Officer of the Year
Department Awarded
1997 — Sgt. Thomas Dunaski
Sgt. Thomas Dunaski was recognized for his efforts in the murder-arson case in which five children were killed. His tenacity and persistent investigation, his willingness to conduct numerous searches and spend months developing and befriending informants, led to a federal indictment being handed down against 23 members of a dangerous street gang. His exceptional abilities as an investigator have made him a valuable and honored member and source of pride for the Saint Paul Police Department.
1998 — Officer Jeffrey Hutchinson
Officer Jeffrey Hutchinson was recognized for his abilities and willingness to step forward as a leader. His leadership promotes teamwork and cooperation as well as instilling confidence and price in fellow officers. He is regarded as the “go to guy” when information is needed on a suspect or vehicle. He demonstrates sophisticated skill in developing strategies problem solving and continually develops new techniques and alternatives in an effort to increase productivity among the officers he coaches and mentors.
1999 — Officer Kevin Moore
Officer Kevin Moore was recognized in solving the 1997 murder by the Jamaican Posse gang. Throughout his police career, he has shown that he never lets go or gives up on a case. He is a tenacious and tireless investigator who has worked behind the scenes on many homicides. He is a mentor and informal leader to his law enforcement colleagues. Through his hard work and pursuit of justice, the city of Saint Paul is a safer place to live.
2000 — Officer Timothy R. Bradley
For demonstrating exceptional achievement in carrying out his duties — not only his “crime fighting” and preliminary investigations, but also for his community-based problem solving efforts, crime prevention strategies and involvement in neighborhood programs. His work and cooperation with fellow officers resulted in fourteen solved robberies with four suspects being identified and charged. He has continually demonstrated his dedication and commitment to Saint Paul’s East Side by putting in countless hours of his own time to assist with various events and projects. Every year he is instrumental in decorating the East Side District with Christmas lights which promotes goodwill and pride for the police department and the East Side community. He helped start the current bike patrol and is still responsible for keeping the program going each year. He was also instrumental in the planning and organizing of the Department Millennium Photo Shoot and the Millennium Time Capsule and served on the Millennium History Book Committee.
2001 — Officer Keith A Draz
Is recognized for his outstanding qualities as a Saint Paul police officer and for demonstrating exceptional achievement in carrying out his duties with an emphasis on community policing. He is recognized for being a model police officer in utilizing community oriented policing methods to interact with the community. He actively cultivates and uses his resources to combat area crime. He has continually demonstrated his dedication and commitment to Saint Paul’s community by putting in countless hours of his own time to mentor and coach the youth groups in his area. Although he does not speak Hmong, he has developed an incredible relationship with members of the Hmong community. He understands their concerns, has a good knowledge of their history and is sensitive to their culture and customs. He is highly regarded in the Hmong community because of his efforts. The standards that he has set for himself are high and he has attained them consistently.
2002 — Officer Paul P. Schnell
Is recognized for his outstanding qualities as a Saint Paul Police Officer and for demonstrating leadership abilities in a multitude of tasks with an emphasis on community policing. During the past year, he has been instrumental in organizing and developing the following projects: Urban Lab Project which combined beat policing with a specialized focus on gangs within the West Side community. West Side Joint Auto Theft Task Force which was a multi-jurisdictional approach to curbing auto theft and its related criminal activities. Intensive Spanish Language Program which is an immersion based Spanish course to give officers the ability to speak with community members whose first language is Spanish. He not only wrote the specifications for this program but secured funding, wrote the grants, planned the classes and organized the instructors. As president of the Minnesota Juvenile Officers Association and an instructor with the Upper Midwest Community Policing Institute, he continues to develop his expertise in different aspects of law enforcement. He believes that community policing works and makes a difference in the quality of life for our community members. He is a leader among his peers and is respected by his supervisors.
2003 — Officer Andrew H. Shoemaker
Is recognized for his outstanding qualities as a Saint Paul Police Officer and as an investigator for the Minnesota Gang Strike Force. As a Saint Paul Police Officer, he has always shown dedication and commitment to the citizens of this city by working to rid their neighborhoods of problem properties. As a member of the Minnesota Gang Strike Force, he has demonstrated exemplary investigative skills by contributing to the recovery of fourteen firearms, 5.25 pounds of methamphetamine, 148 marijuana plants and $223,348 during this past year. He has made himself available 24 hours a day to assist on investigations and to work with informants whose loyalty he has earned through his calm demeanor and commitment to treat all people fairly. He has made a commitment to other officers and investigators to become better at their jobs by encouraging and coaching them. Throughout his career as a police officer, he has never hesitated to share investigative information with the proper sources to include street officers and investigators. His quiet leadership style encourages others to learn by his example. His dedication to his job and the citizens of the City of Saint Paul is always portrayed through his day to day work.
2004 — Officer Timothy A. Bohn
The 2004 Officer of the Year Award is presented to Timothy A. Bohn in recognition of his superior commitment and outstanding abilities as a Saint Paul Police Officer assigned to the Western District. As a Saint Paul Police Officer, he has displayed dedication and commitment to the people of this city by taking on a major role in the development, gathering and dissemination of criminal intelligence information through the tracking of members of the Lower Town Gangsters and Selby Sider street gangs. Without prompting he took the initiative to confer and work with the members of the Minnesota Gang Strike Force to develop a very detailed “Gang Identification” booklet that is widely used by members of the department. It was his exemplary investigative skills that lead to the identification of the new “304 gang” and its ring leader and several members. He had tirelessly gone out of his way to maintain and develop knowledge regarding active gang activity. He reached out to our partners in the Ramsey County Probation and Parole Department to track the status of active gang members. It is this level of effort that has contributed to the improvement in the safety and quality of life for an entire neighborhood. His diligence and day-to-day efforts serve as the benchmark of excellence to his peers. His dedication to service, the Saint Paul Police Department and the great people of this city is formally acknowledged today through his selection as the 2004 Saint Paul Police Officer of the Year.
2005 — Officer William C. Beaudette
Officer William C. Beaudette is awarded in recognition of his superior commitment and outstanding abilities as a Saint Paul Police Officer assigned to the Eastern District. As a Saint Paul Police Officer, he has displayed dedication and commitment to the citizens of Saint Paul and to his fellow officers. On May 6th, 2005, following the shooting death of Sgt. Jerry Vick, Officer Beaudette was one of the first officers on scene and quickly broadcast the suspect description and direction of flight. He then led a coordinated search and kept the perimeter officers updated with any information. Officer Beaudette’s quick action forced the suspects to hunker down and be taken into custody within hours of this terrible tragedy. Because of Officer Beaudette’s training and experience as a CIRT member for 10 years, a Defense Tactics / Firearms Instructor, and a primary FTO, he was able to coordinate efforts of police resources in the critical initial stages of the incident. His ability to lead, apply his knowledge, skills and abilities was paramount in the apprehension of the suspects. Also on June 20, 2005, a homeless man was found at Payne and Bush unconscious and injured. The victim would later die as a result of his injuries. There were no witnesses or leads to this homicide. Officer Beaudette, while training a new recruit, made contact with the people that frequent the neighborhoods of Railroad Island to develop information related to the homicide. His investigation started by building a rapport with the homeless population and hearing stories of them being beaten and robbed by a group of five suspects. Many of these assaults had gone unreported to the police. On July 5, 2005, Officer Beaudette and his recruit monitored a call of an injured homeless man in this same area. They responded by looking for the suspects they had been hearing about. Two of the suspects were stopped close by and positively identified by this new victim. These arrests gave investigators a much needed lead. Information from the officers and statements from the suspects lead to the recovery of evidence, the solving of the murder and many brutal robberies of vulnerable victims. The professionalism displayed by Officer Beaudette has contributed greatly to the safety of the citizens of Saint Paul.
2006 — Sergeant Raymond A. Jefferson
The 2006 Officer of the Year Award is presented to Raymond A. Jefferson in recognition of his superior commitment and outstanding abilities as a Saint Paul Police Sergeant assigned to A Community Outreach Program (ACOP). He was responsible for the safety and criminal concerns of management and tenants living in four family sites and 16 high rises housing approximately 6,000 to 7,000 lower income citizens in our city. He had made a tremendous difference in these communities by employing good communication skills. He opened the lines of communication with management and tenants, gathered information on the nature and cause of the actual problems, and then assigned beat officers to the troubled locations. One of his biggest concerns was the children. He was concerned with the vast number of kids who did not have any structured activities to keep themselves busy. Another concern was a mistrust of the police by parents and the kids and chaotic community relations between young African American and Asian males. To combat these problems, he became the catalyst for an ACOP version of the PAL (Police Athletic/Activities League). He organized and coached the children in baseball, football, basketball and soccer and encouraged other ACOP officers to become involved. He used his community contacts to acquire jobs for Public Housing teenagers, which taught them about work ethics, allowed them to make their own money, and assisted in fighting against the lure of criminal activity. Some of these jobs included tutoring elementary kids, coaching sports teams and chaperoning on field trips. These young people, who are the future of Saint Paul, have brighter futures because of Ray. They are learning tolerance, respect, teamwork and how to make good choices. His devotion and commitment have made him a valuable and honored member of our organization and a source of pride for the Saint Paul Police Department.