THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, June 2, 1995 TAG: 9505310153
SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS PAGE: 04 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: STAFF REPORT
LENGTH: Long : 150 lines
Detective James E. Ennis, who serves as Crime Line Coordinator, was honored recently as the 1994 Portsmouth Police Officer of the Year.
In presenting the award, Police Chief Dennis Mook said that he had received more than one letter of nomination for Ennis and that when he pulled the detective's file he found 36 letters of commendation.
The letters were from citizens, business owners and the mothers of children he has influenced, as well as colleagues, Mook said.
Ennis, who joined the department 19 years ago, has won awards from law enforcement associations and served as a mentor and role model to thousands of children as a member of the department's Crime Busters, the police chief said.
In a nomination letter, Lt. C.E. Connally, head of investigations, commended Ennis for his Crime Line work. Over the past year, he wrote, the Crime Line has received 385 tips.
Almost 100 cases were solved as a result, including seven robberies and 2 homicides. Fifty arrests were made and more than $67,000 in property was recovered.
Connally attributed much of the success to Ennis' ability to communicate and build rapport with people in the community.
Ennis, a veteran in the police department, is a member of Crime Stoppers Association and the Virginia Crime Clinic.
At the same awards ceremony, Medal of Honor awards were presented to Lt. Kenneth R. Davis, Sgt. Stephen M. Jackson and officers Joseph G. Childress and Thomas D. Crouch for their heroic action during a Jan. 20 call.
According to information provided by Cpl. G.A. Brown, police spokesman, officers were dispatched to the Port Norfolk area on a report of a man threatening to commit suicide by detonating a grenade.
The man's wife told police her husband had been a military demolitions expert and was under the influence of alcohol and cocaine.
Davis and Jackson responded to the area in an attempt to establish communications with him. They obtained the key to the residence and all four officers searched the interior and exterior areas of the house.
When they found the man hiding under a tarp adjacent to the garage, he yelled and threatened to detonate the grenade. As he advanced toward the officers, they positioned themselves to prevent him from entering the residence.
After the man attempted to arm the grenade, the officers jumped him and gained control of the grenade.
A Medal of Valor, was presented to Detective Kenneth L. Gavin for coming to the aid of a 2-year-old boy.
According to Brown, while conducting surveillance on the morning of Sept. 11, narcotics investigators heard screams coming from the rear of 901 DeKalb Ave.
As the investigators approached, they saw a man screaming, while attempting to free a small child from the jaws of a 140-pound Rottweiler.
With other dogs visible in the yard, Gavin jumped the fence, ran to the attacking dog and while shielding the child, grabbed the dog by the collar, placed his pistol against the dog's head and cautiously fired a shot into the dog's head.
He was then able to free the child who was taken to the hospital. It was learned that the child's lower body had been severely mutilated by this attack and he would require extensive corrective surgery.
In a letter of nomination, a supervisor stated, ``. . . when Detective Gavin entered the fenced area to assist the child and his father, he willingly placed himself in imminent danger of being attacked by one or all three of the dogs. It is without a doubt that his quick actions saved the child's life.''
Lt. John Howton was presented a commendation for outstanding police performance for his work with Special Olympics.
For the past 10 years, the Portsmouth Police Department has supported Virginia Special Olympics and the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run.
Last year, the department was appointed director of Region 3 and Howton agreed to assist Mook in coordinating the regional fund-raising activities.
Howton spent countless hours both on and off duty soliciting law enforcement personnel on the Eastern Shore to support the program.
He was directly responsible for Region 3 raising more than $46,000 in donations - double the 1993 contribution to Special Olympics.
Also, honored for outstanding police performance were:
Donald K. Butler and Thomas D. Crouch for action they took during a July 2 multi-apartment fire in Southside.
After hearing residents scream that a bedridden handicapped man was still inside one of the apartments, Crouch entered the apartment, leading several confused residents to safety.
With the assistance of Butler, he re-entered the smoke-filled building and removed the handicapped resident to a safe area.
Detective Stephen Davis for his work beyond routine drug investigations as the department's asset seizure officer.
Davis has served as the liaison with federal and local authorities and his persistence and expertise was instrumental in acquiring money and vehicles used in illegal drug activities.
In 1994, the department seized more than $52,000 in cash and more than $80,000 worth of vehicles, presently used to aid the department in crime-fighting efforts.
Officer Robert Stanley for coming to the aid of fellow officers who had responded to an April 17 firearms call in Lincoln Park.
Shortly after arriving, the officers and suspect were surrounded by a hostile crowd of about 250 people with sticks, bottles and bricks, yelling and threatening officers.
Stanley arrived, assessed the situation and the escalating danger to the officers and used his police vehicle to disperse the crowd and reach and remove the officers and their prisoner from danger.
A nomination letter, credited Stanley with saving ``two officers from imminent bodily harm or death.''
The department also honored Naval Criminal Investigative Service special agents and a Norfolk Naval Shipyard officer for their work with Portsmouth officers in joint narcotics operations.
The special operations resulted in the arrest of 52 people charged with 80 felonies related to drug sales.
Those honored included: NCIS agents Mike Battle, Charles Gilpin, Darrick Kennedy, Raymond Koon, Greg Mack, Robert Rzepka, Bradley Sosnowsky and Norfolk Naval Shipyard Police Sgt. Melvin Bowser.
And to State Troopers Eric R. Futrell, Patrick McCranie, Mark L. Brooks, Marshall King and James T. Worley for their work with the department's Portsmouth Redevelopment and Housing Authority unit.
The coordination of these two groups resulted in a ``Violent Crimes Strike Force,'' which targeted illegal drug sales and firearms violations in certain areas.
During the first 30 days, 118 arrests on 157 criminal charges were made; 14 guns and more than of $3,500 of illegal narcotics were recovered.
Recognition was also given to the following persons outside the department:
Morris Vaughan, for his help in apprehending a robber; Georgie Williams and Arthur Gough for their volunteer work on the department's crime analyst and intelligence unit; and Franklin Andrews, president of the Shea Terrace Civic League, for a neighborhood effort that resulted in the arrest of a suspected burglar.
Also, Drs. Andrew Horner and Natalie Carpenter, and Quitin Quinn for their help in apprehending a robber and holding him until police arrived. And, Horner, along with Bernard Jernigan, for apprehending a suspect who broke into a car and took personal property.
Dr. Charles O. Barclay was recognized for his work as medical practitioner for the past four decades.
And Jeffrey Clinton, owner of the Circle Seafood Restaurant, for his contribution of more than $1,000 in restaurant gift certificates to the department in conjunction with its monthly selection of top officers and investigators. MEMO: Editor's Note: Information on awards and why they were given was
provided by Cpl. G.A. Brown, police public information officer.
ILLUSTRATION: Ennis
K. Davis
Jackson
Childress
Crouch
Howton
Gavin
by CNB