14 Northampton police officers and 2 civilians will be presented awards by Police Chief Russell Sienkiewicz.
NORTHAMPTON - The City Council plans to recognize more than a dozen law enforcement officers for community service and individual deeds at Thursday night’s meeting in Council Chambers.
Fourteen Northampton police officers and two civilians will be presented awards by Chief Russell P. Sienkiewicz at the council session. Several pertain to incidents last year.
On July 11, police officer Sean Casella removed a distraught man from the railing of the Coolidge Bridge, an act that earned him the lifesaving award. Former Northwestern Assistant District Attorney Michael A. Cahillane, who assisted Casella, will receive a civilian service award.
On July 12, officers John Lopez and Gilberto Jimenez talked a young man who had armed himself with a knife into laying down his weapon. They will each receive exceptional service awards.
Sgt. John Cartledge and officers Michael Briggs, Thomas Briotta, Patrick Moody, Steve Digiammo and Dennis Liptak will receive unit citation awards for their work on August 13 of last year in which a man making suicide threats barricaded himself and shot himself in the head with a pellet gun.
On Oct. 11, detectives Corey Robinson and Tim Satkowski and Officer Donald Nichols helped uncover a methamphetamine lab on Bridge Street. For that they will receive exceptional service awards.
Detective. Lt. Kenneth Watson was on his way to work on Feb. 12, 2010, when he saw a woman near a gas station on Pleasant Street set herself on fire. Watson was able to get the woman timely medical attention. Sienkiewicz will give him a letter of commendation for his actions that day.
Police officer Victor Caputo, who is due to be promoted to sergeant, will receive an exceptional service award for his continuing work mapping the Meadows and other community service. Caputo also works with several neighborhood groups.
In addition to Cahillane, Salvatore Giammarino, a cell monitor, will receive a civilian service award for his actions ion Nov. 16, 2010, in which he prevented a prisoner from hanging himself in the police station cell block.
