Youngstown officers get awards for outstanding work

YOUNGSTOWN

Police Chief Robin Lees says he wants his officers to be proactive and the majority of those who received awards Thursday at the annual departmental awards ceremony were rewarded for doing that.

Officers received awards for meritorious service, excellent duty, investigative work, life saving, as well as letters of commendation.

Victoria Turnage-Allen was also awarded the department’s Community Service Award.

Three of the officers who received the Excellent Duty Award – Mohammad Awad, Brad Ditullio and Joseph Moran – were honored for consistent high performance daily throughout the year.

Awad garnered several awards ,including the Firearm Reduction Award, given to officers who seize a minimum of five guns per year.

Awad said his success in securing weapons comes through traffic stops. He said his goal every day he is on the street is to find an illegal gun.

The leader in the department for seizing guns in 2014 is Officer George Anderson, who got 10 working a beat, primarily on the North Side.

Read more about the event in Friday's Vindicator or on Vindy.com.