Mansfield Police Divisions 2022 Awards Ceremony

Joe Lyons • December 20, 2022

On December 17th, 2022, the Mansfield Division of Police held its annual Awards Banquet at the Ohio State Reformatory. This banquet is held to recognize the accomplishments of all members of the division.

The banquet concluded with the awarding of the division’s major awards, Officer, Supervisor, Detective, Civilian, & Top Cops of the year, (see below).

This is only a minor snapshot of the work conducted daily by all employees of the division. We are proud of all our members.

OFFICER OF THE YEAR:

This officer is an unspoken leader on our shift and assists other officers consistently. This officer requires very little supervision, is extremely reliable, and strives for excellence every day. He has positive interactions with the public and fellow officers, and rarely receives a complaint. He has a knack for creating a rapport with suspects to gain more information to assist him with an investigation or gain knowledge for a future incident. This officer has demonstrated his ability to be effective by generating a high amount of activity in each statistical category, even though he has been continually training officers.

This officer is consistently striving to better himself, whether that be through training, or by taking a proactive stance with policing. His self-initiative is unparalleled on his shift. This officer is a member of the SWAT team, the Opiate Response team, and also the Honor Guard. This officer is a Field Training Officer, and he takes this responsibility and role seriously, recognizing the importance of this position and the future of the department. Due to him continually having a “cub” this year, with very few breaks in between “cubs”, his stats do not reflect his activity.

This officer assisted with raising funds for a local charity to get to the donation level that we strived to get as a department. This officer has been nominated for numerous awards this year, and outside of work coaches area youth basketball. This officer is well deserving of this recognition due to the strength of his individual performance, and collaborative efforts with various units within the division. He looks for ways to better serve the department and our community. It is my pleasure to announce Officer Travis Stantz as Officer of the Year 2022.

SUPERVISOR OF THE YEAR:

This Sergeant started his career with The Mansfield Division of Police on August 20th, 2007, and was promoted to the rank of Sergeant on October 24, 2019. He is a member of the A.S.O.R.T. Team and Bike Unit. This Sergeant is also a certified Taser, Special Munitions, O.C. Spray, Fitness Instructor, and Field Training Officer Supervisor for the division. This supervisor teaches not only at in-service trainings but at Police Academies during his off time.

This Sergeant is above average in (11) out of (16) statistical categories and leads all supervisors in (6) out of (16) statistical categories. He had (7) Felony Arrests, (7) Felony Warrants, (3) Misdemeanor Arrests, (1) Misdemeanor warrants, (11) Summonses, (8) Traffic Citations, (31) Parking Tickets, (26) Friendly Warnings, (51) General Offense Reports, ($21,500.00) Stolen Recovered Property, (2) Crime Alert Cards, and (11) Field Interview Cards.

This Sergeant continues to lead by example. Earlier this year, while on patrol he observed a vehicle crash and contacted the operator to see if he needed aid. The Sgt did not know the subject was wanted for murder out of Columbus, Ohio and was armed with a handgun. After a violent struggle in which this Sergeant suffered an injury, the subject was taken into custody. This supervisor continues to set an example for officers and supervisors by “leading from the front.” This sergeant continues to set the standard other supervisors should follow. I am proud to announce Sergeant Ryan Grimshaw as the 2022 Supervisor of the Year.

CIVILIAN OF THE YEAR:

The year 2022 proved to be a challenging year on afternoon watch due to several critical incidents on the shift. The incidents were relentless. Every day, behind every group of patrol officers, is a team assembled to monitor, coordinate, and document the logistics and specifics of each one of these incidents. Then, once in a generation, there is an exceptional member of the Division who stands out and does more for the officers and citizens they proudly serve. Here are a couple of examples.

On February 25, after gassing a residence on West Cook Road, officers and firefighters were struggling due to the effects of the gas, trying to get to a suspect in the attic. This member of the Division worked tirelessly to find additional gas masks for the safety forces on scene. At the exact same time, Crestline Police was investigating a homicide in their city relaying intel that the suspect was in Mansfield.

This member worked alongside members of the PSCC to oversee and coordinate Divisional resources, including the activation of ASORT, and ultimately the successful apprehension of the suspect and key pieces of evidence.

During a particularly challenging week in April, this member of the Division received a 9-1-1 call for a male shooting a high-powered rifle into a business and other passing vehicle in the North end of the city. In real-time, this Public Safety Dispatcher provided highly accurate information on the changing location of the suspect and fleeing vehicle ultimately leading to a successful arrest and location of the rifle. Just days later, this dispatcher fielded multiple 9-1-1 calls for shots fired into a vehicle on the greater Southside. A shooting victim was later located several blocks away and the specific incident location was in question as the crime scene was massive.

Without prompting, this dispatcher called back multiple callers and witnesses until able to determine a specific incident location. This played a key role in helping patrol officers and detectives’ piece together a timeline and locate evidence. The next day, during a shooting and subsequent homicide, this dispatcher was able to decipher multiple apartment buildings and apartment numbers and get safety forces to the correct location. In addition, he was able to get witness information and safely hold them there for patrol officers, leading to an identification of a suspect. Again, this one week.

Utilizing new technology in the radio room is not easy for all. New pieces of tech come from every direction but this dispatcher has taken the time to master each piece of technology and use their knowledge to assist officers and firefighters in the field. This was displayed during a shooting that was first called out by detectives. Before incoming calls could even be transferred to the PSCC, this dispatcher was able to use mapping software to plot the location. This dispatcher relayed the location information to responding officers who arrived on the scene and render medical assistance to the shooting victim, who had driven their car into a house. During a review of the call for service, officers were on the scene with the victim before the caller ever gave their address.

The actions listed are just a snapshot of what this member of the Division does daily. The intuition they follow along with their unparalleled dedication to the officers on the street has proven this is a once-in-a-generation Public Safety Dispatcher.

For his continuous dedication to the public safety forces and the citizens of Mansfield, I am proud to announce the 2022 Civilian of the Year – Shane Behrendsen.

DETECTIVE OF THE YEAR:

This detective is assigned to 2nd shift in the Detective Bureau and is a stalwart for young patrol officers on 2nd shift. This detective assists 2nd shift patrol officers in gaining knowledge and experience on a daily basis. 2nd shift patrol is comprised of the youngest and least experienced officers in the division. This detective is always willing to assist the young patrol officers with making photo line-ups and/or proctoring the photo line-ups, while the officers observe. Young patrol officers are encouraged to seek guidance from this detective by supervision and to “pick their brains.” This detective will help young patrol officers draft, serve and complete search warrants. He has a wealth of knowledge and insight that he shares with the young patrol officers. This detective has responded to multiple critical incidents and while completing his duties always finds time to help train and educate young patrol officers on the scene of the critical incidents. This detective is an asset to 2nd shift patrol, the Detective Bureau, and the division. He is dependable and valuable to the division and is deserving of recognition for all he does; while working in a section that is currently down fifty percent of its authorized strength. It is my honor to announce Detective Terry Butler as the 2022 Detective of the year.