Oceanside CA— The 15th annual Oceanside Police Department Member Recognition Luncheon recently took place at the QLN Conference Center. Each year, the department recognizes outstanding achievements and heroic acts by staff, volunteers and community members including the 2018 OPD Officer of the Year. This years luncheon was sponsored at the ‘Platinum Level’ by Genentech, Oceans Eleven and QLN. At the ‘Bronze Level’ by Gilead Science and the ‘Cornerstone of the Community Donor’ was Federal Heath Sign Co. Lunch was provided by Macaroni Grill.
Oceanside Police Chief Frank McCoy thanked members of the department for their hard work, dedication, enthusiasm. “Thanks to your hard work, violent crime was down 3.5% through 2018. Property crimes were down 6.2%. Overall crime in this city went down 5.8% and again, it is because of the hard work each and every one of you do on a daily basis.” continued Chief McCoy. “For the last three years, crime in Oceanside has gone down 15%. That’s great for the citizens of our community, the businesses of our community. I know I speak for the City Manager and the City Council when I say thank you for the work that you do keeping our city safe.”
Below and on the following pages are the recipients of the fourth quarter and annual awards
Support Operations Division Member of the Fourth Quarter, 2018
Ashley Sanchez
Ashley Sanchez played a critical role in making the 2018 Teddy Bear Drive a success. This year, the Oceanside Police Department was selected to become the lead liaison between Rady Children’s Hospital and all of the San Diego County law enforcement agencies. This was an extremely important and groundbreaking year in that Rady’s enacted a new infection control protocol which prohibited the previous practice of obtaining donated teddy bears; instead requiring monetary donations to purchase new teddy bears. True to her character and dedication, she utilized her creative talents to overcome this obstacle. Sanchez spent over 100 hours coordinating and facilitating fundraising events such as the Chick-Fil-A Spirit Night in which fourteen Chick-Fil-A locations throughout the county participated with the majority of the proceeds donated directly to the Teddy Bear Drive fund. She ensured each location was represented by a member of the local law enforcement agency which required excellent communication and coordination.
Ashley Sanchez coordinated additional events, with the assistance of her partners, to include; the inaugural Teddy Bear Drive Golf Tournament, the Teddy Bear Banquet and Ceremony, Rady Children’s Hospital Light the Way event and monthly hospital night cart visits. These efforts were driven by her tireless work in procuring sponsorships and donations that resulted in the raising of over $42,000.
Along with the Teddy Bear Drive she solely procured $2500 in grants for the Explorer program and over $1600 in grants and donations for the Oceanside Youth Partnership Program. Without her devotion and commitment to the success of these programs, none would be successful.
Investigations Division Employee of the 4th Quarter, 2018
Wendy Sullivan-Senior Office Specialist
Wendy Sullivan was selected to fill the vacant Senior Office Specialist position in Support Operations which was created due to a retirement. Some of the roles and responsibilities of that position include conducting DUI cost recovery, addressing impounds and tow fees, dealing with repossessed vehicles, processing payroll and general overall operations of the Traffic Services Unit. She also helps with completing identification cards and background checks for casino employees, managing narcotics referrals, SES payroll, and recently added the responsibility of completing background checks for marijuana business license applicants.
“While some of the previous duties handled by the now retired members have been reassigned to other staff, you have taken on the lion’s share and have done so while still acclimating and adjusting to your new role as a Senior Office Specialist. You took on all of these responsibilities without batting an eye and without complaint. In fact, you have been eager to learn new responsibilities. Your work ethic is unmatched, your overall positive attitude is infectious, and you are the epitome of a team player,” wrote OPD Investigations Captain, Fred Armijo.
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