Graham PD commends six for meritorious service

Graham’s men and women in blue received six awards for their meritorious service during the year of 2017 at the Graham Police Department’s Christmas party on Thursday, Dec. 14. Officers receiving letters of commendation were Officers Mary Odom and Crystal Noyola and Sergeant Daryl Bell. According to the announcement on Facebook, this award was given due to the work put forth by these three to assist investigators with location and processing video and electronic data in cases. “Because we are a small department, the amount of time it would have taken for Investigators to review video, organize data, or locate businesses and residences that capture video is staggering, but through their efforts they contributed to reducing investigative workloads and discovering key pieces of evidence that led to the identification and prosecution of several offenders in our community,” the post said. “Through their hard work, a lot of which they chose to do on their own time, our community is a safer place, and we could not have accomplished everything we have this year without the work of these individuals.” Along with the letters of commendations given, three Life-Saving Awards were presented to Officer Holly Ferguson and Josh Hufstedler and Sergeant Pedro Marrufo. These awards were given to the three for interrupting a suicide attempt in November. “The suspect had already assaulted a family member, and when located, was armed with a knife and had already cut themselves and written a suicide note. These officers observed this subject’s conduct escalate as they tried to talk them into dropping the knife,” the post said. “When talking did not work, and the subject became more combative, they risked their lives to physically disarm the individual and take them into custody. No one was injured and the subject was arrested without further injury.” The post went on to say that it is important to recognize the accomplishments of Graham officers, especially in a time when social media can skew the validity of a story. “What they do choose to do is deal with everyone in a professional and impartial manner, placing their own lives on the line to protect people they don’t know and may never meet again,” the post said. The Graham Police Department in 2017 has had 830 reported cases and cleared a total of 819 according to a report given by Graham Police Chief Tony Widner at the Dec. 14 Graham City Council meeting.