Prince William County Police Department

Seventy-six members of the Prince William County Police Department received 2024 Valor Awards from the Prince William Chamber of Commerce. Lieutenant Shawn Peak and Sergeant Heath Oyler received Silver Awards for Valor. Officers Victor Grimaldos, Carmen Quinteros and Kevin Yi received Bronze Awards for Valor. First Sergeants Ashley Gwinn, Jesse Rollinger and Michael Szalach; Sergeants Adam Beard, Ramona Fontenot, Joshua Grand, Matthew Lyon, Sean Murphy and Michael Pope*; Detectives Brandon Craft, Alfonso Dorado*, and Edwin Romero ; Master Police Officer Brandon Hodges; and Officers Richard Bordenet, Calvin Borges-McCarter, Zachary Brittigan, Alan Brown, Nicole Camacho Daza, Michael Carrick, Joanne Cathcart*, Mario Centeno, Randall Charlwood, Taylor Craddock, Gillian Downs, Joseph Duplessis, Jonathan Eldredge, Percy Finch, Casey Fines, Brittany Goude, Robert Griffin, John Franklin, Luke Henderson, Christopher Hume, Robyn Husar, Jacob Kopfensteiner, Kyle Kramer, Josephine Lyon, Fernando Martinez Cruz, Nathaniel Mazzini, Jeffery Morris, Thomas Norton, Christopher Paradis, Kenneth Robinson, Jacob Simrell, Scott Sparry, Liam Spina, Matthew Surdam, Robert Theimer, Zara Tirrell, Marjorie Vergara and Melissa Wilson; and Senior Crime Analyst Gretchen Gebhardt received Merit Awards for Valor. First Sergeant Christopher Bradford; Sergeant Michael Scarsella; Master Police Officers Shaun Barr, Marc Grayson, Robert Gudaitis* and Shawn Tama; and Officers James Brent, Nicholas Brown, Konnor Grenke, Jarred Houck, John Manning, Jayden Nix, and Kyle Woolf received Unit Awards for Valor. Detectives Colleen Grantham, Jason O’Sullivan, Giannina Pinedo, Andres Sanz-Guerrero and Sean Weddel; and Crime Scene Investigator Andrea Feldman received Hillary Robinette Awards for Integrity in Investigative Work.
* indicates the member has since retired or otherwise separated service with the Department after the time in which the events the awards are recognizing took place.

The Police Department was selected as the statewide agency winner of the 2024 H.E.A.T. Award presented by the Virginia State Police. This recognition is given to individuals, or agencies, who go above and beyond in the fight against auto theft in Virginia. The award was presented on Aug. 26, 2024, at the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police & Foundation’s annual conference in Roanoke.

Officers James Bocompani and Ethan Hughart received a 2024 Award for Valor presented by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police & Foundation (VACP). The VACP Award for Valor – the organization’s highest – recognizes a law enforcement officer who, in the line of duty, performs an act of extraordinary heroism while engaged with an adversary at imminent personal risk.

Sergeant Heath Oyler and Officer Nicholas Brown received 2024 Awards for Lifesaving presented by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police & Foundation (VACP). The VACP Award for LIfesaving recognizes a law enforcement officer's actions that put them in harm's way in an attempt to save the life of another.

Prince William County government has received a 2024 National Association of Counties (NACo) Achievement Award for the Police Department's Women's Mentorship Program.

Nine police officers received recognition from the George Washington chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) on May 2, 2024. Receiving the SAR Medal for Heroism were Officers Victor Grimaldos, Carmen Quinteros and Kevin Yi. Receiving the SAR Law Enforcement Commendation Medal were Lieutenant Shawn Peak; First Sergeant Ashley Gwinn; Detectives Giannina Pinedo and Andres Sanz-Guerrero; and Officers Robert Griffin and Nathaniel Mazzini. 

The Police Department received a 2023 Human Rights Award from the Prince William County Human Rights Commission. The award was received for the Department's Women’s Mentorship Program, founded by Lieutenant Astrid Robinson and Detective Michelle McAllister.
 

The Police Department’s volunteer Chaplain Program was the recipient of a 2024 Volunteer Honor Roll award from the Serve Virginia organization. The Department, and this program, was recognized for outstanding service and commitment to action that improves the quality of life of its community. The award was presented on Jan. 9, 2024.
 

Officer Godson Vondee received a Law Enforcement Award of Excellence for “outstanding commitment in the fight against drunk driving in the Greater Washington area” from the Washington Regional Alcohol Program (WRAP).

The Prince William County Police Department and the Department’s Criminal Justice Academy were re-accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Law Enforcement Agencies, Inc. (CALEA) on Nov. 14, 2023. The Department received the CALEA Award for Excellence for Law Enforcement and the CALEA Award for Excellence for the Academy.

Master Police Officer Brandon Hodges and Sergeant Jeremy Schenck both placed with their canine partners during the United States Police Canine Association (USPCA) Region 3 annual Iron Dog Competition held this year in Fauquier County, Va., on Oct. 21, 2023. MPO Hodges and K9 Bosco earned second place in EOD Boxes during the competition. Sergeant Schenck and K9 Mattis earned second place in Apprehension and third place in Vehicle Apprehension.

Master Police Officer Christopher LeClair and Officers Kevin Darling, Michael Huber, Godson Vondee and William Ward were honored for their DUI enforcement efforts by the Virginia chapter of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) at a presentation in Richmond on Oct. 25, 2023. The awards recognize state and law enforcement professionals for their exceptional dedication and efforts in keeping roads safe.

Prince William County Police Officer Troy Hance received a 2023 Award for Valor presented by the Virginia Association of Chiefs of Police & Foundation (VACP). The VACP Award for Valor – the organization’s highest – recognizes a law enforcement officer who, in the line of duty, performs an act of extraordinary heroism while engaged with an adversary at imminent personal risk.

The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) this year recognized several members of the Police Department's Community Engagement and Crime Prevention units, and the Department's and Fiscal Management Bureau, for their outstanding commitment to enhancing community security and fostering collaboration among diverse faith-based organizations in Prince William County.  In 2022, this exceptional team displayed remarkable dedication by identifying and addressing potential security gaps and vulnerabilities within houses of worship throughout the county. This project enabled several of these faith-based institutions to implement crucial security enhancements and improvements. Ultimately this initiative has continued to build upon and strengthen the positive relationship that the Police Department has with the diverse faith communities throughout the county. It has also increased awareness in the community and enhanced the feelings and perception of safety and security held by the members of the faith community. The Department is also grateful that it assisted the faith community in using grant funds to procure significant security improvements with the goal and purpose of preventing and reducing both the incidents and opportunities for hate motivated or bias related crimes and offenses targeting houses of worship in Prince William County. The 2023 ADL SHIELD Award Recipients from the Police Department are Sergeant Nathan Thomas; Master Police Officers Jason Alicie, Kinberly Sawicki and Juan Trujillo; Analyst Holly Nicholson; Accounting and Business Services Unit Supervisor Nikki Meadows, and Purchasing Unit Supervisor Cristina Dizon.

Sergeant Richard Toke and Officers Justice Agyare, Brian Centifonti, Briana Huber and Jason Weber, Jr., received Honorable Mention awards during the TOP COPS Awards ceremony on May 12, 2023, during National Police Week. Sergeant Toke and Officer Agyare received Honorable Mention Awards for a shooting-in-progress incident that began on Dec. 9, 2022. Displaying a willingness to expose themselves to extreme risk to rescue one victim, take a violent person into custody and save the life of a second victim by providing emergency aid, these officers demonstrated incredible heroism, according to the award notification. Officers Centifonti, Huber and Weber received Honorable Mention Awards for a stabbing incident that began on Jan. 31, 2022. Because of the accurate communication and immediate action of these brave officers, a victim's life was saved after being flown to a nearby trauma center, and a violent individual was taken into custody.

Seventy members of the Prince William County Police Department were recognized on March 29, 2023, by the Prince William Chamber of Commerce at its annual Valor Awards event. Officers Courtney Haupt and Christopher Kelly received Silver Awards for Valor. Sergeants Daniel Sullins and Richard Toke; Master Police Officers Joshua Boughman, Gonzalo Gracia, Garrett Gourlay, Robert Gudaitis and George Kimball; and Officers Justice Agyare, Richard Alicea, Justin Benson, Samuel Harman, Erin McAdam, Scott McBride, Michael Miller and Kevin Vasquez received Bronze Awards for Valor. Sergeants John Burk and Daniel Seiff; Master Police Officer Jeffery Morris; and Officers Patrick Balchunas, Jason Byrne, Brian Centifonti, James Clinton, Taylor Craddock, Jonathan Harris, Briana Huber, Ryan Hustwayte, Melissa Krowl, Stephen Kuhn, Preston Kulakowski, Jaden Nix, Abigail Pollard, Brittany Turner and Jason Weber received Merit Awards for Valor. First Sergeant Kenneth Jenkins; Sergeant Brandon Hunt; and Detectives William Bowler, Taylor Calton, Stephen Cieslinski, Darien Cupka, Donald DeShazo II, Joshua Lane, Tyler Reza and Holly Wenger; and Officers Richard Alicea, Megan Anderson and Zachary Ostergren received Hillary Robinette Awards for Integrity in Investigative Work. First Sergeant Jonathan Perok; Master Police Officers Ronald Carpio, Steven Hunsberger and Kevin Prince; Detectives Eric Beard, Stacey Bronisz, Shailee Davis, Scott Lon, Abigail McLaughlin, Jason O’Sullivan, Ame Stevens and Sean Weddel; Officers Andrew Chance, Jody Gillich, Tiffany Gomez Melendez, Matthew Lanman, Timothy Lawlor, LeAndra Watford and Mary Wells; Crime Scene Analysts Michael Furr and Corey Morrell; and Crime Analysts Gretchen Gebhardt and Bobbi Luciani received Investigative Merit Awards.

Fourteen police officers received Law Enforcement Commendation Medals by the George Washington chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution (SAR). They are:  Sergeant Richard Toke, Master Police Officers Robert Gudaitis and George Kimball, and Officers Justice Agyare, Jason Byrne, Brian Centifonti, Samuel Harman, Briana Huber, Stephen Kuhn, Scott McBride, Michael Miller, Abigail Pollard, Brittany Turner and Jason Weber.

The Greater Prince William Crisis Intervention Team was named CIT program of the year by VACIT. The Team is comprised of employees of the Prince William County Police Department – 311 members, currently – as well as employees of the Manassas City Police Department, the Prince William Adult Detention Center, the Virginia State Police and probation and parole. This award celebrates a Virginia CIT program that upholds a strong commitment to developing and nurturing a strong CIT program.