Officer Chris Hattaway Honored as Cocoa Police Department Officer of the Year
By Yvonne Martinez, Public Information Officer // March 8, 2019
Civilian Employee of the Year was presented to Michelle Crenshaw
BREVARD COUNTY • COCOA, FLORIDA – Civilians and police officers were honored for heroic acts and outstanding service to the community during the Cocoa Police Department’s Annual Awards presentation.
Chief Mike Cantaloupe and members of the police department command staff were joined by members of council and city leadership to recognize selfless acts by private citizens to help others, outstanding job performance by police officers and civilian employees, life-saving acts and meritorious service during 2018.
The 2018 Officer of the year award was presented to Officer Chris Hattaway.
“Officer Hattaway represents the very best in law enforcement and the best of the best within the Cocoa Police Department,” said Chief Mike Cantaloupe.
“He is more than deserving of this recognition.”
In 2018, Hattaway consistently went above and beyond in everything he did. His efforts brought national acclaim to the agency through his work with K9 Copper, who won the American Kennel Club’s Award for Canine Excellence.
The award was presented before a national audience at the AKC event in Orlando.
Hattaway’s passion for his work was made most evident when he brought the idea of the Space Coast Police K9 Competition to Cocoa. He put a team together and made the idea a reality with just over 6 months of planning.
The event brought more than 20 police K9 teams from around the state of Florida, not only to compete but to showcase the critical role of police K9’s in public safety and officer safety.
In 2018, Hattaway played a significant role in successfully negotiating a new PBA contract that brought the Cocoa Police Department up to the level of other agencies when it comes to salaries and benefits.
Officer Hattaway embodies the role of problem-solving policing.
“He does not hesitate to help citizens in need and has on many occasions invested his own money to help others in need. One noteworthy occasion Officer Hattaway purchased a hotel room for several nights for a family with a severely handicapped child in Cocoa. Officer Hattaway leveled resources to help this family with food and basic daily essentials.”
He played a major role in supporting the programs and fundraising efforts of Cocoa Community First and always responded positively when called upon.
Hattaway is a mentor and role model to new officers entering the field.
The 2018 Civilian Employee of the Year was presented to Michelle Crenshaw, the police department’s property and evidence clerk.
In 2018 she managed more than 8,000 pieces of property from old cases and made space in various evidence rooms by properly discarding or destroying old items no longer referenced as valid evidence.
Crenshaw managed to streamline the system of managing all of the department’s property and evidence and enhanced the overall efficiency in this important service area.
Also during 2018, she managed the collection of the department’s Prescription Drug Take back which removed hundreds of pounds of expired, unused or unwanted prescription drugs from the community.
In August, she helped manage the recovery of unwanted firearms in the department’s Kicks for Guns event.
Collectively her efforts have improved the safety of the community through the removal and proper destruction of potentially dangerous drugs and firearms.
“The sheer volume and quality of work she has done is more than commendable,” Chief Cantaloupe said.
“Michelle is a vital part of our overall success as an agency and is a great example of dedication and hard work.”
2018 Award Recipients include:
Certificate of Appreciation:
• Amy Dunegan
• Jose Rodriguez
• Jennifer Riggs
• Rockledge Police Department Sgt. Richard Harris, Corporal Newnham Fleming and Investigator James Clark
Unit Citation:
• Lt. Anthony Marchica
• Officer Brian Delos-Santos
• Officer Robin Viera-Gonzalez
• Officer Christopher Hattaway
• Public Information Officer Yvonne Martinez
• Lt. Jeremy Ondo
• Sgt. Nick Moon
• Officer Christopher Bradshaw
• Officer Patrick Kelly
• Officer Hung “Adam” Phan
• Officer Nicholas Hall
• Officer Ryan Brackin
• Corporal John Picheco
• Officer Jonathan Brady
• Officer Julio-Cesar Gomez
• Officer Matthew Houchens
• Sgt. Mark Rush
• Agent Ben Erskine
• Officer Amanda Torello
• Officer Rock Contardi
• Officer Samir Paulino
• Communications Officer Erin Gutierrez
• Communications Officer Arthur Robinson
• Communications Officer Shadrena Jones
• Communications Officer Darlene Lanza
• Communications Officer Sarah Codding
Meritorious Service Ribbon:
• Officer Luis Hernandez-Martin
• Officer Brandon McIntyre
• Officer Robin Viera-Gonzalez
• Officer Michael Cavalieri
Life-Saving Award:
• Officer Luis Hernandez-Martin
• Officer Xzevies Baez
VCOP of the Quarter:
• Daren Wiggins, 1st Quarter, VCOP of the Year 2018
• Charles McGrath, 3rd Quarter
Employee of the Quarter:
• Communications Officer Erin Gutierrez, 1st Quarter, Communications Officer of the Year
• Wendy Stiteler, 2nd Quarter and 4th Quarter
• Michelle Crenshaw, 3rd Quarter
Officer of the Quarter:
• Detective Ron McCarron, 1st Quarter
• Officer Patrick Kelly, 2nd Quarter
• Officer Hung “Adam” Phan, 3rd Quarter
• Officer Nicholas Hall, 4th Quarter
CLICK HERE FOR BREVARD COUNTY NEWS
