Police department honors Erie officers for brave acts, life-saving efforts
Multiple members of the City of Erie Police Department and members of the Erie community were honored Wednesday during the 2024 City of Erie Police Department Awards Ceremony.
The ceremony took place at City Council Chambers, 626 State St.
The ceremony not only recognized officers who went above and beyond for service, but also citizens who either put forth dedication in service or performed an act of bravery in a moment of need.
“Our command staff is proud of their officers and the citizens should be as well,” Police Chief Dan Spizarny said during his opening remarks.
More than 17 officers were recognized for their valiant efforts during situations throughout the years from their responses to calls to taking action when needed.
Three other citizens, Donna Samol, Michael Outlaw and Ken Wodecki, along with the trauma team from UPMC Hamot, were also presented with citizens awards recognizing either their life-saving actions or dedication to service.
Honoring officers for their acts of service
The awards began with the Jason Belton Citizen Policing Award honoring officer Jason Belton, an Erie police officer who died in October of 2021. The award was given to officer Maxwell Brozell and Sgt. Melanie Szoszorek, who were recognized for their engagement while patrolling the community.
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Officer Nick Bernatowicz received the Purple Heart award for his actions and leadership during the escalating protest that took place downtown on May 30, 2020. During this incident, Bernatowicz was on the front lines and received a leg injury from a protester.
Cpl. John Stephens was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal for his actions during an encounter with an individual who was swinging a machete at police officers downtown.
The Life Saving Medal was awarded to officer Toney Phillips for his actions when he responded to a call in which he jumped into Lake Erie to save an unresponsive female.
The Distinguished Service Medal was awarded to Det. Nicholas Strauch and officer Joshua Allison for their works during Operation Failed State 2022 which intercepted a major drug transport and led to the arrest of a large amount of drug dealers.
The Meritorious Service Medal was awarded to officer Jason Morell who followed a speeding vehicle which then escalated into a shots fired situation. The vehicle was fleeing another scene after firing shots on state police officers.
Different awards were given out to multiple officers in recognition of what police call the July 30, 2023 incident. In this case, shots from an AR-15 were fired from a house in the early hours that day.
The officers that were honored for this case include:
Sgt. David Stucke, who took a bullet during this incident, received the Purple Heart.
Officer Brandon Large, who performed a tourniquet on Stucke, received Life Saving Medal.
Sgt. John Wilson received the Police Star Medal.
Cpl. Leroy Learn received the Life Saving Medal.
Officer Daniel Modeski received the Life saving Medal.
Multiple members of Patrol Group II received a unit commendation.
Honoring units for their service
Multiple units were also recognized during the ceremony for their service to the department.
Patrol Group I, II and III, and Major Crimes Unit were recognized for their efforts towards homicide cases in Erie leading to over 25 arrests in recent years.
The Identification Unit was also recognized for its ability to preserve physical evidence which helped support cases and arrests.
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“The work that goes on behind the scenes that people don’t realize, the individuals who are working, how hard and dedicated it is,” Spizarny said. “It goes well beyond anything they can understand (for) the time and effort that gets put into these cases.”
Contact Nicholas Sorensen at Nsorensen@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Erie Times-News: Erie Police Department honors officers for extraordinary service
