Brave Citizens, with Police and Fire Heroes, Honored Today

In March, Garrett Cullen, Chyannea Hodges and Rhonda Brown rose to the challenge of aiding a bus driver who was being attacked on a city bus. On May 28, the Pasadena Police Department and Pasadena Fire Department will honor these citizens with the Community Service Award.

The city’s public safety personnel will also be honored in the second annual Pasadena Police, Fire and Citizen Awards Ceremony.

The ceremony will be held at Ambassador Auditorium, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m., and attendance is free to the public.

“This year’s theme, ‘Extraordinary People, Exceptional Service,’ highlights the talent, dedication and passion of our Pasadena Police First Responders and underscores the spontaneous courage of the citizens, while eloquently capturing the spirit of service,” said Police Chief Phillip L. Sanchez. “Because of their selfless and valiant effort, we honor Garrett Cullen, Chyannea Hodges and Rhonda Brown with the Community Service Award.”

The March 18 incident that Cullen, Hodges and Brown were involved in occurred on a Pasadena ARTS bus. The three were passengers on a Pasadena ARTS bus when a man attacked the driver of the bus. During the attack, the suspect tore the driver’s clothes, pulled her hair and squeezed her, making it difficult for her to breathe. Witnessing the event, the trio jumped from their seats and pulled the suspect away from the driver before tackling him to the floor of the bus.

The driver pulled the bus off of the roadway and stopped at a curb, when Cullen, Hodges and Brown removed the suspect from the bus and detained him for several minutes, until the police arrived. Cullen was repeatedly hit in the face and during the whole incident, the suspect attempted to bite Brown’s leg.

Police Chief’s Medal of Merit

The Pasadena Police Department will recognize the distinguished, outstanding service of a single employee with the Chief’s Medal of Merit. In 2015, Deputy Chief Darryl Qualls and Corporal Glenn Thompson are the chosen honorees.

With Deputy Chief Qualls’ efforts, the Pasadena Altadena Reintegration Council was established in 2010 to help ex-offenders make a successful transition to productive community life. After learning of a parole realignment program in another city, in 2009, Deputy Chief Qualls reached out to the Flintridge Center, local religious leaders and nonprofit organizations to create a network to assist those who were formerly incarcerated.  The Pasadena Altadena Reintegration Council provides outreach services to prisoners who are in custody; since 2010, the council has served more than 1,200 formerly incarcerated people, with a recidivism rate of approximately 24 percent.  Qualls also created the “Christmas Tree Lot” to provide temporary employment for ex-offenders; during the holidays, he also makes sure that participants’ families receive gifts, often using his own resources to do so.

Corporal Glenn Thompson has run the Pasadena Police Explorers program for the past 25 years as a volunteer. In addition to teaching the Pasadena Police Explorers about what it takes to be a police officer, Thompson has also led the Pasadena Police Explorers in their civic activities and participation in Explorer competitions. “What makes Corporal Thompson most worthy of this honor is that for so many years, Glenn has given so much of himself to this program that many people believe that this is his full time assignment,” said Chief Sanchez. “Glenn, like the other Explorer Volunteers, volunteer the majority of their time that they spend with the Explorers. The truth is, it is his love for the Explorer program and the kids that keeps him involved.”

Pasadena Fire Awards

The Pasadena Fire Department has selected Firefighter/Paramedic Oscar Sepulveda III as its Employee of the Year.

Firefighter/Paramedic Sepulveda volunteered for a special assignment as the Assistant Accreditation Manager, as part of the department’s work to become accredited with the Center for Public Safety Excellence. He has coordinated the department’s self assessment process, including the  processing and documentation of strategic planning, community hazard and risk assessment, and a study of the Department’s adopted Standards of Cover.  “Firefighter/ Paramedic Sepulveda demonstrated exceptional process and analytical skills well beyond his position and has a discerning approach to problem-solving and project management,” said Fire Chief Bertral Washington.

The Lifesaving Star will be presented to two firefighters who saved a security guard from an ambush by a man wielding a knife. Firefighter Joseph R. Konrad and Firefighter/Paramedic Abel C. Eligio were attending a class in Corona on July 7, 2014 when, at a restaurant on lunch break, they noticed a man with a knife preparing to ambush a security guard. Eligio and Konrad had restaurant personnel call 9-1-1 as they disarmed the subject, restraining him until local police arrived.

The Pasadena Fire Department will also honor its personnel for outstanding service to the department and the community. Recipients include:

Firefighter/Paramedic Todd J. Witt; Kayla L. Folkins, GIS Analyst in the Department of Information Technology; Jason Pfau, Systems Analyst with Verdugo Fire Communications Center and Gary J. Devore, Information Technology Tech III in the Department of Information Technology.

Employee Service Awards

To honor the commitment of Pasadena Police and Fire professionals to their community, personnel in both branches of public safety will receive employee service awards marking the length of time they’ve served the community.

For 35 years of service: Calvin E. Wells and Keith L. Holloway

For 30 years of service: Victor Alaniz, Luis Banuelos, Michael Bugh, Derrick Carter, Darin Craddolph, James Deal, Ron Espinoza, Kevin LaPresle, Bobby Lomeli, Michael Maas, Peggy Palmer, Alejandro Peinado, Daniel Rosetti, Shannan Sapp, Randolph Torres and Jayce Ward.

For 25 years of service: Gregory Afsharian, Karl Ambrust, Anthony Bagan, Michael Batterson, Olga Barray, Roberto Calcanas, Paul Granados, Stephen Hall, Christopher Latham, Alejandro Lostaunau, Jonathan Orona, Kevin Robertson, Richard Roldan, Kevin Roon, Carlos Sainz, Jeffrey Sanchez, Robin Stinson, Richard Vindiola, David Webster, James Weckerle, Matt Wickam, Derek Wilson and Todd Witt.