Sheriff's Office Employees Of The Quarter Honored

Date Added: August 03, 2010 11:00 am

Brandon Haught
Public Information Office

Standard job descriptions are merely the starting point for the men and women of the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office who earned the honor of being named Employees of the 2nd Quarter of 2010 Tuesday morning. Every one of them go far above and beyond what their jobs are supposed to entail, including an investigator well known for his financial crimes expertise, a sergeant who stepped into a new leadership role, and a crime analyst who developed new crime fighting resources. Also getting awards from Sheriff Ben Johnson at the Deputy Stephen Saboda Training Center in Daytona Beach were a telecommunicator, and a volunteer.

Investigator of the quarter Chuck Lee has made a positive impression on everyone he’s worked with in the DeBary district office during the past four years. He’s earned the respect of his peers and supervisors based on his expertise and work ethic. Reporting to crime scenes after hours even when it’s not his turn to do so is no problem for Lee, whose detailed knowledge of the area and its people are invaluable to investigations. He’s earned the reputation of being an expert regarding financial crimes, such as identity thefts and credit card frauds. Drawing upon a strong network of contacts in other law enforcement agencies and the civilian financial investigations sector, Lee has solved several high profile fraud cases. He also earned praise for solving a 7-year-old home invasion robbery case and bringing the primary suspect to justice.

Deputy of the quarter Sergeant Greg Miles did much more than just fill in as a patrol shift supervisor in the Deltona area recently. He stepped into a role where the deputies he was going to oversee were unsure about the sudden change, and he was able to establish sound leadership where it was needed. He took care of his deputies, ensuring all of their needs were met, training was scheduled and vacancies were filled. Miles became an integral part of the team. He was praised for his professional bearing, confidence and motivation.

“You’ve always been there when we’ve needed you,” said Sheriff Johnson as he presented Miles with his award.

Crime analyst Madiha Saleem is known as a highly talented professional who exceeds expectations on a daily basis, earning her employee of the quarter honors. A significant portion of her job involves producing several hundred analytical studies, maps and bulletins throughout the year. Despite such a heavy workload she still finds time to develop and implement new programs and reports that greatly enhance deputies’ crime fighting abilities. One such new tool is the “Crime View” mapping program that integrates with the record management and dispatch systems to plot and map crimes countywide or all the way down to individual deputies’ patrol zones. This can help deputies connect related crimes and possibly predict future trends. Saleem also developed a new “Suspicious Pawn Report”.

“Madiha is a model employee, works very hard, and when you consider that she has taken on the extra projects along with her normal analytical requests, maps and bulletins, her effort are considered outstanding,” said Lt. Jim Morgan, her investigative services supervisor.

Telecommunicator of the quarter Jason Clark has been a training officer in the communications section for three years. His attention to detail and patience are treasured assets among his peers and trainees. He’s developed his own training materials to supplement the standard information, such as a list of all DeLand subdivisions by name that is invaluable when such information is not readily available in the dispatchers’ database. Clark is also licensed to drive the Communications Mobile Command Center vehicle, and has set it up on several occasions without assistance. Finally, Clark demonstrates an excellent call-handling ability himself. One noteworthy example is when a 911 call came in that was coming from a cell phone in someone’s pocket. Clark was able to determine that he was listening to a pair of suspects in the act of committing a car burglary. He determined their location and provided the Daytona Beach Police Department with enough information to arrest the thieves. Clark earned a commendation from the police department for his assistance.

“What a great job!” said Sheriff Johnson. “We appreciate people like you stepping up and taking on additional duties.”

Volunteer of the quarter Laverne Curry hit the ground running when she started helping the Sheriff’s Office’s Intelligence Unit as a volunteer analyst. She quickly became involved in the Florida Organized Retail Crime Enforcement network, which partners law enforcement with businesses’ retail loss prevention professionals. Curry saw a need for a regular report that helps investigators identify organized retail theft rings and potential suspects. After only a couple of weeks on the job, Curry produced the Retail Offender Report. It was well received by law enforcement and private sector investigators.

“What makes volunteer analyst Laverne Curry stand out is her tenacity, diligence and professionalism within the Intelligence Unit,” said Sgt. Erik Eagan of the Investigative Support Group.