Several members of the Yorktown Police Department, along with a member of the Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps and civilians who assisted in saving the lives of residents, were honored for their actions and received awards during Yorktown's town board meeting on Tuesday.
"My congratulations to all the officers and the keep up the great work," Yorktown Supervisor Michael Grace said. "You are a great force and we are proud to have you."
The following people were awarded and narrative of each incident as described by Chief of Police Daniel McMahon:
- Officer Timothy Kolkmann – Meritorious Police Duty Award
On July 29, 2011, while patrolling the Jefferson Valley area, officer Kolkmann noticed that a front glass door at a building had been broken. He learned the building had been entered and inside he found fresh blood. When additional police officers secured the crime scene, officer Kolkmann began searching the area. he saw that a man was walking on East Main Street near Wood Street.
When officer Kolkmann stopped and questioned the man, he noticed the man was bleeding from a cut on his hand. The police officer also noticed marijuana protruding from the man's rear pocket. The man was arrested for possession of marijuana and while he was being processed at the police station, officer Kolkmann found loose change and paper clips in the man's pockets that were consistent with what was found at the crime scene.
In addition, a shoe print from the crime scene matched the shoe print the suspect was wearing. As a result, the man was charged with burglary, criminal mischief and criminal possession of marijuana.
- Detective Patsy Perrotto and Officer Angel Garcia – Excellent Police Duty Commendation Award
On Sept. 29, 2011, police received information that a person might be using a local delivery service to transport illegal drugs to a residence in Mohegan Lake. Detective Perrotto and officer Garcia inspected the package and found two pounds of marijuana that was sealed in plastic bags. While acting undercover as delivery service employee, the police officers allowed the man to pick up the package and had him sign for it. Once the man left the store, the police officers arrested him. The arrest was made 45 minutes after the initial call.
"A large amount of marijuana was kept from the community and possibly being sold in the community," McMahon said.
- Sgt. John LaPlaca, Officers Mark Rapisarda and Justin Foley – Excellent Police Duty Commendation Award
On Nov. 5, 2011, the police officers were assigned to investigate a theft. A woman told police that after she gave two women a ride home from the Mohegan Lake CVS store, she noticed her wallet and cell phone were missing from her pocketbook, which had been in her car. When police officers responded to the home of one of the suspects, they
saw several stolen items in connection with a recent burglary. When the second woman came back to the house, the two Mohegan Lake women confessed to the theft and burglary earlier in the day. As a result, they were arrested by police.
- Sgt. Julianne Vicinanza and Det. Patsy Perrotto – Excellence Police Duty Commendation Award
In the fall of 2011, police were uncovering an elaborate ATM skimming scheme that included identity theft in Westchester County. The scheme involved the placement of "dip readers," which read ATM cards when they are placed in a machine, paired with a small pin-hole camera used to obtain card-holders' pin numbers. The Yorktown Police Department participated in the county-wide effort. Sgt. Vicinanza checked an ATM in Jefferson Valley and Det. Perrotto confirmed a skimming device had been installed at the location. As a result, the man who planted the device was observed checking and removing it. When he left the bank, he was arrested.
- Officer Brian Nicholson – Excellence Police Duty Commendation Award
While driving through the Hanover Street area in 2012,
police officer Brian Nicholson saw that flames had engulfed the front porch of a home. He immediately pulled into the driveway of the residence, took out his fire extinguisher and began putting out most of the fire. When the second police officer, Mark Rapisarda, came both men knocked on the windows and doors to notify the home's occupants. The residents – one adult and two children – safely escaped the home and no one was injured.
- Officer Samuel Sansone – Life-Saving Award
On June 8, 2011 police received a report about an unresponsive person in a medical office in Yorktown. When police officer Sansone arrived at the scene, a man was lying on the floor – he had no pulse and was not breathing. Sansone immediately began applying CPR through chest compressions and was assisted by medical personnel. Officer Sansone continued with the chest compressions while the medical personnel on scene provided emergency care. The victim regained his pulse and breathing was restored. He was taken to the hospital, but due to his medical condition, the man died a week later.
- Officer Paul Dillon, officer Robert Pavletich, Dr. Gerard Mayer, Ann Anderson (Yorktown Volunteer Ambulance Corps) – Life-Saving Award and Civilian Life-Saving Award
On June 13, 2011, police responded to a call about an unresponsive woman who suffered a cardiac arrest in a parking lot. Upon police arrival, Dr. Mayer was performing CPR on the unresponsive person. Officer Dillon and YVAC member Anderson assisted the doctor in performing CPR, police officer Pavletich used an automated external defibrillator (AED). As a result, the woman regained her pulse. She was transported to the hospital for further treatment. She has since recovered.
- Yorktown Police Dispatcher Jane Gullery – Civilian Life-Saving Award
On Feb. 23, 2013, dispatcher Gullery received a call about a 2-year-old girl chocking. The child was turning blue and was convulsing. Gullery, who is trained and certified in first aid and CPR, calmed the parents of the child. She gave them step by step instructions on how to clear the obstruction, which was a peanut. The parents were able to clear the obstruction and the girl began breathing again before first responders arrive.
- Officer Angel Garcia and Lakeland Copper Beech Middle School nurse Patricia Schurr – Life-Saving Award and Civilian Life-Saving Award
On April 1, 2013,
substitute teacher Janice Mills suddenly collapsed in an eighth-grade classroom where she was working as a teacher's aide. She had suffered a cardiac arrest. A student quickly called for help and Jasper Fox, an earth science teacher who was in a nearby classroom, immediately came in and began CPR. A second teacher and a hall monitor arrived almost immediately to provide assistance.
Within seconds, school nurse Pat Schurr and school resource officer Angel Garcia were on the scene, took over CPR and began the use of the automated external defibrillator (AED). At first there was no response, but they continued doing CPR until the woman regained her pulse. She was transported to the hospital. Mills told Patch that without everyone's help that day, she wouldn't be here today. Read Patch's
full story here.
- Officer Lawrence Paniccia – Life Saving Award; MaryLu Fiori, Amanda Tiffany, Patrick Chiappetta – Civilian Life Saving Awards
A father in his 50s was on his way to watch his daughter's junior varsity softball game at Lakeland High School when he suddenly collapsed with an apparent heart attack just outside the fence at the high school's all purpose field on May 1.
Lakeland field monitor MaryLu Fiori saw the man fall down and immediately sounded the alert. That's when Lakeland's athletic trainer Amanda Tiffany and John Jay High School lacrosse coach Patrick Chiappetta jumped over a fence and rushed to help the man. Tiffany began to administer an automated external defibrillator, or the AED, along with chest compressions until police and paramedics arrived.
Meanwhile, Yorktown police officer Larry Paniccia, the school's resource officer, had called 911 and joined in to revive the man. The man has since recovered.
Read Patch's full story here.
- Officer Kenneth Sgroi – Certificate of Commendation (for an act of accomplishment deserving recognition)
On Jan. 22, 2013, officer Sgroi was patrolling the area of the Mildred E. Strang Middle School when he observed sparks coming from under a vehicle driving on Route 202. As he followed the vehicle, the police officer observed the vehicle had no rear tire – just a steel rim. As the vehicle traveled, it crossed the double-yellow line. When a traffic stop was initiated, the vehicle did not stop and and continued driving eastbound in the westbound lane. The operator slowed down, but when the police officer attempted to block the vehicle, he was struck by the suspect.
The operator continued driving and passed through a steady red light signal at an intersection. After striking the police vehicle twice, the suspect exited the vehicle and fled the scene on foot. Following a foot pursuit he was arrested and charged with driving while ability impaired by drugs, reckless endangerment, criminal mischief, unlawful fleeing of a police officer, reckless driving and resisting an arrest.
