September 12, 2023
The South Burlington Police Department presented the following awards at its Awards Event on August 27th, 2023 at the Delta Hotel. The event included a keynote address given by State Treasurer Mike Pieciak and honored guests from the City Council and South Burlington Rotary Club.
The Medal of Honor was awarded to Sergeant Greg Short and (Former) Officer Aaron Dince for their actions during the response to the 2021 shooting at the University Mall.
The Life Saving Award was presented to Officer Emily Graham, Sgt. Matt Plunkett, and (Retired) Lt. Shawn Demore for their life saving efforts in 2021 on Ethan Allen Drive.
The Meritorious Service Award was presented to the following employees:
- Chris Bataille, Det. Tanner Palermo, and Dispatcher Lena Hegenauer for their actions during the response to the 2021 shooting at the University Mall.
- Kevin Grealis for his investigation into a 2021 attempted murder.
- Mike DeFiore for his role in the investigation of the Dejuan Williams drug trafficking organization.
- Greg Short, Cpl. Ken Soffen, Cpl. Darren Beers, Det. Tanner Palermo, and Dispatcher Jasmine O’Dea for their response to a 2022 homicide.
- (Former) Det. Sarah Superneau for her investigation into a 2022 attempted abduction.
- Pat Mulcahy for his consistently high performance as a leader in the organization.
- Chris Bataille, Sgt. Gerry Eno, and Det. Tanner Palermo for their role in the Clegg murder investigation.
The Distinguished Service Award was presented to the following employees:
- Mark Redmond, Det. Marty Maloney, Officer Aaron Schwartz, and (Former) Officer Aaron Dince for their standard of excellence related to the Department’s commitment to ICAT / de-escalation tactics.
- Dan Boyer for his exceptional service at CUSI.
The Service Above Self Award was presented to the following employees:
- Brianne Williamson for her work in the community as a Police Officer, SRO, and with the Special Olympics. Also highlighted – Cpl. Williamson’s efforts to build and maintain very effective and positive relationships with the youth of South Burlington.
- Katie Newell for her work with the survivor population she serves not only here in South Burlington but across the State of Vermont.
The Traffic Safety Award was presented to the following employees:
- Officer Aaron Schwartz
- Officer Cody Wilson
- Officer Alex Lasker
The following employees were recognized for years of service milestones:
- 5 Years: Emily Graham, Katie Newell, Vina Yergeau
- 10 Years: Lt. Chris Bataille, Sgt. Mike DeFiore, Dispatcher Michele Shepard, Sgt. Sean Pope
- 15 Years: Sgt. Matt Plunkett and Dispatcher Moira Adams
"Congratulations to the award recipients and a special thanks to all of our employees – South Burlington is served by the finest police agency in the State of Vermont."
~ Shawn P. Burke, Chief of Police
.jpg)