Cobb Reporter

The Cobb Chamber honored Cobb County’s finest Monday, October 3, during its annual Public Safety Appreciation Breakfast, presented by Marquee Sponsor Superior Plumbing, and Program Sponsors Cobb EMC and Wellstar at the Coca-Cola Roxy. The event kicked off Public Safety Appreciation Week, a community-wide effort to say “thank you” to the men and women who work tirelessly to keep Cobb County safe.

Randy Crider, Cobb Chamber Public Safety Chairman & Cobb County Director of Public Safety, as well as Sheriff Craig Owens, Cobb County Sheriff’s Department, addressed the audience to share messages of appreciation and to communicate how our community can come together to lift up our public safety year-round. Following these messages, awards were presented to public safety agencies from across Cobb County, including police, fire, sheriff’s office, campus police and EMS.

Congratulations to our 2022 Public Safety Award winners:

Public Safety Employee of the Year

This award is given to an employee who has performed his or her job with exceptional skill, exhibited leadership and critical incident management and a devotion to their responsibilities.

Detective Zachary Stannard, Cobb County Police Department

On March 27, 2021, Detective Stannard responded to the murder of a father who was shot numerous times by multiple suspects while he was driving with his 8-year-old daughter in the backseat of their car. This heinous murder was captured on video surveillance which gave Detective Stannard grainy pictures of a white sedan and a black sedan committing the crime. This was the only lead of investigative value collected from the crime scene. By spending countless hours conducting research along with the innovative use of traffic/license plate cameras, not only was he able to identify the suspect vehicles, but he was also able to track them to a location over 700 miles away. His amazing work held three murder suspects accountable for their crimes and brought justice to a grieving family. On November 18, 2021, Detective Stannard responded to the double murder of a Cherokee County firefighter and his wife. The day following the homicide, a Sandy Springs Police Officer was brutally stabbed in the face and neck by a suspect who at the time was not connected to the double murder. The connection of these two cases led to intense media coverage which again added to the stress placed upon Detective Stannard. Detective Stannard worked for days without rest to deliver justice for the family of the deceased. Detective Stannard kept the family updated throughout his investigation and even attended the funeral of the victims. The suspect in this case is currently awaiting trial for these murders. Detective Stannard maintains a fierce devotion to aid the citizens of Cobb County. Long hours and stressful cases can certainly demoralize many in the law enforcement profession. However, he has shown his ongoing desire to serve as the voice of those who cannot speak for themselves, and he provides closure for the families of his victims. Detective Stannard’s dedication, exceptional skill and expertise are what make him the incredible public servant he is to Cobb.

Award of Merit

The Award of Merit recognizes a deserving recipient for acts of courage, demonstrating genuine care and concern for the citizens of the community and going above and beyond the call of duty, often resulting in a life being saved.

Squad 7 & Rescue 23, Cobb County Fire and Emergency Services

Lt. Michael Barnett, FF. Adam Jones, FF. Alan Futch, Engineer Herbert Grimes

On January 11, 2022, Cobb County Fire & Emergency Services crews were called to a home for a reported structure fire. First arriving units were met in the cul-de-sac by the homeowners stating that there was still someone inside the home. When units approached the home the first and second floor were well involved with fire. Fire attack crews began to apply water and quickly gained control of the scene. Additional units arrived on scene including personnel from Squad 7 and were informed by the incident commander of the location of the victim. Members of Squad 7 split up with one crew entering through the front door and a second entering from the back. The homeowner confirmed the exact location of the victim was the 2nd floor bedroom on the back side of the house. When crews entered the home, visibility was zero. FF Futch along with Lt. Barnett and FF Jones located and removed the victim from the second floor to the exterior of the home. Both crew members from Squad 7 and Rescue 23 immediately began patient care on the victim, who was unconscious and not breathing. Crews began CPR and called for the smoke inhalation kit. They then met Puckett EMS and continued care. The scene was intensely stressful for the operating crews. Responding units understood and knew that there was still someone in the home. To operate seamlessly and without any hesitation shows the high level of skill that these members have. It is immeasurable for these members to not only remove the victim but to immediately begin patient care without any hesitation. The crew of Squad 7 and Rescue 23 completed a highly skilled rescue and received the ultimate reward by the victim surviving. Their efforts at the incident directly affected the outcome of this person being able to continue living a fulfilled life.

Distinguished Achievement Award

The Distinguished Achievement Award recognizes an individual whose service and performance has exceeded the demands of the job.

Captain Tim Cameron, Marietta Fire Department

Captain Cameron is an exceptional leader for the Marietta Fire Department (MFD) and the community. He approaches each day and task with a servant heart and continually looks for ways to improve everything around him. Over his 22-year career with the Marietta Fire Department, he has been faced with numerous challenges to which he has faced head on, learning from them and growing both personally and as a leader. Each day, he sets the example and inspires his team to achieve more. Over the last 12 months MFD has been working on building out our new training facility. Captain Cameron wanted to add Hazardous Training Materials props to the training grounds, but budget constraints did not allow. Captain Cameron went to work and reached out to several community partners asking for help. He secured numerous donations of equipment, supplies and training props, which he then spent hours building at the facility. Through his work, the training facility now has a place to not only train firefighters on how to respond to the numerous challenges faced when dealing with hazardous materials, but to also train other agencies as well. Captain Cameron took an idea and overcame the challenge to create a hazardous training area that will serve our community for decades to come. Captain Cameron has given more to our department and our community then anyone could ask for and sets an example for all of us. His positive approach allows him to find a way to make things happen and he never waivers in command. He is a true asset to everyone around him and his achievements will only continue to benefit his team and the community.

Outstanding Community Contribution

The Outstanding Community Contribution Award recognizes an individual who epitomizes what it means to be a community-oriented public servant. This year, the awards committee selected two nominees to recognize.

ECOII Theresa Carcioppolo, Cobb County Department of Emergency Communications

Theresa is a four-year veteran of the Cobb County Department of Emergency Communications (DEC) and currently works as an Emergency Communications Officer II (ECOII). Since being hired at Cobb DEC, ECOII Carcioppolo has been an active member of the C.O.R.E. Team and has focused on educating both children and adults in Cobb County on the 911 industry. In 2021, ECOII Carcioppolo proposed the idea for “Did You Know Fridays,” which produced a weekly series of short videos to educate the community on the resources available to them, how to determine the appropriate instances in which to call 911 and what the primary functions and responsibilities are of a Cobb County DEC call-taker and radio dispatcher. Among the topics of these weekly videos were: Barking dogs, outdoor burning, Cobb County Safety Village, and what to do in an auto or other accident. ECOII Carcioppolo coordinated with other members of Cobb Public Safety to conduct interviews and provide the editing and production for release. To date, this educational video series has released 22 episodes, with many more topics soon to be released. When COVID struck, many of the in-person visits to elementary and middle school career days became virtual events and this did not slow ECOII Carcioppolo down one minute. She quickly went to work to create a video for Cobb County DEC to use at these virtual career days, where students could take a virtual tour and gain insight on what the center looks like and what a typical day for an Emergency Communications Officer is like. ECOII Carcioppolo’s innovative and never-say-never approach to public education in the 911 industry and local community outreach has proven successful, appreciated, and vital to the citizens Cobb County DEC serves.

Officer Sarah Youngblood, Marietta Police Department

In November of 2021, Officer Youngblood came up with the idea to organize a blood drive for first responders and community members. This endeavor was personal for Officer Youngblood, as her sister-in-law’s life was saved by blood donations from strangers. Once she received approval, Officer Youngblood contacted the American Red Cross and arranged a date and time to hold the event. She contacted the Marietta Fire Department, received permission to use at Station 51, and created fliers to publicize the blood drive. The event was held on December 16. Officer Youngblood was hoping to have 20 donors show up, but by the end of the day there were 35 donors, and some were turned away due to lack of means to properly store the blood. Officer Youngblood’s vision, preparation and follow-through helped create this successful, worthwhile to benefit community members in need.

Medal of Valor

The Medal of Valor is the highest award recognizing an individual for an act of bravery in a life-threatening situation. The award is only presented when a deserving candidate is found.

Capt. Jason Holcombe, Powder Springs Police Department

On August 21, 2021, officers from Powder Springs Police Department were looking for a vehicle related to a shooting incident that took place in Holly Springs earlier in the morning. Officers tracked the vehicle and attempted to make a felony stop on the suspect. The vehicle that was blocked by traffic on Brownsville Road from all the police activity. Capt. Holcombe stopped and exited his vehicle and approached the suspect vehicle and began giving verbal commands while putting the driver at gunpoint. The driver of the vehicle began to accelerate and began ramming vehicles to make his escape. Capt. Holcombe was in the path of the suspect vehicle but continued to give verbal commands to the driver as the driver advanced toward him. Capt. Holcombe discharged his weapon twice through the windshield of the vehicle at the driver of the suspect vehicle. The driver was stuck in the wrist but continued to attempt to flee the location. The suspect vehicle was finally stopped by a PIT maneuver performed by Cobb County Police. Once the vehicle came to rest officers were able to continue giving verbal commands to the driver. The driver was taken into custody and medical aid was requested for the driver. Capt. Holcombe keeps abreast of the calls for service and when there is a need for assistance, he is one of the first to get involved. Between September 2021 and March 2022, he investigated several shooting incidents in the City of Powder Springs, two of which involved an AK-47 weapon. Capt. Holcombe has continuously worked these cases, followed every lead, and was able to identify suspects and make an arrest. He is very proactive and willingly assists surrounding agencies with information that has led to several arrest of suspects in other shooting incidents in the metro area.

The 2022 Public Safety Appreciation Breakfast is sponsored by Marquee Sponsor, Superior Plumbing; Platinum Sponsors, Cobb EMC and Wellstar Health System; Awards Sponsor, LoRusso Law Firm; Gold Sponsors, Barrow Wrecker Service and Genuine Parts Company; Silver Sponsors, C.W. Matthews Contracting Co. Inc., The Cooper Firm, GLOCK, Governor’s Gun Club, Kennesaw State University, Marietta Wrecker, MetroAtlanta Ambulance, Operative IQ, Puckett EMS, Six Flags Over Georgia, Verizon, Vinings Bank and Walton Communities; and Patriot Sponsors, Advanced Protective Services, E. Smith Heating & Air Conditioning, Georgia Power, Marietta Family Restaurants, Mauldin & Jenkins and Northside Hospital.

For the latest information on Public Safety Appreciation Week, visit www.cobbchamber.org/publicsafety, or contact Michele Howard at mhoward@cobbchamber.org.

Original source can be found here.