CHAMPS Award - July 2006 Recipients
The Capital Hotels Award Metropolitan Police Service (CHAMPS) Award Luncheon was held July 5, 2006, at the Embassy Suites, Convention Center, at 900 10th Street, NW, in Washington, DC. Sworn members from the following units received awards for their service to the Washington, DC, community. See CHAMPS Award for more information on the awards.
First District
Officer Robert Johnson
Officer Anthony Smith
Officer Frank Bauserman
On Tuesday, December 9, 2005, Officer Anthony Smith, while patrolling the 1500 block of C Street, SE, observed a subject walk into a convenience store upon noticing marked scout cars entering the area. When the subject exited the store, Officer Smith attempted to contact him. The subject quickly got onto a bicycle and began to pedal away, proceeding north through an alley. Officer Smith gave pursuit and broadcast a lookout. At this time, the subject was observed by Officers Robert Johnson and Frank Bauserman, who were working the Power Shift. The officers were able to stop the suspect. His name was run through WALES and revealed that he was wanted for Failure to Appear. The subject was placed under arrest. A search incident to arrest revealed 25 zip-lock bags of crack cocaine. He also had in his possession $150 in US currency. The subject was additionally charged with UCSA Possession with Intent to Distribute Crack Cocaine.
First District
Officer Christopher Reisinger
Officer Christopher Beyer
Officer Thomas Zurowski
Officer Anthony Smith
On Wednesday, November 30, 2005, at approximately 7:10 pm, Officers Christopher Reisinger, Christopher Beyer, Thomas Zurowski and Anthony Smith were working the area of the 700 block of H Street, NE, when they observed a dark-colored Buick Roadmaster traveling eastbound on H Street. The vehicle had extremely dark tinted windows, so the officers activated the emergency equipment and initiated a traffic stop. Due to the lack of visibility inside the vehicle, the officers had the driver roll the windows down. Officer Smith asked the driver for his license and registration, and he complied. Officer Reisinger observed an open bottle of alcohol on the floorboard of the vehicle. The driver was placed under arrest for Possession of an Open Container of Alcohol. A search incident to arrest revealed a black Astra 9 mm. semi-automatic handgun behind the rear seat armrest. The driver was additionally charged with Carrying a Pistol without a License.
First District
Officer Willie Harris
Officer Don Marshall
Officer Winfred Mundle
On February 9, 2006, Officers Willie Harris, Don Marshall and Winfred Mundle were working the evening tour conducting business checks in PSA 106. When officers entered a store at approximately 3:40 pm, Officer Marshall saw a subject looking at a greeting card. He immediately recognized the subject from a prior arrest and an MPDC wanted bulletin. The bulletin indicated that the subject was wanted in connection with a homicide that occurred in Potomac Gardens on February 7, 2006, and had one felony warrant and one misdemeanor warrant outstanding.
Officers Harris, Marshal and Mundle detained the subject without incident. A routine WALES check was performed to confirm his wanted status. He was then placed under arrest and transported for processing.
The capture of this individual was a major break in the Potomac Gardens homicide case under investigation by the Violent Crimes Branch.
Seventh District
Sergeant Joseph Trainor
Sergeant Samuel Roberts
Officer Royce Rowe
Officer Adam Gottesman
On Wednesday, February 1, 2006, at approximately 5:50 pm, Sergeants Samuel Roberts and Joseph Trainor received a radio run for a Burglary One in progress in the 1200 block of Talbert Street, SE. Sergeants Roberts and Trainor arrived on the scene and saw a suspect walking away from Talbert Street, SE.
Sergeant Roberts and Trainor briefly interviewed the suspect before he fled on foot toward Mountview Place, SE. Sergeant Trainor proceeded to pursue the suspect on foot, and Sergeant Roberts pursued the suspect in the scout car. Sergeant Roberts was able to pull the car in front of the fleeing suspect, causing him to run back toward Sergeant Trainor. Sergeant Roberts placed the suspect in handcuffs and patted him down for officer safety. A 9 mm. Ruger handgun containing 13 rounds was recovered from the suspect’s pocket. The suspect was then placed under arrest for Carrying a Pistol Without a License.
Sergeant Trainor conducted a search incident to arrest, and it revealed that the suspect had a clear plastic bag containing 25 small green zip-lock bags containing a white rock-like substance. The white rock-like substance later field tested for cocaine. Sergeants Trainor and Roberts also recovered over $1,000 in US currency from the suspect, which was held for civil forfeiture. Officers Royce Rowe and Adam Gottesman recovered a small clear glass vile containing a liquid substance, which had a strong chemical odor consistent with PCP. The suspect was transported for processing and charged with UCSA PWID Cocaine while Armed.
Special Operations Division
Officer Hogan Samels
On Wednesday, May 3, 2006, Officer Hogan Samels, of the Air Support Unit, was honing his shooting skills for an upcoming qualification shoot. While practicing, Officer Samels noticed a male and female shooting in the lane next to him. Although concentrating on his own firing line, he observed that the couple had a poor grouping of rounds, even though they were shooting from the seven yard line. This immediately raised Officer Samels's suspicion that they were not off-duty police officers or military personnel. Officer Samels continued his course of fire and then prepared to leave the range to report for duty.
The couple also prepared to leave, securing their large-caliber, silver handgun in a carrying case and then walking out of range in front of him. Officer Samels continued to observe the couple as they entered a vehicle in the parking lot and pulled out in front of him to leave. Officer Samels then noted that the vehicle they were occupying bore District of Columbia license plates and turned in a direction toward the city.
Officer Samels could hardly believe what he was seeing when the vehicle continued north on Route 4 and then turned onto the Suitland Parkway toward the Seventh District. Officer Samels realized he needed to take police action and alerted the Seventh District dispatcher to the situation and their location. He was able to maintain a visual on the suspect vehicle undetected.
The dispatcher coordinated units and within moments of crossing the city limits, Seventh District units stopped the suspect vehicle at Suitland Parkway and Stanton Road, SE, and secured the occupants without incident. The male suspect had a .45 caliber semi-automatic pistol on the floorboard at his feet. The female suspect had matching ammunition in her purse. Both suspects were identified on the scene by Officer Samels and were placed under arrest for CPWL and Unregistered Ammunition.
