Northfield Police Department officers, staff and members of the police reserve unit gathered together Wednesday afternoon at Northfield City Hall to celebrate their own.
This year, 14 officers and reserve officers were honored during the third annual NPD recognition banquet.
Among those honored were Reserve Capt. Steve Moses, Sgt. Mark Murphy and Officer Jesse Cordova, who received a plaque of appreciation for his years on the Rice County Drug Task Force and the South Central Drug Task Force.
Murphy, who spent "many" years helping the reserve unit, was honored for his time as the coordinator of the group, which he stepped down from last year. Walerius asked if Murphy was staying on as an advisor, to which he only grinned, bringing his fellow officers to laughter.
"I'm truly proud of all the work you've done, coming together as a team," said interim Chief of Police Chuck Walerius of all the officers. "Everything has been clicking together. We have everyone to thank for that."
Walerius said though Northfield isn't known for a lot of high-profile crimes, the department handles its heavy workload well and, through proactive work, likely prevents a lot of crimes.
Officers and reserve officers were recognized for their efforts in various incidents throughout the past year, including the armed robbery and subsequent manhunt in October and a downtown assault and robbery last month.
This was the first year the reserve unit was included in the banquet.
The public was also thanked for its efforts.
"They still are our eyes and ears out there," said Walerius. "Without them we wouldn't be able to do the job we do."
Letters of Recognition
- Officer Bart Wiese
- Officer Brian Kramer
- Sgt. Thad Monroe
- Investigator P.T. Haider
- Officer Jeff Gigstad
- Reserve Capt. Steve Moses—Reserve Officer of the Year
- Investigative Sgt. Monte Nelson
Plaque of Appreciation from Drug Task Force
- Officer Jesse Cordova
Certificate of Appreciation from the Reserves
- Sgt. Mark Murphy
- Reserve Officer Clyde Leimberer
- Reserve Sgt. Derrick Bunde
Office Commendations
- Officer Mark Dukatz
- Reserve Sgt. Michael Stenstrom
- Reserve Sgt. Matthew Paulson
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