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Updated 11:15am - May 22, 2013
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Honors for our officers
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 Members of the Police Explorers open the Tuesday night event at which 46 awards were made by seven agencies. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson The Law Enforcement Administrators of Del Norte County hosted the annual ceremony, and 46 awards were handed out by seven agencies. The late sheriff’s Deputy Harold Esparza was the first person to be recognized and was given two awards in memoriam: a service award by Sheriff Dean Wilson and a lifetime achievement award from District Attorney Jon Alexander. Esparza became a sheriff’s deputy in 1994 and worked in various capacities as a jail correctional officer, D.A.R.E officer and a bailiff until his death last year. He was also a volunteer for the Del Norte Search and Rescue Team for 12 years and a volunteer firefighter for the Crescent Fire Protection District for 15 years. “He was beloved by all of us,” said Wilson, fighting back tears. “He was a very gentle giant.” Crescent City Police Chief Doug Plack honored Yeng Lo with the officer of the year award for his commitment to the community, dependability and courtesy.
Lo is also known for his smile, Plack said. “Officer Lo is always smiling,” said Plack. “He smiles when he’s happy, he smiles when he’s frustrated, he smiles when he’s tired.” Plack drew on an incident Lo helped handle on Harding Avenue last year.
When the man was approached, he became combative and struck Lo in the forehead — leaving a baseball-sized knot — before he was subdued, Plack said. After the arrest, Apperson told Plack what happened and said Lo never lost his composure, the chief said. “The most impressive part, according to Sgt. Apperson, was the fact that Officer Lo never stopped smiling,” said Plack.
Earning the sheriff’s deputy of the year award was Richard Donaldson, who has worked significantly to reduce burglaries in the county, Wilson said. Donaldson responded to 491 calls in 2012, made 201 arrests and worked on 261 cases, Wilson said. Sheriff’s Deputy Seth Cimino recognized fellow Deputy Richard Griffin for his nomination for the Alfred E. Stewart Award from the California Narcotic Officers’ Association — Griffin was one of 24 nominees out of a pool of 99,000 officers in the state, Cimino said. “He’s a wonderful partner of mine and a better friend,” said Cimino. Alexander named Deputy DA Annamarie Padilla prosecutor of the year. “(She’s) never ever one to dodge a jury trial,” said Alexander, adding that she led the office last year with 10 trials.
Bree fought the frigid waters, navigated past rocks and finally got the woman, who was being uncooperative, and swam her back to shore, McNamara said. Throughout the ceremony, various speakers including Wilson and LEADN President Bill Steven — a commander in the Sheriff’s Office — also recognized relatives and friends who support the officers. “We would like to thank you for standing up, enduring and supporting the life of a law enforcement officer,” said Wilson.
California Highway PatrolOfficer of the Year — Thomas Cantrell Probation DepartmentOfficer of the Year — Kalia Lee Technician of the Year — Ramsey Williamson Bar-O Boy’s Ranch Employee of the Year — Murial Kaye Juvenile Hall Supervisor of the Year — Emily Echevarria
 Humane Society Vice President Tana Bachmann hugs the owner of a dog she helped rescue. Del Norte Triplicate / Bryant Anderson |
