BATH POLICE SGT. JEFF SHIERS, right, accepts the department’s 2011 Officer of the Year award from Police Chief Mike Field during a ceremony at the police station on Feb. 17.
Also on Feb. 17, Officer Ted Raedel received the Chief ’s Merit Award, Systems Administrator Pat Hutton was named Civilian Employee of the Year, and Tom Pernia received the John “Jack” Hart Jr. Volunteer of the Year award.
Shiers is the day shift patrol sergeant, and also serves as Bath’s harbormaster.
Among the awards and commendation letters he has received is a 1993 Medal of Honor for a domestic violence incident in which the suspect pointed a weapon directly at him and Shiers was able to wrestle it away from him.
In 2003, he received an American Red Cross Outstanding Law Enforcement Real Heroes Award for his September 2002 response to a woman threatening suicide.
Later that same year, Shiers and Officer Michelle Small were honored by then-Bath Police Chief Pete Lizanecz for thwarting a suicide attempt in Hyde Park.
Lizanecz said at the time that both officers displayed exceptional courage and put their own safety at risk on behalf of others.
“Jeff comes to work every day with a smile and great attitude,” Bath Police Chief Michael Field said Tuesday. “He is very experienced and brings a lot to the table as a senior member.”
Field presented Raedel, an officer on the overnight shift and former school resource officer at Morse High School, with the Chief ’s Merit Award, which is bestowed any time an officer receives five letters of appreciation, Field said.
Raedel previously received a Maine State Police Meritorious Service Award and Bravery Citation from the Boothbay Harbor Police Department.
In 2009, he was named the Bath Police Department’s Officer of the Year.
Hutton, who has worked for the department for more than 20 years, manages the records system including Uniform Crimes Reporting for the department. She volunteers for the department’s Spirit of Christmas Fair, which funds the department’s Drug Abuse Resistance Education program. Field said she “ has been a loyal employee for numerous years who deserves great recognition for her efforts.”
Pernia, a volunteer at the Bath Police Department since 2005, received the John “Jack” Hart Jr. Volunteer of the Year Award. He also received the award in 2009.
“He comes with a great attitude and energy,” Field wrote on the Bath Police Department’s Facebook page. “We have called upon Tom many times at a moment’s notice, and he is right there, including traffic details and crossing guard (duty), to name a couple. The department through its traffic enforcement program gathers data on speeds in areas of our city. Tom has volunteered many, many hours of his time to observe speeds and record data. He then has put all this information into a format for us to review. Needless to say, it’s been a huge success and help to the department to better use its resources.”
Field noted Tuesday that Bath’s Volunteers in Policing (VIPS) gave 455 hours in 2011.
“ I appreciate each and every hour they give to our department to help us succeed in our mission,” he said.
bbrogan@timesrecord.com
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