Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
2007 EMPLOYEES OF THE YEAR
Sheriff Charlie Morris initiated yearly, quarterly and monthly awards for outstanding employees when he took office in 1997. Employees are recognized for their outstanding performance monthly, quarterly and yearly. Sheriff Morris is a firm believer in employee recognition. The 2007 Employees of the Year are Deputy Sheriff Matt Abbott and Crime Prevention Specialist Ashley Bailey.
Deputy Sheriff Matt
Abbott has
been selected by the supervisory staff as the 2007
Sworn Employee of the Year.
The Sworn Employee of the Year is chosen for his exceptional performance
and contribution to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy
Abbott started with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in February, 2006,
and is assigned to the Field Services Division.
Matt grew up drawn to law enforcement having a father in the profession.
He obtained his BA Degree in Criminal Justice and quickly went to work.
He served three years as a Communication’s Officer with the Fort Walton
Beach Police Department and joined the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Posse as soon
as he was eligible. Obtaining
a sworn position with our agency was a goal achieved, but he obviously does not
intend to slow down.
Deputy
Abbott is extremely motivated and competent, especially when considering his
tenure. He
exercises sound judgment and is always looking for something to do.
He has consistently performed far above average when compared to other
deputies. Consequently,
he has been nominated twice for Deputy of the Quarter.
In addition, he has received the Life
Saving Award and the Medal of Merit
this year for separate incidents worthy of such recognition.
Deputy Abbott has shown the highest level of activity on his shift in several key areas throughout the year. He handles more calls, arrests more suspects, and self generates the most activity on a continual basis. The average number of calls handled by a south patrol deputy this year was about 1,150 per unit. Deputy Abbott’s calls for the year totaled 2,522, well over twice the average. The average number of probable cause arrests by a south patrol deputy was about 31 per unit. Matt had more than three times the average with 110, more than any other Patrol Deputy. If you include his 62 warrant services, Matt rounded up 172 suspects and wanted persons this year. Due to his proficiency and efficiency, he managed to demonstrate this unmatched productivity in these and other areas without neglecting his reporting or case management.
Deputy
Abbott’s motivation and enthusiasm for the job is contagious and has spread
among his peers.
His success has not caused him to be arrogant or complacent. He
has attended at least five advanced and specialized training courses this year
and is always seeking ways to improve his already noteworthy performance.
Deputy Abbott’s drive and energy come from his desire to make a
difference in the community rather than attain notoriety or personal
recognition.
Deputy Abbott will continue to set the standard and raise the bar for
performance and productivity levels.
We
are proud to present Deputy Sheriff Matt
Abbott
as
the 2007 Sworn Employee of the Year and thank him for his exemplary
performance. Please
offer your congratulations to Deputy Morgan for his commendable achievement.
Ashley
Bailey has been
selected by the supervisory staff as the 2007
Non Sworn Employee of the Year.
The Non Sworn Employee of the Year is chosen for her exceptional
performance and contribution to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Ashley
started her career with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in November,
2004, and is one of our Crime Prevention Officers.
Ashley strives for perfection and is very driven to serve the community
to the best of her ability. Here are
a few of her accomplishments for 2007:
·
Ashley worked with the Information Technology Department to
implement the “Take
Me Home” Program. She
scheduled time at schools, churches, and other locations in order to take
current photographs and obtain necessary information on citizens in Okaloosa
County who meet the requirements of this program.
This program is for both adults and children with disabilities that may
render them incapable of telling law enforcement where they reside.
·
Ashley implemented CASE – Communities Against Senior Exploitation.
This program addresses Identity Theft, Telemarketing Fraud, Mail &
Internet Fraud, Home Improvement Fraud, Investment Fraud, Caregiver Explotation,
and Predatory Lending Scams. Ashley
has given many seminars on this program to the community.
·
Ashley also implemented the “Seniors Helping Seniors” program with tenacity and
commitment. This program was well
received in the north end of Okaloosa County.
·
Ashley continued her involvement in “Teen Court” and has taken several students under her wing.
These students are now doing well in school and have a more directed
purpose because of her efforts.
·
Ashley took on a “mentoring”
roll in order to help high school seniors achieve community service hours for
their college applications.
·
Ashley reviewed several telecommunication programs that check on
the status of the elderly or disabled daily.
She recently recommended that the Sheriff’s Office use the CARE
Program. This program is set
for implementation by the end of January, 2008.
·
Ashley also reviewed programs that other entities in our county
could use, such as Communities
for a Lifetime. While this
was not a project she could take on, it was one that she recommended to the
Board of County Commissioners to review to assist with making our county a safer
place to live, work, and play.
Ashley constantly demonstrates her willingness to serve the citizens of
Okaloosa County. She has continued
to assist deputies with their concerns by providing training at shift briefings.
She also assists the school resource officers with presentations on such
topics as bullying, internet safety for parents and children, and safety tips
keeping children from being abducted.
Ashley Bailey will be presented with an award commemorating her selection. We are proud to present Ashley as the 2007 Non Sworn Employee of the Year and thank her for her exemplary performance. Please offer your congratulations to Ashley Bailey for her commendable achievement.
Deputy Sheriff Shannon Tait has
been selected by the supervisory staff as the 2007
Sworn Employee of the Year Runner-Up.
The Runner-Up Sworn Employee of the Year is chosen for her exceptional
performance and contribution to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office.
Deputy Tait started her career with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office in April, 2005, and is assigned to Charlie Shift in the Field Services Division. In the short time since completing her field training, she rapidly attained the skills of a seasoned law enforcement officer. In December, Deputy Tait was selected to be a member of the Problem Oriented Policing Unit (POP Squad). Shannon is driven to do everything in her ability to serve the community. She strives for perfection and demonstrates the best traits of professionalism in all that she does.
During 2007, Deputy Tait served the community in the Wright neighborhood known as Zone 15, which is one of the busiest areas in the county. This area presents daily challenges to which Deputy Tait always gives her very best. This past year, Shannon investigated almost 1500 incidents. She generated approximately 184 offense reports with close to 60 of those cases being closed by arrest. In October, Shannon developed leads during the course of a burglary investigation which lead to the arrest to two business burglars. This investigation lead to the recovery of thousands of dollars worth of stolen property and the closure of several business burglaries. She was also responsible for the capture and arrest of approximately ten burglars in various other cases in 2007.
Deputy
Tait has been nominated several times for Deputy of the Quarter and this is the
second year in a row that she has been nominated for deputy of the year.
This in itself is quite an honor as Charlie Shift has many outstanding
members with a great many senior officers who have many years of experience.
Deputy Tait has demonstrated a dedication to her duties that has
consistently placed her above her peers on the shift.
Her enthusiasm is an example to her fellow members of the shift and her
commitment to her duties and professionalism has been noticed by more than just
her shift mates.
EMPLOYEES OF THE QUARTER
October 2008
Investigator Travis Robinson & Communications Officer Katie Norman
The Employees of the Quarter for the 3rd Quarter of 2008 are Investigator Travis Robinson and Communications Officer Katie Norman. The employees were commended during a ceremony which was held October 23, 2008.
Investigator Travis
Robinson
has been selected by the supervisory staff as the
Sworn Employee of the Quarter
for the 3rd quarter of 2008.
The Sworn Employee of the Quarter is chosen for his
exceptional performance and contribution to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s
Office.
During the past few months, Investigator Robinson had been
investigating a string of armed robberies which occurred at various locations of
Fast Payday Loans throughout Okaloosa County.
During the course of these investigations,
Investigator Robinson spent countless hours sorting through offense reports and
witness statements to develop a common theme to determine the same suspect
committed all the robberies.
Additionally, his analysis determined the robberies
were occurring on the same day of the week.
Working on investigative intuition, he developed an
operations plan and coordinated the efforts of additional personnel to stake out
the Payday Loan businesses.
His hunch paid off.
On
September 11th, while Investigator Robinson was in Fast Payday Loans
on North Eglin Parkway, he recognized the suspect who was attempting another
armed robbery. After a foot pursuit, he was able to apprehend the suspect.
In
a subsequent interview, the suspect confessed to the robberies and indicated he
would have done what was necessary to get the money.
This suspect was getting increasingly bold and
confronting the business employees about the amount of money stolen.
Investigator Robinson is admired among his peers who
constantly seek his skills and assistance and he never fails to support them
with their requests and needs.
In a recent home invasion robbery, he assisted
another investigator by getting a confession from one of the suspects.
His enthusiasm and motivation never waiver and he
sets the standard for his co-workers.
Katie
Norman
has been selected by the supervisory staff as the
Non-Sworn Employee of the Quarter
for the 3rd Quarter of 2008.
The Employee of the Quarter is chosen for her
exceptional performance and contribution to the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s
Office.
Katie started her employment with the Okaloosa County
Sheriff’s Office in September, 2007, and works in our Communications Center.
On
September 11, 2008, Katie distinguished herself as the Channel 2 operator when
Investigator Travis Robinson thwarted a robbery at Fast Payday Loans on North
Eglin Parkway.
Katie not only kept up with the information provided
by Investigator Robinson while he was in foot pursuit of the suspect, but
dispatched numerous units to the area ensuring the safety of Investigator
Robinson and a quick apprehension.
This
is typical of Katie’s performance.
She maintains composure during stressful situations
and continually goes that extra mile to ensure the job gets done correctly.
Katie’s attention to detail, quick action and
teamwork with not only her fellow communications officers, but with the
responding field units, reflects credit upon herself, Communications and the
Sheriff’s Office.
LIFESAVING & VALOR AWARDS
July 10, 2008
Lifesaving Awards: DeputyTony
Kelly, Deputy Michael Peters, Deputy James Reeves, Deputy Joe Milonas, Deputy
Rob Robinson, Sergeant Keith Van Dyke, Sergeant Brian Cokonougher, Corporal John
Lee, and Deputy David Chamberlain
Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office
1250 North Eglin parkway
Shalimar, FL 32579
(850) 651-7410