A JOB WELL DONE — Parole staff, including 16 PEF members, pose for a group shot in Albany after receiving certificates for extraordinary contributions to the agency.
Parole Officers honored for innovative and heroic acts

By DEBORAH A. MILES
More than a dozen PEF members who work at the state Division of Parole were among those honored in November by the division’s chairwoman and CEO, Andrea H. Evans, for their extraordinary contributions to the agency.

These awards are special because the recipients were nominated by their peers. Parole officers know their jobs entail danger. But when one faces a potentially deadly situation or raises the bar to help increase public safety, it doesn’t go unnoticed.

The awards are not just for the officers who work on the streets and put their lives on the line each day. The division, as a whole, relies on a broad spectrum of individuals who are responsible for keeping the agency running smoothly and efficiently.

One example is Brian Dott, an information technology specialist 4 from the Albany area, who received the IT Operations Award for his innovative program to reduce paper consumption. He saved the division an estimated $100,000 each year.

A facility parole officer 1, Jacqueline Donohue of Geneseo, was one of the recipients of the Brian Rooney Memorial Award for Meritorious Service. She brought facilities into compliance with DNA test standards and also helped parolees successfully complete the parole supervision program.

The award also was given to Kim Mangus of Lakeview, a facility parole officer 2, for willingly working when needed during staff shortages.

Another Rooney award went to parole officer Michael Valente for his vigilance in pursuing an investigation in the Rochester area where his efforts saved a police officer’s life and brought a murderer to justice.

The last Rooney award went to Teresa Eisenhauer, an Auburn area parole officer, who went beyond the call of duty when she talked to an injured parolee for more than four hours, convincing him to cooperate with police in identifying who stabbed him. The parolee was in the hospital, in critical condition and faced becoming a quadriplegic.

A downstate parole officer, Kevin O’Connor, received the Linda Mills Memorial Award for Re-Entry Services. O’Connor is known for obtaining appropriate housing and adjunct services for very difficult-to-place parolees. He was recognized for making a significant difference in many ex-offenders’ lives, enabling them to succeed in their communities.

Awards also went to parole officers who found themselves in demanding situations where training and experience paid off, along with quick thinking and fast acting.

Agency Awards for Valor went to Anthony Myers, George Roper, Brian Maher, Robert Hodson and Daniel Miller.

Myers saw and apprehended a registered sex offender who was following a female in a desolate area. Myers was honored for his acute attentiveness in preventing an assault.

Roper provided key information to the hostage negotiator when a parolee threatened to blow-up an apartment building in the South Bronx. Roper helped get the parolee to release the hostages and surrender without incident.

Maher and Hodson, officers in PEF Region 3, received the award for their heroic actions when they spotted, disarmed and arrested a man who was threatening a woman with a large knife.

And Miller was honored for recognizing a fleeing bank robber in Binghamton, confronting the man, and holding him until police arrived and took him into custody.

Parole officers who made headlines in March 2009 for stopping a parolee from stabbing another parole officer, were the recipients of the Barry Sutherland Memorial Award for Public Protection.

The incident occurred when Darcy Ames-Sledge noticed a parolee fidgeting with his knapsack at the Queens Parole Office. When she approached him, he grabbed her and pulled a knife, according to the dozens of witnesses. While Ames-Sledge struggled to free herself, Barry Davis and Dellree Williams ordered the parolee to drop the knife, several times. The parolee failed to comply, and the officers shot and killed him.

PEF Division 236 also honored these three officers at a separate event, for their bravery and professionalism.