Division of Criminal Justice Services

Certificates of Exceptional Valor

2021 Recipients

Nassau County Police Department Sgts. Peter Arigo and Phillip Cuiffo and Officers George Ekstrom and Wieslaw Waszczuk

On April 20, 2021, an individual walked into a Stop & Shop in West Hempstead and began shooting. Officers Waszczuk and Ekstrom were first on the scene and entered the supermarket without hesitation. Witnesses directed the officers to the manager's office where they discovered the three individuals who had been shot, one of them fatally. While assessing the surviving victims for emergency medical treatment, the Officers Waszczuk and Ekstrom obtained a description of the shooter and shared it with their fellow officers; helped medics; and remained in the office to secure the scene. Sgts. Cuiffo and Arigo ensured a strategic response that provided for the safety of everyone directly and indirectly involved with the incident while maintaining the integrity of the crime scene. The individual identified as the suspect was apprehended later the same day in Hempstead and is serving prison sentence of 50 years to life for the crime.

New York Mills Police Officer Michael Firley

On May 16, 2021, multiple agencies were dispatched to a bridge over the Erie Canal after receiving numerous reports of a woman appearing as though she may jump into the water. New York State Trooper Megan Hartmann was first on the scene and found a 27-year-old woman with a chain wrapped around her body and threatening to harm herself. When Officer Firley arrived on scene, he found Trooper Hartmann holding onto the woman, who was hanging over the bridge. Upon the arrival of fire department personnel, Officer Firley and firefighters climbed into an aerial bucket of a firetruck, which was navigated over the water to rescue the woman.

New York City Police Department Detective Anastasios Tsakos

On April 27, 2021, Detective Tsakos responded to assist at the scene of a fatal car crash on the Long Island Expressway, near the entrance to the Clearview Expressway in Queens. He was diverting traffic around the crash when he was struck by a vehicle speeding through the roadblock. The driver who struck Tsakos fled the scene and was later apprehended. An investigation revealed that she was intoxicated and driving with a suspended driver's license. In February 2024, she was sentenced to more than 20 years in prison for the crime.

University of Buffalo University Police Officers Catherine Guzman and Jay Lawrence

Officer Guzman noticed a vehicle had been parked in a lot on the University of Buffalo’s North Campus on Feb. 11, 2021, for about two hours and she and Officer Lawrence went to check on it. Upon arriving on scene, the officers discovered a woman asleep in the back seat of the vehicle with the doors locked and the engine running. Officer Guzman woke the woman, who was agitated and kept the doors locked and would only open her window slightly. Officer Lawrence noticed a bottle of lighter fluid on the front seat of the car, and a strong odor of gasoline emanating from inside of the car. In the back seat, officers also saw scissors, a lighter, and a large bucket that appeared to be filled with gasoline. The woman ignored the officers’ requests to unlock the doors, moved to the driver’s seat and shifted the car into drive. As Officer Guzman grabbed for the keys to gain control of the vehicle, the woman reached into the back seat, dumped the bucket of gasoline onto herself and grabbed the lighter. Officer Lawrence pulled the woman from the vehicle as she tried to activate the lighter but was unable to do so. The woman was successfully restrained until an ambulance arrived. She was treated at a local hospital and eventually, returned home under the care of her family.

2020 Recipients

Genesee County Sheriff’s Office Sgt. Andrew Hale, Investigator Christopher
Parker and Deputies Joshua Brabon, Brock Cummins, Kyle Krzemien, David Moore, Andrew Mullen and Howard Wilson

LeRoy Police Department Sgt. Gregory Kellogg and Officers Austin Steinbrenner and Jordan Wolcott

Livingston County Sheriffs’ Office Undersheriff Matthew D. Bean

On May 27, Officer Jordan Wolcott stopped a tractor trailer for speeding in LeRoy. With the officer on the running board of the rig., the driver fled. Wolcott jumped off, returned to his patrol car and followed the tractor trailer with backup from other agencies. The fleeing driver swerved into oncoming traffic, reached speeds in excess of 70 mph, forced other cars off the road and struck patrol cars as officers attempted to stop him with spike strips and roadblocks. With the trailer still moving, the driver pulled out a gun and fired multiple rounds, striking four vehicles, with one bullet landing in the headrest of a deputy who momentarily leaned away from his seat. Officers returned fire, fatally wounding the driver and the tractor trailer finally came to a stop. An investigation revealed that the driver was on the FBI watch list and had bomb making instructions, improvised explosive devices, multiple weapons and large amounts of ammunition in his home.

Nassau County Police Department Officers Daniel Cioni, Michael Coscino and Kenneth Mundy

On April 19, Officers Mundy, Coscino and Cioni responded to a fire and saw heavy smoke coming from a third-floor apartment, where a woman was trapped and hanging out of the window. Coscino and Cioni ran to the apartment and forced their way inside but were turned back by heavy smoke that filled their lungs and eyes. Mundy remained below the window and the victim with Mundy breaking her fall and preventing her from sustaining more serious injuries.

New York State Police Investigators Michael C. Grogan and Brandon M. Levanduski

On December 4, Investigators Grogan and Levanduski, along with other members of the Violent Felony Warrant Squad assigned to the U.S. Marshals New York/New Jersey Regional Fugitive Task Force, went to a Bronx apartment to locate an individual wanted in connection with the shooting of a Massachusetts State Trooper. A tenant allowed them to enter the home. The individual emerged from a back bedroom and shot and wounded two Deputy U.S. Marshals. Grogan immediately returned fire, while Levanduski grabbed one of the deputies who was shot, dragging him to safety where he could receive emergency medical care.

Rosendale Town Police Department Officer Nicholas Lent

On July 26, Lent, a field training officer, and Garrett Lapp, a new recruit, responded to a 9-1-1 call for an overdose. When they arrived at the home, a man tried to stop them from tending to the victim, first by slamming the door, then by punching Lent in the jaw. As the officers struggled to take the man into custody, a second man approached with a handgun, pointing it at the officers until it was at point-blank range, near Lent’s head. Lent was able to point the gun away while Lapp handcuffed the first individual. The officers took the second individual into custody, and no one was seriously hurt during the incident.

University at Buffalo Police Lt. Christopher Kerr

On January 4, Lt. Kerr was on patrol when he received information that the Amherst Police Department was looking for a man who was armed and suicidal and believed to be near the VA Hospital across from the University at Buffalo South Campus. As he went to notify the officer on duty at the hospital of the situation, Kerr learned another VA officer identified the individual’s car on the rooftop level of the parking garage. Kerr arrived on the scene, where the man was in his car, with a gun on his lap. The man, who told Kerr and other officers he wanted to die, drove toward the emergency room. One officer blocked him with his patrol car, while others approached with firearms drawn. Kerr approached the driver side of the vehicle, near the emergency room entrance and tried to negotiate. As the man kept reaching for his gun, Kerr asked other officers to try to get the man’s attention focused to the passenger side. It worked, and Kerr managed to grab the loaded semi-automatic weapon before anyone was hurt.

Syracuse Police Department Officer Walter Brainerd

On March 15, Officer Brainerd responded to a 9-1-1 call from a woman reporting that a man was trying to force his way into her apartment. As Brainerd entered the apartment building, the man lunged toward him with a knife and stabbed the officer in the neck. Brainerd fired his gun in self-defense and to protect residents and bystanders. The individual attempted to flee but collapsed in a nearby hallway and was later apprehended by other officers.

Yonkers Police Department Detectives Neil Cromwell and Brian Menton and Officers Dean Campana, Delfim Ferreira, Patrick Greene, James Menton, Joseph Pasciotty, Thomas Sabol and Paul Samoyedny

On September 25, Officers Greene and James Menton pulled over a car. The driver fled, first in his vehicle and then on foot, leaving the car in drive. James Menton and Cromwell chased the individual, while Greene tried to stop the car from hitting other vehicles or pedestrians. The suspect then pointed a handgun at James Menton and Greene. Officers ordered the individual to drop the firearm to no avail, and one officer used his Taser to no effect. The suspect headed toward a crowded, commercial area, where several officers caught up to him in their vehicles. Samoyedny tackled the individual but as Brian Menton and James Menton approached, he fired five shots. Brian Menton wrestled the gun away from the individual and along with Samoyedny, James Menton and Campana, handcuffed the suspect and recovered a loaded .45-caliber Glock. A civilian, Zacarius Green, assisted officers as they tackled the gunman. No one was shot or seriously hurt.

2019 Recipients

  • Officers Michael Kenney, Brian McQuade and Adam Meyer of the Nassau County Police Department
  • Officers Raychel Campanella-Rivera and Vanesa Medina of the New York City Police Department
  • Trooper Timothy S. Conklin of the New York State Police
  • Officer Sean Sagistano of the Northport Police Department
  • Officer Daniel Balloni of the Oswego Police Department
  • Deputy Kevin Osika of the Putnam County Sheriff’s Office
  • Officer Travis Sterritt of the Red Hook Village Police Department
  • Deputy Andrew W. Yessman of the Schuyler County Sheriff’s Office
  • Officer Christopher Zonin of the Suffolk County Police Department
  • Sergeants Shawn Hahn and Shawn Hauck, Officers Leonard Brown, Collin Flagler, Erik Heppeler, Gene Lagoe III, and Matthew Tynan of the Syracuse Police Department

2018 Recipients

  • Sergeant Daniel Waer, Officers Cameron Auffant and Dilann Chewens of the Catskill Village Police Department
  • Officer Trevor J. LaGrave of the East Greenbush Town Police Department
  • Deputies John Dunn and Shane Miller of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office
  • Officer Arcangelo F. Liberatore of the Irvington Police Department
  • Detectives Brian Glacken and Christopher Williams of the New York City Police Department
  • Forest Ranger Richard D. Franke Jr. of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Division of Forest Protection
  • Trooper Nicholas F. Clark of the New York State Police
  • Officer Michael Sprague of the Port Chester Police Department

2017 Recipients

  • Detective Miosotis Familia of the New York City Police Department
  • Lt. Anthony Filipski of the Cheektowaga Police Department
  • Officer Daniel McDade of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department
  • Trooper Joel R. Davis of the New York State Police
  • Officer David Capretto of the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority Police Department 
  • Lt. Miriam Rubio, Sgt. Hector Martinez, Sgt. Victor Talamini, Officer Jack Collins, Officer Anthony Manfredini, Officer Drew Preston, Officer Sean Gallagher, Officer Anthony Estevez of the Port Authority of New York-New Jersey Police Department 
  • Deputy Thomas Munzert of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office

2016 Recipients

  • Officers Josef Perez and Danilo Rodriguez of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police
  • Officers James Sanford, Matthew Fusaro, Andrew Mirenda, Darnell White and Katy Kalendar of the Nassau County Police Department
  • Sgt. Paul Tuozzolo of the New York City Police Department
  • Lt. Liza Bobseine of the New York State Environmental Conservation Police
  • Technical Lt. Peter R. McLain and Technical Sgt. Brian D. Rumrill of the New York State Police
  • Deputy Nicholas Walter of the Niagara County Sheriff's Office

2015 Recipients

  • Sgt. Robert Sellick of the Beacon City Police Department (Dutchess County)
  • Sgt. Michael Garavelli of the Gloversville Police Department (Fulton County)
  • Officer Michael J. Cadek of the Elmira Heights Police Department and Sgt. Daniel West of the Horseheads Police Department (Chemung County)
  • Deputy Benjamin Pisa of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office
  • Officer James Egloff and Officer Ryan Weiss of the Irvington Police Department (Westchester County)
  • Deputy Joey L. Tortorella of the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office.
  • Officer Christopher Canale of the New York City Police Department
  • Deputy James DeFilipps of the Orleans County Sheriff’s Office
  • Officers Joshua Comitale and Chad Klein of the Troy Police Department (Rensselaer County)

2014 Recipients

  • Officer Daniel Callahan of the University Police at SUNY Canton (St. Lawrence County)
  • Officer Michael Konatstotis of the New York City Police Department
  • Officer Zachary McKinnon of the Poughkeepsie Police Department (Dutchess County)
  • Officer John Scaramuzzino of the Utica Police Department (Oneida County)
  • Trooper Bruce J. Stoffolano of the New York State Police (Troop D)

2013 Recipients

  • Detective Keith Kerl and Officer Robert Cornell Jr. of the Lancaster Police Department
  • Lt. Todd Chenez and Officer Michael Stover of the Lockport Police Department
  • Deputy Sheriff Shawn Burbridge of the Madison County Sheriff’s Office
  • Troopers Nichole Turck and Scott Whitmore of the New York State Police Troop D
  • Officer Wayne McConnell of the Watertown Police Department

2012 Recipients

  • Nineteen members of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office SWAT Team – Sgts. Todd Brinkerhoff, Brian Moore, Mike Wicks, Tom Roe and Joshua DeRuyter; and Deputies Steven Stepnick, Joseph Neidert, Gary Carpino, Anthony Albertelli, Mike Anderson, Robert Glazier, Daniel Kawski, Tom Perkins, Wendy Sears, Michael Thomas, Brad Fisher, George Wilczak, Eric Norcross and Edward Peets
  • Sgt. Richard Romand and Officers Nathaniel Pendelton and Mark Reith of the Albany Police Department
  • Deputy Christopher M. Soluri of the Erie County Sheriff’s Office
  • Deputy Randolph J. Bachmeyer of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
  • Officer John Barnett of the Metropolitan Transportation Authority Police Department
  • Sgt. Kevin Brennan of the New York City Police Department
  • Trooper Daniel J. Hoffman of the New York State Police

2011 Recipients

  • Officer Gregory Mulligan, City of Albany Police Department
  • Deputy James J. Randall, Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
  • Deputies Jonathan E. Andres & Shawn P. Grapes, Niagara County Sheriff’s Office
  • Deputy Kurt B. Wyman (Posthumous), Oneida County Sheriff’s Office
  • Technical Sergeant Nathan R. Leonard, SUNY Oneonta Police

2010 Recipients

  • Deputy Nicholas Leon of the Clinton County Sheriff’s Office
  • Officer Luigi Osso of the Irvington Police Department
  • Sgt. Todd O’Brien of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office
  • Deputy Jonathan Strong of the Monroe County Sheriff’s Office
  • Sgt. Thomas E. Haumann and Troopers Carlo Gennario Jr. and Richard J. Snyder of the New York State Police
  • Deputy Michael Burger of the Oneida County Sheriff’s Office
  • Sgt. Damian Waters of the Oswego Police Department
  • Officers Brendan Gayer and Brian Smith of the Suffolk County Police Department
  • Sgt. Ralph Bartlett of the Warren County Sheriff’s Office

2009 Recipients

  • Deputy Sheriff Peter Gerardi of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office
  • Deputy Sheriff Roger C. Schreader II of the Niagara County Sheriff’s Office
  • Deputy Sheriff Jeremy Yela of the Orange County Sheriff’s Office
  • Officer James J. Prince of the Perry Police Department
  • Officer Anthony J. Diponzio of the Rochester Police Department
  • Officer Steven DiScala of the Suffolk County Police Department
  • Officer Gerard Maxim of the Suffolk County Police Department
  • Officer Charles Tramontana of the Suffolk County Police Department

2008 Recipients

  • Officer Reginald Huber Jr. of the Carthage Police Department
  • Deputy Sheriff Richard Brenner of the Dutchess County Sheriff’s Office
  • Officer Shaun Moore of the Greece Police Department
  • Detective Michael Corvi of the New York City Police Department
  • Detective Frank Sarrica of the New York City Police Department
  • Officer John E. Seeley of the New York State Park Police
  • Trooper Joseph E. Decker of the New York State Police
  • Officer Timothy Tonkin of the Suffolk County Police Department