Monday, July 28, 2014

PGPD Honors Patrol Officers of the Month

Rain or shine, day and night, PGPD patrol officers are out in our community serving and protecting the citizens of Prince George’s County. Too often, their good work goes unnoticed. Here are the Patrol Officers of the Month for June.

District I Police Officer of the Month
Police Officer Jason Norman
  
On June 24, 2014, Police Officer Jason Norman was conducting an assignment in the area of Bladensburg Road and Eastern Avenue. He saw two men approach a driver who was stopped at a red light. This appeared to startle the driver, who immediately sped away. Officer Norman then watched the men move to a concealed area near the roadway. Officer Norman and additional patrol officers tried to approach the two men to investigate their suspicious behavior, but as they got closer, the men began to run away. Officers quickly caught them. One of the men had a gun.
He was arrested.



District II Police Officer of the Month
Police Officer Jarrod Salvestrini
  
On June 27, 2014, Police Officer Jarrod Salvestrini stopped a car near Woodstream Turn and Palamar Drive in Lanham. The three occupants jumped out and began running away. Officer Salvestrini caught and arrested the driver. Officers found a substantial amount of drugs in the car, to include 240 grams of suspected marijuana and 260 milliliters of liquid codeine.



District III Police Officer of the Month
Police Officer Thomas Wilson
                                                                       
On June 12, 2014, patrol officers responded to Suiter Way in Landover for a domestic-related call. Officers spoke with the victim who advised that he and his brother had fought several times throughout the day. Before the brother left the home, he threatened the victim with a loaded pistol. Police Officer Thomas Wilson responded to the area and was able to find the suspect’s car. The officer conducted a traffic stop. During the stop, the suspect consented to a search of his car. Officer Wilson found the loaded pistol with an extended magazine in the trunk.  The suspect was arrested.



District IV Police Officer of the Month
Police Officer Matthew Leedy
    
On June 6, 2014, Police Officer Matthew Leedy responded to Sayan Court in Temple Hills for the report of six men using illegal drugs. As the patrol officer approached the area, he saw a car with six men leaving the address.  Officer Leedy conducted a traffic stop during which he spotted the backseat passengers acting in a suspicious manner. Officer Leedy also smelled a strong odor of suspected marijuana coming from the car. During a search, the patrol officer found marijuana and a loaded handgun. One of the passengers admitted that the gun and drugs belonged to him. That passenger and the driver were arrested.



District V Police Officer of the Month
Police Officer John Diggs

On June 4, 2014, a citizen flagged down Police Officer John Diggs as he was on patrol on Allentown Road in Temple Hills. The citizen said he had just been threatened by a man with a knife who was standing at a nearby bus stop. Before Officer Diggs could talk to the suspect, the suspect began to run down Allentown Road. The patrol officer followed him in his cruiser and ordered the suspect to stop running. The suspect complied. During a pat down, Officer Diggs recovered two knives. He was arrested.



District VI Police Officer of the Month
Police Officer Matthew Vollono

On June 17, 2014, Police Officer Matthew Vollono responded to Golden Oak Drive in Laurel after a 911 caller reported seeing two men suspiciously looking inside of cars. Once on scene, Officer Vollono conducted an area canvass and was able to locate one of the men and began a field interview. The patrol officer learned that the man did not live in the area and could not provide an explanation as to why he was there. Once additional patrol officers arrived on scene, Officer Vollono retraced the path where he had seen the man walking and discovered a car with an open door. Further investigation revealed that the car had been ransacked and a GPS and cash had been stolen. While investigating that theft, a neighbor told Officer Vollono that a man had been crawling in front of his house. The patrol officer relayed this information to other members of his squad. Those officers were able to quickly locate the second suspect. Both suspects were arrested and the stolen property was returned to the owner. 

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