Front Royal police announce awards

View larger image Three top awards were given out by the Front Royal Police Department recently. Winners are, from left, William H. Lawson II, officer of the year; Kathie T. Scott, civilian employee of the year, and Robert "Bob" Alls, citizen of the year. Courtesy photo

Front Royal police have selected the winners of the department's 2010 officer of the year, civilian employee of the year and citizen of the year awards.

From a press release issued by the department:

FRONT ROYAL POLICE ANNOUNCE TOP AWARDS

Front Royal Police Chief Richard H. Furr has announced three top awards recently given by the department. "Each year, we ask our staff to submit their selection for Officer of the Year, Civilian Employee of the Year, and Citizen of the Year. We feel that that these awards are significant as the winners are chosen by their peers, those who work side by side with these individuals," stated Chief Furr.

The recipients for 2010 are:

OFFICER OF THE YEAR: WILLIAM H. LAWSON, II

Officer Lawson was employed by the Front Royal Police Department on April 19, 2006. He is currently assigned to the Patrol Division. In addition to his normal patrol duties, Officer Lawson is also responsible for training new officers when they graduate from the police academy. He is one of the highest producing officers in arrests and was recognized for the number of DUI and speeding arrests he made in 2009. Officer Lawson was recently described as an officer who "is able to talk to people and shows genuine concern for their current problems. He believes in the aspect of solving the problem the first time and is willing to take a little more time with an individual to come up with a solution.

CIVILIAN EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR: KATHIE T. SCOTT

Kathie Scott was employed by the Front Royal Police Department on March 12, 2001 as a police dispatcher. She was promoted to the position of Chief Dispatcher on June 30, 2010. Her current duties include supervision of the department's dispatch staff and the overall operation of the Dispatch Division. She is responsible for the submission of department date to the Virginia State Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Kathie is also responsible for training new dispatchers when they graduate from the police academy. "Chief Dispatcher Scott is an important link in my senior staff," stated Chief Furr.

CITIZEN OF THE YEAR: ROBERT "BOB" ALLS

Robert "Bob" Alls joined the Front Royal Police Department's "Volunteers In Police Services" (V.I.P.S.) in March 2008 and has put in over 800 hours of volunteer service since he started. Bob has been acting as assistant Volunteer Coordinator since 2010 due his organizational skills and ability to design and prepare spreadsheets.

Throughout his service Bob has assisted with barricades and parades, set up and take down of events, children's fingerprinting, bike rodeos, VIN etching, Shred It, Tradefest, Slow Down in our Town campaign, open house, DARE day, Citizen's Police Academy, back to school events, working with Investigations to log in and organize evidence, Role Playing at the Academy, National Night Out, and voluntary breath tests at Dancin' Downtown and the Wine Festival events. Most recently he has spent many hours walking Main Street performing a "foot patrol". This has involved walking up and down
Main Street during peak hours of the day with a partner keeping an eye out for any trouble. The sole purpose is to be an extra set of eyes for the Police Department. The volunteers do nothing more than contact the Police Department for an Officer if they see an issue that needs attention. Bob has met with and talked to every business owner on Main Street to discuss their issues and concerns as well as business owners throughout the Town. Bob and his walking partner, Bill Nethers, have gone throughout the Town in recent months to update business emergency contact information to ensure that the Police
Department has current information.

Bob has been involved with all meals for the Officers since the beginning of his tenure including scheduling and organizing the same. He has been preparing spreadsheets to track all volunteers for a couple years to track work performed and hours. He has been invaluable in supporting the VIPS Coordinator and the Crime Prevention Specialist in organizing, scheduling and handling all events. He has assisted in cleaning out the storage room at the PD and moving things to the new storage room. He always provides his truck to help haul items or every event we participate in. Has been in the Christmas
parade himself, representing VIPS, Chief's Advisory Board and the Police Foundation for two years.

Being "in the parade" also involves coordinating volunteers and decorating the truck.
Bob is also on the Board of Directors of the Front Royal Police Foundation. He assisted with the Foundation's first Golf Tournament, which was held to raise money to purchase a vehicle for the department's K-9 Division. Bob is also a member of the Chief's Citizen's Advisory Board and has brought invaluable information to the attention of the Board and the Department regarding concerns of the citizens of the Town.