Last weekend the Colton Police Department, under the leadership of Acting Chief Tim Heusterberg, took a well-deserved pause from their daily duties to recognize ten individuals for their outstanding service to the Department, and to the City of Colton. Dozens of families, friends, supporters and city staff members attended the annual event which was held at the Colton First Assembly of God Church. After the ceremony a reception was held in the Fellowship Hall.
The men and women who were recognized are not only “hometown heroes” for protecting our streets, neighborhoods and facilities, they are also citizens, residents, spouses, parents, and even sons and daughters to our older population. They have a difficult job and put their life, and well-being on the line each and every day. Their goal is “to serve and to protect,” says Chief Heusterberg, who along with Sgt. Jason Hanna, did not hesitate to mention specific accomplishments and heroic actions taken by these individuals.
In addition to the Police Officer awards listed below, Bill Harring was recognized for his 25 years of Citizen Volunteer service to the Colton Police Department and Meritorious Service Awards were presented to retired Chief Hank Dominguez, Corporal Chad Ward, and Officer Simon Holding. Two special commendations were made by Acting Chief Heusterberg to Officer Nilda Campos, for her work on special projects and to Chad Markley, for his work on Information Technology.
The event was well-attended and included an opening welcome by Acting Chief Heusterberg, an Invocation by Chaplain Eric Strutz, the Pledge of Allegiance by Lieutenant Greg Castillo, and the Presentation of Colors by the Colton Police Department Honor Guard.
The award presentations were announced by Sergeant Jason Hanna, and presented by Acting Chief Heusterberg and Lieutenant Greg Castillo. The award recipients were;
Cadet Sara Zaragoza; Professional Staff Employee of the Year 2023 For outstanding service as a Cadet assigned to the Records Division of the Colton Police Department, Sara Zaragoza has been selected as Professional Staff of the Year for 2023. Sara has gone above and beyond over the past year with handling phone calls for service, assisting fleet services with vehicle maintenance, and helping with community events. Additionally, Sara has spent the last year entering RIPA paper data into the DOJ website, which is an essential function for the Department ensuring the Department remains current with the Department of Justice. Her dedication to service brings great credit upon herself and the Colton Police Department.
Senior Police Dispatcher Martha Garcia; Dispatcher of the Year Over the past year Dispatcher Martha Garcia has been an essential member of our dispatch team. When the Sheriff’s Department had a data breech, which affected the CLETS system, Martha thought of the wonderful concept of using an agency outside of our county that we could turn to during a future CLETS outage. As a Communications Training Officer, she has trained two recently hired dispatchers. She attended the communications supervisor’s course and has implemented her supervising style within the dispatch center. In August she was instrumental during a 56-minute vehicle pursuit, where she notified surrounding agencies and kept the Sheriff’s Helicopter Flight Crew updated. Please join me in honoring Martha as the Colton Police Department Dispatcher of the Year for 2023.
Officer David Perez; Officer of the Year For outstanding service as a Police Officer Assigned to the Patrol Division of the Colton Police Department, Police Officer David Perez has been selected as Officer of the Year for 2023. During the year, Officer Perez was assigned as an Officer for Platoons Three. Throughout the year, Officer Perez made 64 arrests, including 11 firearms/weapons related arrests and 25 drug/alcohol related arrests. He also completed 188 reports. Officer Perez’s dedication and hard work brings great credit upon himself, and the Colton Police Department.
Bill Harring; Volunteer of the Year The Colton Police Department is honored to announce Bill Harring as the Citizen Volunteer of the Year for 2023. Bill is one of the original members of our Citizen Volunteer Program. He has dedicated countless hours to both the Department and our community. Bill is an instrumental member of the program, has been relied upon to assist with community events, and has a strong desire to keep our community safe. This year’s Citizen Volunteer is being recognized for his dedication and selflessness, not only to the Colton Police Department, but to the Citizens of Colton.
Officer Jonathan Villalobos; MADD Award (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Each year Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) honors those law enforcement officials for their continuous efforts in impaired driving enforcement. For 2023 the Colton Police Department Nominated Officer Jonathan Villalobos for his extraordinary efforts at combating impaired driving. During 2023 the Colton Police Department made 74 arrests related to Driving under the Influence. Jonathan made 26 of those arrests. Thank you, Jonathan, for all your efforts in holding impaired drivers accountable.
Chief Henry Dominguez (Ret); Meritorious Service Awards
Corporal Chad Ward (Ret); Meritorious Service Awards
Officer Simon Holding (Ret); Meritorious Service Awards
Officer Nilda Campos; Chief’s Commendation During the past year Officer Nilda Campos has exceeded her job expectations having tackled several special projects in addition to her duties as a school resource officer. Those projects include helping to facilitate National Night Out, Stuff a SWAT Truck toy drive, Coffee with a Cop, Operation Giving at ARMC, and Shop-With-A-Cop. Each of these events help to provide positive community engagement. Additionally, Nilda is a member of the Media Relations Team, responsible for maintaining our many social media accounts. The Colton Police Department would like to recognize Nilda for all her hard work and dedication by presenting her with the Chiefs Commendation. Thank you, Nilda, for all that you have done and continue to do!
Chad Markley; Chief’s Commendation For appreciation for all his time and effort in assisting the Colton Police Department with its Information Technology needs during the 2023 year, we are honored to present Chad Markley with the Chief’s Commendation. Chad, your assistance was greatly appreciated and did not go unnoticed. We thank you for all that you have done!
We are certainly proud to recognize all of our employees in the Police Department and we would like to congratulate the members who were presented with these special awards. We sure have great employees who do a great job and care about our city. For more information about CITY TALK, various community groups, City of Colton history, the trash clean-up project, the G-Team, prayer list, history briefs, Veteran Spotlight, Church Spotlight, business spotlight, U.S Flag watch, neighborhood meetings, community projects and events, or the online live-stream programs, text or call Dr. G @ 909-213-3730. Questions and comments are always welcome.