SALAMANCA — Tina Louise Owens and Dennis Brown, two officers in the Salamanca Police Department, were presented with the annual Valerie E. Edwards Award at the March 22 Common Council meeting.
“When I report to Mr. Edwards about different individuals that are considered for the award, Mr. Edwards decided he wanted to do not one, but two awards for 2016,” said Chief Troy Westfall.
The award is given annually by Al Edwards, a retired Niagara Falls police officer, in memory of his wife. It’s awarded to a former or current Salamanca police officer to recognize their education and service in the police field.
“During my time of employment, we very seldom got any commendations or anything. We just did our job,” Edwards said. “When I moved to Salamanca in 1973, I saw that these police officers who protect us were not getting it either. I decided this is where it’s gotta happen.”
The first recipient, Investigator Tina Louise Owens, investigated a chase of child abuse and child rape with determination, using her excellent knowledge and investigative skills, Westfall said. Her efforts were rewarded by obtaining a conviction of the guilty parties involved.
He said what Owens must have endured was a “roller coaster of emotions.” Undaunted, Owens set her own feelings aside and persisted in the investigation until her job was completed, he added.
“Our children are our most prized, protected and loved part of our lives,” Westfall said. “When such an unimaginable thing occurs to them, it is reassuring to know our police officers and Investigator Owens are on the job.”
The second recipient of the Valerie E. Edwards was presented to Officer Dennis Brown. Brown has an excellent and outstanding work ethic, Westfall said, and sets an example of professionalism as a patrolman in Salamanca, creating contact with and earning respect of many community members.
“Officer Brown spends a lot of his free time helping people who need organ transplants and is a devoted public servant,” he said. “His energy and ambition are above reproach. In four months, he has excelled in the issuance of traffic tickets and arrests.”
Westfall said Brown has been commended for his dedication to duty, excellence in completing his paperwork and first humanitarian efforts in his free time, adding that he is an exceptional officer and that the citizens of Salamanca are honored to have such a man in the police department.
Valerie Edwards, whom the award is named after, worked at the Gowanda Psychiatric Hospital for many years before her death, which was attributed to a brain aneurysm, in 1996.
Al Edwards gives the award in her memory because it was “her wish for everyone to excel and to attain the most education possible so that they might use that education to make the world a better place.”
The award is one of the longest running police recognition ceremonies at the Salamanca Police Department. The first Valerie E. Edwards Award was given to Edwards’ son, Russell, to recognize his completion of state fire department and emergency medical technician training.
The award was given to firefighters for a few years before switching to Salamanca Police officers. A plaque with past winners now hangs in the Salamanca Police Department headquarters.
