Merit Awards for Police

From left, East Hampton Town Police Officers Joseph Izzo, Frank Sokolowski, and Katie Izzo, were credited with saving a life in April, were among the officers recognized this week.

Taylor K. Vecsey

Feb. 25, 2016

T.E. McMorrow

The East Hampton Town Police Department has named its merit award winners for 2015.

During a departmental meeting on Tuesday, the award for meritorious service went to Robert Gurney, a police lieutenant, and Stephen Blanchard, a public safety dispatcher. Those two, Chief Michael Sarlo said yesterday, “have shown tremendous commitment and have taken many extra steps in advancing their own knowledge and expertise in technology.” This, he said, helps the department with various forms of technology, including computer programing, the installation of surveillance cameras, the installation of video cameras in squad cars, and training officers in the use of the technology.

Excellent police service awards, honoring crime solvers “involved in closing out multiple burglary cases, recovering quantities of stolen property, taking handguns off the streets, and culminating narcotics investigations,” went to several detectives, as well as to patrol officers whose work helped close a case. Named were Brett Herlihy, Michael Coleman, and Luke McNamara, officers, and Ryan Hogan, Daniel Toia, and John Anderson Jr., detectives. Officer McNamara was recently named top cop of the year as well.

Officer McNamara was honored with a third award, sharing the top patrol officer in the fight against drunken driving with Vincent Rantinella. “The D.W.I. awards are given annually to officers who attain a certain number of D.W.I. arrests for the year, and mirror what groups like MADD and Stop D.W.I. do in making sure that attention to the problem of D.W.I., and officers who focus on helping take intoxicated drivers off the roadways, are recognized,” Chief Sarlo said.

“We are particularly proud of our awardees this year. Given all of the publicity surrounding the quality-of-life issues in Montauk in the summer, they show how much other police work and what outstanding efforts are being made throughout the year by the entire department,” the chief concluded.

Officers named for recognition awards were Mr. McNamara, Joseph Izzo, Katie Izzo, Frank Sokolowski, Lisa Weitz, Arthur Scalzo, Mr. Herlihy, Nathan Osborn, and Raymond Rau, along with Sgt. Barry Johnson.

Officer McNamara joined officers Rantinella and Michael Rodriguez in receiving the Chief’s Recognition Award.