NYPD Commitment to Excellence Awards 2018

On Monday, April 23, 2018, Thomson Reuters hosted the New York City Police Foundation and the NYPD for the second Commitment to Excellence Awards. This award ceremony celebrates some of the NYPD’s integral and occasionally unsung heroes. As outstanding examples of shared responsibility, the Police Foundation also honored community partners including trustee Adam R. Rose and sponsor Bank of America for their support for Neighborhood Policing; and John Osborn, Patty Sachs, David Weisfelner of OMD for their work on the Build the Block campaign.

Eleven NYPD award recipients were honored at the ceremony. These men and women, both uniformed and civilian, not only perform critical functions, but have proven themselves invaluable time and time again. In honor of their outstanding performance, tireless work ethic, and superior individual skills, the following NYPD employees were honored at the event:

Sergeant Adelaide Spence – Office of the Chief of Department

Chief of Department Terence A. Monahan presented Sergeant Adelaide Spence, from the Office of the Chief of Department, with her award, citing that she was a vital component to the successful roll-out of Neighborhood Policing.

“We had great ideas, but we needed someone to crunch the numbers and help us figure out how we were going to do this. How are we moving our cops from a specialist position to a generalist position? How many cops do we need to do this? How do we get logistics done? How do we get the equipment and the vehicles? How were we going to move this? How are we going to re-sector an entire city and come up with the new maps and the 911 system,” said Chief Monahan, “Adelaide was the one that sat there on a day-to-day basis, working long hours, making sure this worked.”

Lieutenant Quathisha Epps – Patrol Services Bureau

Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison presented Lieutenant Quathisha Epps with an award, as a result of her work as the Neighborhood Policing community liaison for the Patrol Services Bureau.

“In this position, she engages communities across New York City, sharing thoughts through focus groups, and getting feedback about the NYPD Neighborhood Policing philosophy and the Build the Block meetings that have helped strengthen our relationship with the residents in this great city,” said Chief Harrison.

Detective Kaz Daughtry – Patrol Borough Brooklyn North

Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison honored Detective Kaz Daughtry with an award for his work in developing and nurturing healthy, productive relationships with elected officials, clergy members, and leaders of grassroots organizations in the Brooklyn North community.

“Just to name a few, Kaz has been instrumental in putting together the Brooklyn North sleigh ride, the Brooklyn North prom giveaway, and the Brooklyn North Halloween haunted house,” said Chief Harrison. “These events have fostered stronger relationships with the youth that reside in Brooklyn North.”

Police Officer Jose Caba-Grillo – 42nd Precinct

Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison presented Police Officer Jose Caba-Grillo with an award for his role as a neighborhood coordination officer in the 42nd Precinct.

“He has organized cops and kids basketball games while one of the local hip-hop stations DJ’d the event,” said Chief Harrison. “He arranged for barbershops to participate in the Build the Block meetings, which helped increase attendance. He’s also had different organizations participate in community events to provide jobs for local youth.”

Police Officers Orlando Fontanez and Sacko Hazovic – 33rd Precinct

Chief of Patrol Rodney Harrison presented Police Officers Orlando Fontanez and Sacko Hazovic with awards for their roles as a midnight steady-sector team.

“While conducting community visits, these officers received information related to a firearm discharge inside of a bodega,” said Chief Harrison. “They gathered additional intelligence, and worked with the appropriate investigative unit that had the resources to handle such a complex case. Subsequently, the perp was apprehended with the help of the community, a search warrant was conducted in the perpetrator’s apartment, and over two pounds of marijuana, 152 decks of heroin, and over one-and-a-half grams of cocaine were recovered.”

Lieutenant Leslie Treanor – Transit Bureau

Chief of Transit Edward Delatorre presented Lieutenant Leslie Treanor with an award for her role as his go-to person for just about anything and everything.

“When I came to the Transit Bureau a few months ago, and the Police Commissioner and the Chief of Department said, ‘What do you think about Neighborhood Policing, can you roll something out in the Transit Bureau?’ I brought her with me and I knew it wasn’t going to be a problem,” said Chief Delatorre. “She’s tenacious; she’s loyal; she’s got boundless energy and vision; and when we talk about an idea, she gets excited.”

Detective Assunta Rapa – Character Assessment Division

Chief of Crime Control Strategies Lori Pollock presented Detective Assunta Rapa with an award for a storied and productive career.

“I’m very proud to speak about Detective Sue Rapa today, who I met in 2004, when she was transferred from the Transit Bureau to Manhattan South Narcotics,” said Chief Pollock. “While she was there, Sue fell on some hard times; she had 9/11-related cancer that sidelined her for a little while, but she persevered and was promoted to detective in 2006. She spent nine more years in narcotics. In 2015, she was transferred to the Candidate Assessment Division, where she has really set the bar as far as hiring goes.”

Director Mahsa Forkin – Project Management Office

Assistant Commissioner Ruby Choi presented Director Mahsa Forkin with an award for her steadfast devotion to the progress of the department and its many goals and initiatives.

“For the last year, Mahsa has been instrumental in coordinating the planning and roll-out of the Body-Worn Camera Program,” said Assistant Commissioner Choi. “The project is complicated and involves many stakeholders, and yet, she’s managed to organize and motivate the various groups toward achieving significant milestones, on-time and on-budget.”

Criminalist Vito Casella – Police Laboratory

Deputy Chief Emanuel Katranakis, commanding officer of the Forensic Investigations Division, presented Criminalist Vito Casella with an award in honor of his dedicated career, spanning decades.

“He’s an amazing individual,” said Deputy Chief Katranakis. “He is extraordinary beyond comprehension; he is a teacher; he is a friend; he’s there for you every step of the way. When I first got assigned to the laboratory in 1997 as a sergeant, I knew Vito. When I walked into the room, I felt nothing other than comfort. I felt confident that we were going to get the job done and achieve the mission of the laboratory to support the Police Department.”

Police Officer Jason Anazagasty – Police Service Area 2

Chief of Housing James Secreto presented Police Officer Jason Anazagasty with an award for his outstanding work with young people in Brownsville.

“In addition to being a police officer assigned to PSA 2, he’s a commissioner of the United Brownsville Cornerstone Basketball League out of PSA 2,” said Chief Secreto. “It’s a cops and kids basketball league, but it’s more than just basketball. They mentor these kids. They tutor them and provide job training and school training.”