Five Volusia County deputies and civilians were honored by Sheriff Ben Johnson during a ceremony at the Deputy Stephen Saboda Training Center in Daytona Beach Tuesday morning. Awards were presented to a patrol deputy, a district investigator, a records unit manager, a telecommunicator, and a volunteer.
Deputy of the quarter Dennis Miller patrols the county jurisdiction around Daytona Beach, Holly Hill and Ormond Beach and he knows the area and the people in detail, Sheriff Johnson said. His deep knowledge paired with a devoted tenacity to bring crime suspects to justice have resulted in impressive results. He is responsible for finding several potentially dangerous fugitives, oftentimes with very little initial information to work with.
“Deputy Miller has displayed incredible dedication and a willingness to go the extra mile,” said his supervisor, Sgt. Todd Smith. “His actions are the epitome of outstanding and are worthy of the recognition which he deserves as deputy of the quarter.”
Investigator of the quarter Robert Campbell has been an investigator at the DeLand district office for less than a year but he has already made a positive name for himself. His work on a February home invasion case showed how he was able to build a rapport with one of the suspects and obtain information about additional suspects not yet apprehended. Once one of those other suspects was captured but denied involvement in the crime, Campbell was able to put together enough evidence to prove the man was lying. The suspect then decided to tell the truth and even revealed where items stolen during the home invasion were hidden, leading to their recovery.
“You did a great job,” said Sheriff Johnson during the ceremony. “You go above and beyond in working all your cases. Thank you for a job well done.”
Employee of the quarter Alan Horne is a 22-year veteran at the Sheriff’s Office and is a manager at the Records Unit where he supervises several other employees. During a recent state audit, Horne impressed the auditor with his organizational skills and the fact that he had prepared several documents well in advance of the process. This led to the department completing the audit with positive results.
“Thank you, Alan, for your hard work in an area of responsibility that is at best difficult to work with,” said his supervisor Lt. Linda Nasser-Edwards. “I personally appreciate your dedication and determination.”
Telecommunicator Paul McGovern is the first to obtain a difficult to achieve designation at the Sheriff’s Office’s consolidated dispatch center. When he was hired he was assigned to the Fire Emergency Communication Center and soon moved up through the multiple career development phases to become a fully trained telecommunicator specializing in Fire/EMS dispatch. But he didn’t stop there. He also became cross trained in law enforcement dispatch, which requires a different set of skills. McGovern is now the first fully cross trained telecommunicator since the full consolidation of the dispatch center.
“His accomplishment and perseverance to succeed helps all first responders and reduces the workload and demand on his fellow employees,” said his supervisor, Capt. Ray Almodovar.
Excited volunteers who are eager to help the Sheriff’s Office in any way they can are a welcome sight, and Max Landau is a prime example of a very willing volunteer. The volunteer of the quarter was instrumental in developing a computerized management system for the Citizen Observer Program house watch program. It improves the accuracy of the program’s records and the safety of the COP members on patrol. Landau also developed a database for missing and stolen property that resulted in property being returned to its owners and even the solving of some crimes.
“I want to thank you for all you do,” said Sheriff Johnson.
