City Council
MEETING DATE: 4/12/2017
TITLE:
Title
Cathedral City Police Department Medal of Merit Recognition
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FROM:
George Crum, Chief of Police
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
This is a presentation only, no action is required.
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BACKGROUND:
The Cathedral City Police Department Medal of Merit is awarded for extraordinary performance of duties, which brings status or recognition to the Department by sworn or civilian members for an outstanding accomplishment that has resulted in improved administration, improved operations, or substantial savings in manpower or operational costs. In addition, the department member has gone far beyond the requirements of their normal assignment. This contribution results in highly creditable acts of police service over a period of time which has helped establish a more effective police service or outstanding police work that has brought great credit to the Department.
DISCUSSION:
Today, the Cathedral City Police Department is recognizing two of its members for their extraordinary meritorious performance. We would like to recognize Officer Dwayne Hodge and Technical Advisor David Bryan.
Dwayne Hodge
The Cathedral City Police Department implemented a Homeless Liaison Officer Program in November 2015. The Homeless Liaison Program was designed to compassionately handle issues and problems related to homelessness and develop solutions to the complicated and intertwined problems of mental health, chemical and alcohol dependency. The program is intended to provide the homeless - and Cathedral City residents and business owners - an officer as a point-of-contact for enforcement of municipal codes, criminal codes and problem solving with the goal of improving quality of life. Dwayne Hodge was selected by the Chief of Police to serve as the Department’s first Homeless Liaison Officer based on his experience, maturity and his true interest in helping to improve the living conditions and situations for the homeless. Additionally, he has worked well with commercial business owners in the Hwy 111 and Ramon Road Corridors to improve blight and other crime issues in the area.
During the year, Officer Hodge alone responded to 372 homeless related calls for service. In comparison, the entire department responded to 465 homeless related calls for service. Officer Hodge has made 55 homeless related arrests and written numerous citations related to criminal and municipal code violations. However, the department is most proud of his efforts to reunite people with their families in their respective hometowns. Reuniting a family member is not as simple as buying them a bus ticket home. Dwayne contacts family members and verifies they will be met with a safe return home to their family and community. Dwayne has reunited over 12 people to their homes - mostly in the Midwest. He has developed an excellent working relationship with the Coachella Valley Rescue Mission who has said that “Dwayne is one of the most reliable officers we have met - he truly cares about keeping his word with the people he is trying to help.” Officer Hodge has successfully placed over 18 people into various programs at CVRM and works daily - not to move our less fortunate transient residents into another town - but to help them to “get off of the street.” He has developed excellent working relationships with the Riverside County Probation Department and the Indio Police Department - who share their workload by assisting each other monthly, in their respective communities.
Officer Hodge does not have an assignment that is glamourous; at times it is more dangerous to his health than the job of a gang officer or SWAT officer, yet he has accepted the added hazards and perils. Dwayne knows that his down-to-earth approachability and his no-nonsense mannerisms help business owners and the less fortunate find solutions to their issues while improving the quality of life for the residents of Cathedral City.
David Bryan
David’s expertise in technical communications started in 1977 as the founder of Sonic Communications International Limited based in the United Kingdom. David was the pioneer in developing and manufacturing specialist electronic communications for police, military, law enforcement and governments worldwide.
There he served as a sworn Reserve Police Office working alongside police departments in the US for over 20 years. In 2013, the Cathedral City Police Department was fortunate enough to acquire David’s talents through his passionate desire to serve his community through his law enforcements talents and interests. This impressive career enabled David to accomplishment several tasks for the Cathedral City Police Department over the past year with impressive detail.
David has been responsible for reconfiguring the CCPD mobile command post radio communications and video surveillance capabilities. Conducting crime analysis on past residential and commercial burglaries and preparing action reports for the Detective Bureau. He has assisted in technical support to overt and covert officer missions in the field for officers and detectives. David is a current board member of the Desert Investigations Association, and the TEWG liaison (Terrorism Early Warning Group). David currently assists and manages the entire police department patrol fleet in-car camera systems.
David’s most commendable accomplishment this year was In May of 2016, when David was approached with the idea of applying his experience and expertise in the testing and evaluation of body worn cameras for patrol officers in the field. David took full responsibility of the project and spearheaded the most comprehensive product evaluation the BWC industry has seen to date. David accepted an unbelievable amount of responsibility when he agreed to this product evaluation which was no easy task. David logged hundreds of volunteer hours in this endeavor at both the Cathedral City Police Department and at home. Every vendor whose product was subjected to David’s intense scrutiny unanimously agreed their product and company has never been evaluated to the extent David Bryan’s research imposed. At the conclusion of his research, he presented an expert recommendation through a PowerPoint presentation and a 127 page product review comparison, which spanned 8 months of grueling research. David’s dedication to our agency and relentless commitment to this project is appreciated and valued beyond words.
Please join me in congratulating Officer Hodge and Technical Advisor Bryan for their Meritorious Service to the Cathedral City Police Department.
FISCAL IMPACT:
None
ATTACHMENTS:
None