LYNNWOOD, Wash., December 19, 2022—Lynnwood Police Chief James Nelson presented annual awards to 12 Lynnwood PD officers and staff members at Lynnwood’s City Council meeting last Monday. One-by-one, awardees were called to the podium where Chief Nelson read their accomplishments written by their peers and presented each with their respective award.
Clerk of the Year: Morgan Cole
Morgan Cole, Clerk of the Year, was unable to attend but Lynnwood Police Chief Jim Nelson spoke on her behalf why she was being recognized.
“Morgan has been an incredible wealth of knowledge and a great enthusiasm for continued learning that goes beyond her work as a recording clerk,” Chief Jim Nelson said at Monday’s meeting.
Nelson continued that Cole is a conscientious and considerate team player, sharing her information with others and being concise and thorough with her customers. Additionally, Nelson noted she she is kind, helpful, professional, and easy to work with.
Custody Officer of the Year: Chelsie Martinez
Chief Nelson then invited Chelsie Martinez to the podium to receive the award for Custody Officer of the Year.
Martinez was hired to the force in 2018 and has been helpful, thorough, patient, vigilant, and courteous in her role since, Nelson stated. Nelson continued she is skilled, a team player, knowledgeable, and brings great energy and commitment to her position.
“I have always appreciated Martinez’s response to my questions as she attends to her duties and does what needs to be done,” a comment from a peer, read by Chief Nelson, said. “Great communicator and collaborator.”
Officer of the Year: Matthew Saul
Officer Matt Saul was also unable to attend Monday’s meeting but was still honored as the 2022 Officer of the Year in his absence.
Saul was hired in 2019 as a lateral Police Officer hire from Seattle PD. Nelson read a comment from Saul’s peer that stated he “embodies everything a great Officer should be; positive attitude, great working relationship within the department as well as other agencies, hard worker, trustworthy, and a great communicator. The city of Lynnwood is fortunate to have Officer Saul patrolling the city limits.”
Nelson read another comment by Officer Saul’s peer that read he is an “inspiration to work with. He works hard constantly from the start of his shift to the end.” Officer Saul was also recognized for his study of case law, which he shares with his peers, and being detail oriented.
Rookie of the Year: Brooke Silveira
Brooke Silveira was hired to the force in 2021 and is being honored as 2022’s Rookie of the Year for having acute attention to detail when following procedures. She is an incredible writer and is clear, and detailed, in her reports, her peers stated.
Silveira’s peers also stated she has a great work ethic and is enthusiastic about her job.
One peer’s comment read “can we please just clone Brooke? She is the only choice.”
After Chief Nelson read Silveira’s peer’s comments he noted that a Detective approached him and said, out of all of the new officers, Silveira would constantly ask Detectives about her cases, how she could do better.
“It’s that type of effort, going above and beyond that I think exemplifies Silveira,” said Chief Nelson. “I’m happy to see you got this award.”
Staff Person of the Year: Robyn Carey
Chief Nelson then called up Robyn Carey, Staff Person of the Year, to receive her award. Carey is the Lynnwood PD’s Administration Assistant who’s peers said she is the “heart of the department.”
After reading some of Carey’s peer’s comments, Chief Nelson joked that Carey is the one who “actually runs the department”- who tells him where he’s supposed, when he’s supposed to be there, and who he’s supposed to be talking to.
Supervisor of the Year: Zac Olesen
Sgt. Zac Oleson, honored as the Lynnwood PD 2022 Supervisor of the Year, was then called to the podium before Chief Nelson began reading his peer’s comments.
“The Department’s hardest working, most honest, and most intense supervisor,” one comment read.
Sgt. Olesen acts as the departments training sergeant and sets a fine example for new hires, another comment read, and has a strong moral compass as supervisor.
“Sergeant Oleson is an amazing leader. He is humble, thoughtful, and he cares so much for the people within his department. His leadership qualities extend that beyond training and has focused so much on bringing balance and wellness to our department,” Chief Nelson read of one of Sgt. Olesen’s peers.
Tenure Awards: Robert Robeson, 25 Years of Service
Robert Robeson, from the Lynnwood Jail, was honored with a tenure award for 25 years of dedicated service. Robeson has provided great leadership over the years, Chief Nelson stated, and will continue to provide great leadership as the department moves forward with their new jail program.
Chief Nelson continued that Sgt. Robeson has been a “superb” jail sergeant and a loyal case for the last 25 years. Unfortunately, Sgt. Robeson was unable to attend Monday’ meeting.
Core Value Awards: Tyler Gaskin, Matthew Saul, and Tiffany Krusey
The Core Values Awards are awarded to Lynnwood PD staff who demonstrate the department’s mission statement values.
“We believe in provided our community with a department built on following foundational values,” Chief Nelson said.
The mission of the Lynnwood Police Department is to provide proactive, competent, effective public safety services to all persons, with the highest regard for human dignity through efficient and professional law enforcement and crime prevention practices.
The department’s Core Values that help support this mission are:
- Professionalism: Committed to professional development while providing ethical, proficient, and respectful service.
- Vigilance: Keeping the community safe through proactive and tenacious pursuit of violators of the law.
- Community: Cultivating positive interactions by fostering trust; and partnering with our community to create a high quality of life.
The Core Value Awards are separated into these three categories, awarding one staff member for each. Tyler Gaskin was awarded the Core Value Award for Professionalism, Matthew Saul received his second award of the evening for Vigilance, and Tiffany Krusey was awarded for the Community Core Value Award. Officer Saul was also awarded the Vigilance Core Value Award for 2021.
Chief’s Award: Sgt Justin Gann and Officer Aggie Barnwell
Concluding the ceremony, the Chief’s Award, which is an individual award Chief Nelson chooses, was awarded for to two awardees for the first time since the Chief assumed his position. Both Sgt. Justin Gann and Officer Aggie Barnwell.
Chief Nelson reminded the audience of the staffing shortages the department has been faced with since 2020. It was thanks to Sgt Justin Gann and Officer Aggie Barnwell, he said, that led to streamlining the hiring of 27 new police department employees since 2020.
“That’s organizational change in real time,” Chief Nelson said. “And these two are directly responsible for that. I’m very, very, happy and it’s my pleasure to award them the Chief’s Award.”
Following the ceremony, Chief Nelson thanked council for their continued support and lined up in council chambers for a commemorative photo.
Author: Kienan Briscoe
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