By Tamas Mondovics
The recent Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office Quarterly Awards Ceremony, held last month at the Falkenburg Rd. Jail Assembly Room, has once again provided a fine testimony of valor and exceptional work performance on the part of deputies and citizens on behalf of the community.
Community Outreach Division Major Sankar Montoute was pleased to welcome to the stage Sheriff David Gee to take part in the awards presentation.
“It’s so nice to see such an outpouring of support by fellow employees, family members and friends, as we recognize a number of outstanding individuals and squads who represent the very best of the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office,” Montoute said.
While the event recognized recent retirees, employees for longevity of service, honored citizens as well as those that helped save lives and catch criminals, a main portion of awards recipients represented deputies and civilians serving the department’s District 4 location.
This year’s civilian of the year award went to Community Service Officer Barbara Jones, who since 1994, has been working tirelessly with the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office and is currently assigned to the Riverview sub-station where she takes walk-in complaints, telephone reports as well as assists deputies assigned to the station.
One of the events two life-saving awards recipients was Bloomingdale Resource Deputy Curtis Warren, who responded to a “person down” call. At the scene, Warren discovered a woman unconscious inside her residence and after assessing the victim, he quickly retrieved and used an Automated External Defibrillator, then performed CPR until fire rescue units arrived on scene.
Detectives with the department’s District 4 Investigative and Operations Squad also earned much-deserved recognition for their hard work, which led to dozens of arrests, including those of a large-scale theft ring that resulted in approximately 1.6 million pounds of re-bar stolen and resold at a value of more than $100,000.
The event’s distinguished performance award recipient was HCSO Deputy Christina Ammons, who recently responded to a unique call for service involving a bull drowning. The incident garnered both local and national attention earning the deputy numerous accolades.
For information about the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office, visit www.hcso.tampa.fl.us.
