The ceremony honored personnel from the Police Department, Fire and Rescue Service, Sheriff’s Office, Department of Correction and Rehabilitation, 911 Emergency Communications Center, Health and Human Services Mobile Crisis Team, Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security and Montgomery County Public Schools.
Notable attendees included Congressman Jamie Raskin, Congresswoman April McLean Delaney, Governor Wes Moore, Comptroller Brooke Lierman, County Executive Marc Elrich, a majority of the County Council, including Council President Kate Stewart, and numerous local/state delegates and business leaders.
The Public Safety Awards Breakfast is the largest regional event of its kind.
Award Recipients and Recognized Actions:
- Gold Valor Award
- Sergeant Patrick Kepp (Police) — Struck by a driver while on duty, resulting in severe injury and the loss of both legs.
- Silver Valor Awards
- Lt. Michael Males (Fire & Rescue) — Rescued a trapped resident and two dogs from a burning home without protective equipment.
- Officers Jennifer Dougherty and Samantha Hunt (Police) — Evacuated residents from a smoke-filled Clarksburg apartment complex.
- Officers Michael Chindblom and Christopher Aversa (Police) — Prevented a suicide attempt on a highway overpass.
- Sergeants Christopher Vandenengel and Lambert Tedjio (Corrections) — Helped evacuate inmates during a correctional facility fire.
- Bronze Valor Awards
- Lieutenants Kenji Konishi and Warren Wallingford (Corrections) — Assisted in the correctional facility fire evacuation.
- Sergeant Eddie Alesich (Police) — First to subdue a knife-wielding woman who was chasing a male victim.
- Correctional Officers Tony Whitehurst, Paksing Tham, and Zachary Chidlow — Stopped a suicide attempt.
- Sergeants Anthony Harris and Jesse Rouzee, Corporals Harry Dunton and Richard Ndoh, and First-Class Correction Officer Kangoswald Palle — Stabilized an inmate experiencing a medical crisis.