Police Department Employees and Private Citizens Rewarded for Professional Excellence, Heroic Acts, and Actions That Went Above and Beyond While Performing Public Service

These incidents often have successful conclusions either with arrest, or with a clearance that restores calm to people and neighborhoods in need of assistance.

BREVARD COUNTY, COCOA• FLORIDA – More than a dozen Cocoa Police Department employees and private citizens were recognized for professional excellence, heroic acts, and actions that went above and beyond while performing public service to the citizens of Cocoa during 2022.

Chief Evander Collier IV and members of his command staff presented the awards during a special ceremony held at the Cocoa Civic Center Wednesday evening.

Among the awards presented was the 2022 Officer of the Year, which was presented to Officer Bryan Baylis for his professionalism, dedication, and meticulous attention to detail in every case he handles.

Officer Bryan Baylis joined the Cocoa Police Department in February 2021. He is originally from Pocomoke, Maryland.

He earned a bachelor’s degree in sport management from Wingate University. From 2004 to 2006, he played center field for the university’s baseball program. He moved to Florida in 2009.

He spent 12 years working at the Kennedy Space Center as a member of the emergency response team. In 2019, Baylis graduated from the Criminal Justice Academy at Eastern Florida State College. He is the oldest of two boys. He is married with two daughters.

Since joining CPD in 2021, Officer Baylis has become a field training officer and SWAT officer. He has demonstrated excellence in nearly every call for service he handles. In September 2022, Officer Baylis investigated a report involving an alleged armed kidnapping.

The nature of the allegation warranted a thorough investigation in order to arrive at the correct conclusion.

Officer Baylis followed all investigative leads, including obtaining surveillance video that ultimately proved the alleged victim was not being truthful. Officer Baylis subsequently sought criminal charges against the alleged victim for making a false police report. The state’s attorney filed the charges based on the totality of Officer Baylis’ investigation.
In October, Officer Baylis responded to a shots-fired call where he was able to identify a suspect, establish probable cause and make an arrest for attempted murder.

The charges were later filed by the state’s attorney. Another investigation into a theft complaint involving approximately $30,000 worth of jewelry led Officer Baylis to several pawn shops, where he was able to recover some of the stolen jewelry. Officer Baylis was able to obtain an arrest warrant for a female suspect who was later charged with this crime.

In November, Officer Baylis was among the first officers on the scene of a vehicle accident in which the driver had a medical episode and ended up crashing into the river.

There were two occupants in the vehicle. As soon as Officer Baylis arrived, he entered the water and swam a good distance to where the vehicle was partially submerged. The two occupants of the vehicle managed to exit prior to the officer’s arrival.

Officer Baylis went above and beyond to enter the water to make sure everyone was safe.

Whether it’s doing the legwork to resolve a case or rushing to rescue a person in distress, Officer Baylis is dedicated to finding answers. His work ethic is admirable and deserving of recognition.

Communications Officer of the Year, Kathy Dorans, joined the Cocoa Police Department in March 1994. Since she has become a model employee within the police department.

She is currently responsible for assisting with the recruitment, hiring and training of new communications officers. She also serves as a liaison with the fire department.

In 2022, Communications Officer Dorans worked multiple high-stress incidents, including repeated bomb threats at a high school, a fire that forced the evacuation of a neighborhood, several vehicle pursuits, and serious crimes against persons where correctly communicating every detail was of the highest priority.

In February, Communications Officer Dorans was on duty when a series of bomb threats were called in to Cocoa High School. Communications Officer Dorans played a significant role in making sure the appropriate resources were deployed, and proper notifications were made.

The Cocoa Police Department, the Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and the Brevard County School District responded and spent several hours making sure the school was safe.

No explosive devices were located, and the threat was later determined not credible. The investigation was turned over to the FBI after it was learned the calls originated from outside our jurisdiction.

In September, she managed the call involving a fire that turned out to be an hours-long scene involving potential explosives found at the property where the fire began. Communications Officer Dorans’ attention to detail made the difference in successfully getting the appropriate resources deployed.

This includes military ordnance teams, along with state and local resources, to make sure the scene was safe to allow residents back into their homes as expediently as possible.

In another case involving an armed robbery, Communications Officer Dorans provided essential communications to responding officers where there were multiple witnesses, vehicles and potential suspects. The case ended with the arrest of a suspect who was charged with armed robbery, aggravated battery and grand theft.

In every call that is handled, Communications Officer Dorans performs at the highest level of professionalism. Because of this, she delivers positive results to officers with active investigations.

These incidents often have successful conclusions, either with arrest or with a clearance that restores calm to people and neighborhoods in need of assistance. Communications Officer Kathy Dorans is a true professional, an expert in her field, and worthy of recognition.

Employee of the Year, Sandra Madison. Sandra Madison is the lead records technician. She works daily to ensure there is a collaborative effort between the records department and the rest of the police department.

She regularly seeks opportunities to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of her department by sending weekly messages to supervisors and command officers reminding them of any pending reports in need of supervisory attention.

Sandra has identified many issues in need of improvement of the records department, to include report completion accountability for officers. Sandra has gained leadership skills, has grown as a supervisor and has improved the overall accounting of the records division.

Other award categories and recipients are as follows

■ Certificates of Appreciation: Brian Lober, Lisa Allawas, Barbara Matthews, Cpl. Ralph Perrone, Vincent Buonocore, Charlie Perrone, John Verdi, Ronald Moore, Henry Jones, Michael Blake, Sean Johnson, Gabiella Gayle.

■ Unit Citation Ribbons: Sgt. Willie Stephenson, Cpl. Gabriel Tullier, Officer Cierra Johnson, Detective Salvatore Fogu, Officer James Salley, Officer Eric Cronin, Officer Christopher Hattaway, Officer Brian Delos Santos, Officer Eric Myny, Officer Rafael Benitez-Sifontes, Officer Edward Hartzell, Detective Chistopher Zuniga, Crime Scene Technician Antonia Soto, Communications Officer Lynn Conley, Officer Bryan Baylis, Communications Officer James Supinksi, Sgt. John Picheco, Commander Anthony Marchica, Lt. Robert Bobay, Sgt. Benjamin Erskine, Detective Michael Cox, Detective Oscar Pimentel, Officer Amanda Torello, Officer Donald Tabor, Officer Christian Lind, Communications Officer Kathleen Dorans, Communications Officer Brittany Perdieu, Communications Officer Shadrena Jones, Dalaity Henson, Detective Sayge Gray, Officer Trevor Denham, Officer Kyle McNamara, Officer Jonathan Medina, Officer Ellison Gaulding, Communications Officer Erin Gutierrez, Sgt. Anthony Colombo, Officer Josh Roane, Officer Edward Hartzell, Communications Officer Michelle Perry, Communications Officer Sharla Freel.

■ Meritorious Service Ribbon: Officer Joshua Roane, Officer Clyde Hilliard III, Sgt. John Picheco, Sgt. Willie Stephenson, Sgt. Nick Moon, Sgt. Jeff Taylor, Officer Theodoros Yakarys.

■ Injury Medal: Officer Trevor Denha

■ Life Saving Ribbon: Officer Isaac Dean

■ VCOP of the 1st Quarter: Andy Clay

■ VCOP of the 4th Quarter: Marci Davis

■ Employee of the 1st Quarter: Justin Arche

■ Employee of the 2nd Quarter: Sandra Madison

■ Employee of the 3rd Quarter: Code Officer Augusto Gonzalez-Ruiz

■ Employee of the 4th Quarter: Joanna Tabor

■ Communications Officer of the 1st Quarter: Lynn Conley

■ Communications Officer of the 2nd Quarter: Kathleen Dorans and Kristin Sanders

■ Communications Officer of the 3rd Quarter: Kathleen Dorans

■ Communications Officer of the 4th Quarter: Tabatha Allen

■ Officer of the 1st Quarter: Detective Salvatore Fogu

■ Officer of the 2nd Quarter: Officer Cierra Johnson

■ Officer of the 3rd Quarter: Officer Rafael Benitez-Sifontes

■ Officer of the 4th Quarter: Officer Bryan Baylis

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