuse and to present answers and viable techniques as well as offering hope and strength to victims in the aftermath.Â
Her autobiography will be released this month âMy Secret Life: A truthful look at a child actorâs victory over sexual abuse.â
It is my pleasure to present Martha Nix Wade with the Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ award for her work educating & empowering victims of crime.
ANAHEIM ROTARY
The Anaheim Rotary demonstrates its ability to build quality partnerships with stakeholders in the community and participates in problem solving efforts for the residents of the City of Anaheim.
They are one of the 1st service clubs to take responsibility for meeting the requirements of the âAdopt a Neighborhoodâ program over 18 months ago. They have volunteered over 160 hours to the project and continue to this day to donate their time & resources to see that the adopted neighborhood can become self sufficient and become a proud neighborhood.
The Anaheim Rotary participates in numerous programs and works with many non profits and it is for this very reason they are being honored tonight with Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ Award.
ANAHEIM POLICE DEPARTMENT
Cops for Kids
Like many California Police departments, the Anaheim Police department has a police activities league. They refer to their activities leagues as Cops for Kids (known as C4K).
The Cops for Kids program provides a safe haven to hundreds of youth & teaches them to shun the temptation of crime and instead be productive citizens. Every hour a child spends at the C4K is one less hour a drug dealer, child abuser or other criminal has access to our precious children.
In the past year alone over 1,000 have been touched by the program. Another innovative program is the Jr. Cadet program, the 1st of its kind in California. It teaches kids Respect, Discipline & Character and last year over 300 participated in the program and over ½ returned for advance training.
It is my honor to present the Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ Award 2010 to Anaheim Police Cops for Kids.
ASSOCIATION OF OC DEPUTY SHERIFFâS
Wayne Quint
Sergeant Wayne J. Quint, Jr. is a 29-year veteran with the Orange County Sheriffâs
Department.  He has been the president of the Association of Orange County Deputy Sheriffs (AOCDS) for the past 13 years. Two of Wayneâs proudest accomplishments are the creation of the AOCDS Memorial Fund, a recognized 501 c 3 charitable organizations and his 14 year tenure as a Board of Director with the California Peace Officers Memorial Foundation (CPOMF).  The AOCDS Memorial Fund and the CPOMF are both committed to ensure that the survivors of peace officers killed in the line of duty are never forgotten. Both charities provide immediate financial assistance, scholarship resources and other benefits for our fallen heroesâ survivors. He has been a great resource and support to Crime Victims groups including Crime Victims United and that of Crime Survivor’s, Inc., We thank him for his dedication and support.
Crime Survivors is honored to present Wayne Quint this yearâs âAbove & Beyondâ Award.
CRIME VICTIMS UNITED
Harriet Salarno
September 3, 1979; the day that changed the future for Harriet Salarno, her family and all victims of crime in the state of California. Harrietâs eldest daughter, Catina, was shot and killed at the University of the Pacific in Stockton on her first day of school. She was only 19 years old. Her murderer was a long time childhood friend, Steve Burns, who had stalked her and murdered her. The senseless murder of her daughter prompted Harriet to form the San Francisco chapter of Parents of Murdered Children in 1979. Then, in 1984, she founded Justice for Murder Victims, and in 1990 she founded Crime Victims United of California, a statewide organization that not only offers support to victims, but also lobbies at the State Capitol for legislation to protect and improve Californiaâs public safety. In an instant, Harriet was thrust into victimâs advocacy. Harriet is a tireless worker in support of victimâs rights and she has never let go of these three ideals: help survivors cope with the tremendous grief, ensure that the rights of victims are not ignored within the judicial system, and bring about change that would make a balanced justice system.
Crime Survivors is honored to present Harriet Salarno this yearâs âAbove & Beyondâ Award.Â
TRAUMA INTERVENTION PROGRAM
Ingrid Fahr, Tina Stelzer, Karen Wood
Ingrid Fahr & Tina Stelzer were called to a rehabilitation facility by Orange County Fire Authority after an argument ensued between 3 men.
One of the men returned later to the room of the other man and proceeded to beat him to death with a cane.
Karen Wood was dispatched to Saddleback Hospital for the family of the victim. She spent over 6 hours providing support to family members and being the liaison between hospital and detectives.
Ingrid & Tina spent over 5 hours at the rehab facility providing employees support and resource information. Although Ingrid was a new volunteer, only 3 months into training she handled the call like a veteran. Tina a 3 year veteran, was extremely compassionate and ensured that no one would go home with feelings of guilt or lack of understanding.
Karen also a 3 year veteran has a unique calming presence, even when information was limited. She maintained a level of compassion and professionalism so as to not jeopardize the investigation.Â
These three woman Ingrid Fahr, Tina Stelzer & Karen Wood did an amazing job and deserve to be recognized with the Crime Survivors âAbove & Beyondâ Award tonight.
VICTIM ADVOCACY LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENT AWARD
Todd Spitzer
Todd Spitzer, Attorney at Law and Director, Legal Affairs, for Marsyâs Law For All,  will be honored and recognized at this yearâs Crime Survivors Awards Banquet. Todd will receive the âCrime Survivors Victim Advocacy Lifetime Achievement Awardâ for his outstanding commitment to crime victims, victimsâ rights, and for taking a leadership role in our community to bring awareness, prevention and survival, while empowering crime victims to survive and thrive. He has been involved with Crime Survivors since itâs inception, working together to start the Victim Services Partnership in Orange County, developing the Victimsâ Rights Card Pilot Program, Campaign Manager for Proposition 9, the amendment to the California Constitution commonly known as âMarsyâs Lawâ and working closely on programs, services and events with Crime Survivors and many other victim service organizations throughout Orange County and California. Todd is a former County Supervisor, State Assemblymember and Assistant District Attorney and joint-author of Assembly Bill 488 which put Meganâs Law on the Internet.
It gives me great honor to present the Crime Survivors Victim Advocate Lifetime Achievement Award to Todd Spitzer.
COMMUNITY POLICING ORGANZIATION OF THE YEAR
Santa Ana Police Department
It gives me great honor to present the Crime Survivors Community Policing Organization of the Year Award to Chief Paul Walters and The Santa Ana Police Department.
CITIZEN OF THE YEAR
James Clark, Hareley Davidson Westminster
James Clark of Harley Davidson of Westminster (this award was for a citizen going above and beyond in helping a crime victim, law enforcement, good citizenry etc.) James Clark is employed at Harley Davidson Westminster. A burglary suspect looted an elderly womanâs home and fled with Christmas gifts, cash, and jewelry. There were no leads in the case until James discovered the cameras at Harley Davidson revealed the suspect had used their fence to enter the victims yard. The suspect was seen throwing latex gloves into some nearby bushes which James recovered for police. The gloves contained DNA that matched a local parolee who was arrested and eventually sent back to prison for residential burglary, James- a job well done as crime survivors citizen of the year.
It gives me great honor to present the Crime Survivors Citizen of the Year Award to James Clark and Westminster Harley Davidson.