Jun
27
2008 H. Thomas Guerry Awards
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SANTA BARBARA, CA - 5/28/2008 - THE 39th ANNUAL H. THOMAS GUERRY AWARDS RECOGNIZE EXCELLENCE IN LAW ENFORCEMENT FOR SANTA BARBARA COUNTY.
Top Awards for Valor and Superior Performance by local law enforcement are given each year in honor of Santa Barbara City Police Officer H. Thomas Guerry, who died in the line of duty at the age of 29 on January 3, 1970. Guerry joined the Santa Barbara City Police Department in 1962 as a patrolman. He transferred to the detective bureau in 1967 where he remained until his death. Guerry died in an exchange of gunfire after locating two armed robbery suspects near State and Ortega Streets. The Santa Barbara Citizens Council on Crime is a group of local volunteers who help the law enforcement agencies throughout Santa Barbara County honor their members who have gone above and beyond the normal call of duty. We are proud to recognize the outstanding performance of the above listed law enforcement officers for their personal contributions to the people of Santa Barbara County.
The 39th Annual H. Thomas Guerry Awards Ceremony were held on Thursday, May 29, 2008. The recipients of the 2008 H. Thomas Guerry Award for Valor:
Corporal Robert Ortega Guadalupe PD
Corporal Frank Medina Guadalupe PD
Officer Eric Andreasen Lompoc PD
Deputy Johnny Langehennig Santa Barbara Sheriff
Sergeant Marty Ensign Santa Barbara PD
Officer Keld Hove Santa Barbara PD
Officer Michael Claytor Santa Barbara PD
Officer Kenneth Kushner Santa Barbara PD
Recipients of Awards for SUPERIOR PERFORMANCE (includes Skill in Conflict Resolution):
Agent Milt Baldwin Lompoc Police Department
Officer Daniel Barba CHP (Santa Barbara)
Deputy D.A. Mary Barron SB Co. District Attorney?s Office
Detective Jose Borrayo UCSB Police Department
Officer Erin Cross SB Co. Probation Department
Officer Ryan DeJohn Santa Barbara Police Departmen
Officer Steve Fulmer CHP (Buellton)
Commander Thomas Jenkins Santa Barbara Sheriff
Officer Gary Steigler Santa Maria Police Department
Supporting Details for Valor Winners:
Corporal Robert Ortega and Corporal Frank Medina, Guadalupe PD
On May 3, 2007, Officer Frank Medina and Corporal Robert Ortega spotted a column of smoke coming from the Amtrak station. Upon arriving at the location, both officers found smoke pouring from the historic caboose located to the front of the railroad station property. A local homeless person had apparently started a fire in the stove inside the railroad car in order to stay warm. As the blaze grew out of control the officers heard coughs coming from inside the caboose. Acting rapidly, Corporal Ortega squeezed through one of the car?s windows and made his way through the car?s smoky interior to rescue the homeless person. Corporal Ortega located the victim who had lost consciousness, and, with the assistance of Officer Frank Medina, Corporal Ortega was able to remove the unconscious victim from the railroad car and begin to render medical assistance. The victim was treated at the scene and was later transported to Marian Medical Center where he was treated for smoke inhalation. Both officers, Frank Medina and Robert Ortega, are to be commended for their quick action and selfless response to a life threatening emergency. The officers, without regard for their own personal safety, rescued an individual who would have certainly perished if not for their quick actions. It is for this reason that Corporals Medina and Ortega are awarded the H. Thomas Guerry award for Valor.
Officer Michael Claytor and Officer Kenneth Kushner, Santa Barbara PD
On August 8, 2007, during the Fiesta activities, Officer Michael Claytor and Officer Kenneth Kushner were assigned to foot patrol duty in the 600 block of State Street. Due to the Fiesta event, there were thousands of citizens walking on the sidewalk and standing outside businesses on this block alone. These officers were two of several officers tasked with crowd control and keeping the peace in the downtown bar area that night. At approximately 11:30 p.m. Officer Michael Claytor and Officer Kenneth Kushner were monitoring the crowd in front of Hamburger Habit when a fight broke out on the sidewalk. The officers quickly stepped into the crowd of fighting people in order to break up the combatants. As the officers were restraining several of the combatants, a probation officer alerted them that one of the subjects had a gun. These officers then focused their attention to an agitated and hostile man who had drawn a loaded semi-automatic handgun. The suspect then advanced on the crowd and it became apparent that he was going to shoot into the crowd as he ignored the police officers? orders to drop the weapon. Officer Claytor and Officer Kushner were faced with a deadly situation and knew that they had no other options to prevent the suspect from shooting civilians on the crowded sidewalk. In order to save the lives of the innocent civilians, both officers placed themselves in harm?s way while firing their weapons at the suspect. The officers? controlled gun fire eliminated the threat before the suspect was able to fire his weapon. Officers Claytor and Kushner acted professionally and in split seconds were able to save the lives of untold numbers of citizens on the sidewalk. It is for this reason that Officers Claytor and Kushner are awarded the H. Thomas Guerry award for Valor.
Sergeant Donald ?Marty? Ensign and Officer Keld Kove, Santa Barbara PD
On September 28, 2007, Santa Barbara Police Officer Keld Hove responded to a routine call of a theft investigation at Ralph?s grocery store located at 100 W. Carrillo Street. Officer Hove walked into the store and noticed a transient standing to the front of the store carrying a bag. The transient watched Officer Hove while he reached into the bag he was holding. Officer Hove saw the suspect pull a handgun out of the bag. The suspect began waving the handgun in the air, yelling and confronting Officer Hove and making suicidal statements. Officer Hove was standing approximately 15 feet away from the armed man as he began a dialogue with the suspect and requested backup officers. Among the first on scene was Sergeant Marty Ensign. Sergeant Ensign engaged the suspect in negotiations from approximately 25 feet away using only a police car as cover. This allowed Officer Hove to take cover and assist in setting up a perimeter around the suicidal subject with the gun.
At the time of this incident the grocery store was open for business. The armed, suicidal suspect was presenting extreme danger to citizens and officers in the area. Sergeant Marty Ensign patiently spoke with the suspect who was holding the gun in the air. He was able to maintain the suspect?s attention as other responding officers were able to secure the store and evacuate citizens safely through a rear door. The Santa Barbara SWAT Team quickly responded and formed a tactical plan to subdue the suspect. As the tactical plan was implemented, Sergeant Ensign continued negotiating with the suspect who was behaving irrationally and continuing with his suicidal statements. It appeared the suspect was trying to force the situation into a ?suicide by cop? incident. Sergeant Ensign was able to keep the suspect from aiming the weapon as he spoke with the suspect for over an hour and fifteen minutes. The SWAT Team identified the weapon as a possible replica firearm. After a lengthy attempt to convince the suspect to drop the weapon, the SWAT Team and a Police K-9 unit approached the suspect. Suspect was shot twice with less-than-lethal bean bag shotgun rounds and was forced to retreat with the weapon still in hand as Police K-9 Brag brought the suspect down to the ground. Suspect was then taken into custody without further incident. Due to the teamwork and professionalism of the Santa Barbara police officers on scene, this dangerous and deadly situation was brought to a successful conclusion. Although all involved officers should be commended for their actions in this case, it is for the heroic acts of restraint and professionalism displayed by Sergeant Marty Ensign and Officer Keld Kove that they are awarded the H. Thomas Guerry Award for Valor.
Senior Deputy Johnny Langehennig, Jr. and Officer Eric Andreasen,
Santa Barbara Sheriff?s Department and Lompoc Police Department
On May 7, 2007, A Sheriff?s Deputy on bike patrol spotted a vehicle and individual matching the description of a carjacking and sexual assault wanted information bulletin. He was nearly run down as he attempted to stop the car. A broadcast was sent to other deputies that the suspect vehicle was heading west on Highway 246 towards Lompoc. Responding to the radio broadcast, Senior Deputy John Langehennig and other deputies positioned themselves along Highway 246 to intercept the suspect?s blue Toyota Matrix. Senior Deputy Langehennig found the vehicle travellng westbound at Campbell Road and confirmed that the license number was that of the previously reported carjacked vehicle from Santa Barbara.
Senior Deputy Langehennig initated a traffic stop at Highway 246 and Cebeda Canyon Road. The vehicle immediately accelerated away from the deputies, reaching speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. The Lompoc Police Department was contacted regarding the pursuit nearing their jurisdiction, and Lompoc Police Officer Eric Andreasen joined the pursuit as it entered the City of Lompoc. The pursuit continued through the City of Lompoc and ended near the intersection of Highway 246 and Union Sugar Avenue when the blue Toyota Matrix began to smoke and exhibit sparks from underneath the vehicle. The vehicle left the roadway, rolling over several times and, as it came to rest on the driver?s side, flames began to appear from within the engine compartment. Senior Deputy Langehennig and Officer Andreasen approached the vehicle with their weapons drawn, finding two males trapped inside. Officer Andreasen was able to break out the two passenger side windows with his baton. The passenger was intoxicated, entangled in his seat belt, and unable to free himself. Working together, Senior Deputy Langehennig and Officer Andreasen freed the passenger and pulled him through the passenger window. After handing the intoxicated passenger to other on-scence deputies, Senior Deputy Langehennig and Officer Andreasen directed their efforts toward extracting the driver, suspected in a carjacking and sexual assault. The engine compartment was engulfed in flames and the fire was moving toward the passenger compartment of the vehicle. Several attempts were made to pull the driver from the vehicle but the driver, crawling deeper into the car, was unwilling to cooperate and communicated to the officers that he intended to stay in the burning vehicle to avoid capture. Officer Andreasen deployed his taser and briefly incapacitated the suspect while he and Deputy Langehennig pulled the suspect out of the burning vehicle, safely taking him into custody. The self-sacrificing collaborative efforts of Senior Deputy Langehennig and Officer Andreasen undoubtedly saved the lives of these two men or, at the very least, kept them from serious injury. For their acts of valor and their unbiased value for human life, Senior Deputy John Langehenning and Offier Andeasen are awarded the H. Thomas Guerry Award for Valor.
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Frank Medina is an influential man and a brave police officer. And our uncle and cousin.