2017 Annual Report

READ BELOW FOR MORE INFORMATION ON ALL 2017 BENICIA POLICE DEPARTMENT AWARD RECIPIENTS:

Officer of the Year- Jessica Woods

As a school resource officer, Officer Woods has maintained a positive and productive relationship between her students, school faculty, and parents. She is actively involved in all aspects of the school district, which consists of problem identification, school programs, SARB hearings, DARE, Youth Academy, etc. Officer Woods is a great role model for the students she serves and consistently receives praise for her outstanding dedication to the youth of Benicia.

Officer Woods can always be counted upon to complete assigned tasks. She takes pride in her work and makes herself available when needed. Although assigned as a school resource officer, Officer Woods consistently assists the patrol division with shift coverage and special events. She is a member of our Honor Guard and an assistant advisor to our Explorer Program. When school is not in session, Officer Woods can be found working side-by-side with our criminal and youth services detectives.

Officer Woods’ attitude toward her position, this organization, and our community is phenomenal. Her upbeat and positive attitude is infectious and she always makes those around her feel comfortable and welcomed. You will never see Officer Woods without a smile on her face! Officer Woods exemplifies our core values, believes in our mission, and strives to achieve our vision. She is a well-respected member of our organization and is a deserving candidate for Benicia Police Department’s 2017 Officer of the Year.

Dispatcher of the Year-  Lauren Teel

Lauren is a great dispatcher who takes her position seriously and is always trying to find ways to better the Dispatch Unit. Lauren is a great police and fire dispatcher, trainer, BDA board member, and is always willing to help her Lead out with additional tasks whenever needed.  Lauren is a team player who continuously will work overtime or come in last minute to help out.  Lauren cares about our community here in Benicia, and that shows in her actions each day when communicating with the public.

In February of 2017 Lauren learned of a family struggling after the loss of their child, Nathan Smith, from a bicycle accident that happened the year prior.  She discovered the family was struggling financially, emotionally, and they were coming up on the year anniversary of his death.  She also learned if the balance of the burial for this child was not paid off by the anniversary date, then the parents were going to have to pay interest for the whole year.  This was something they could not afford and they were not able to even afford the monthly payment for the burial at that point.  Lauren contact the BDA, BPOA, BFD and was able to get each association to donate money to pay off the burial expense for this family.   She coordinated this with FRC and presented the payoff to the mother.  This is just one example of the commitment Lauren has towards the community and the Benicia Police Department and why she is deserving of the 2017 Dispatcher of the Year.  

Life Saving Award – Angela Maniego

 On December 8, 2016 Officer Maniego was on patrol and traveling north on I680 when she came across a distressed motorist.  In a crisis, the citizen had exited her vehicle and was frantically waiving her arms trying to get Officer Maniego’s attention.  Without hesitation, Officer Maniego immediately recognized that the citizen was choking and was starting to panic.  The victim was walking into the busy freeway traffic lane and had to be directed by Officer Maniego to the shoulder of the roadway to prevent a possible traffic collision.  Officer Maniego then quickly applied the Heimlich Maneuver and was able to open up the victim’s airway to she could breathe.

There is no doubt that the citizen is alive today as a result of Officer Maniego’s intervention.  Officer Maniego’s assertive and heroic actions have demonstrated her commitment to the Benicia Police Department and the citizens of this community.

Professional Staff of the Year – Irma Widjojo

Irma Widjojo was recognized for her hard work and dedication to a broad range of assignments since she was hired in June 2016. Her commitment to the Department and the Department's vision along with her positive attitude and sense of humor are greatly appreciated.

Volunteer of the Year – Art Schipper

Art has been a volunteer for the past 13 years. Art’s goal has always been to work a minimum of 500 hours a year, he makes it every year. Art has always worked patrol and events. The last few years he has added additional days to work in house on clerical/data entry. In 2017, Art has stepped up to help in a leadership role coordinating the patrol volunteers during special events. Art always has a happy positive attitude and is a joy to be around. Art enjoys interacting with the citizens and always has badge stickers to hand out to any kids he sees.

Outstanding Citizen of the Year- Benicia Plumbing

The 2017's Citizen of the Year Award goes to Bill and Leeann Cawley owners of Benicia Plumbing and their sons Bill and Patrick, who now run the business. Benicia Plumbing has been in business for over 42 years and has always supported the Police Department and the Community. In 2017, they partnered with the Police Department on a recent “Leading the Way” project.  We had discovered a senior citizen that had been without water in her home for over a year.  She had a major leak, the water was shut off, and she was unable to financially take care of the problem. We contacted Benicia Plumbing to see if they would be willing to help us determine what the problem was and to see how we could help.  Without hesitation, Benicia Plumbing came out, evaluated the issue and agreed to fix the problem free of charge. The job took two of their employees all day to fix. At the end of the day, the lady had running water.