Waynesboro PD honors officers for jobs well done
The Waynesboro Police Department held its fourth-quarter awards presentation on Thursday. Police Chief Michael D. Wilhelm presented 6 awards, including naming Sgt. David F. Shaw the 2011 Officer of the Year.
Shaw was honored for his outstanding leadership and commitment to the department throughout the year. Most notably, Shaw completely revamped the department’s Field Training Program for new officers and also assisted the reserve unit with revamping their training. In addition, he consistently performed his duties as a detective supervisor and later patrol shift commander in an exemplary fashion. Continue reading “Waynesboro PD honors officers for jobs well done” »
Three teens charged in burglary
Three Waynesboro teens were arrested early Sunday morning and charged with crimes related to a burglary in the overnight hours of Jan. 26-27.
The teens were arrested after a stop by a city police officer around 2 a.m. near the intersection of North Poplar Avenue and Ohio Street. The officer at the scene found two stolen GPS units in the backpack of one of the teens and a Glock 9mm pistol in the search of another youth. Continue reading “Three teens charged in burglary” »
Shoplifter struck by car
A man wanted for shoplifting from the Wal-Mart on Lucy Lane in Waynesboro was struck by a car after fleeing the store and being struck by a car on Rosser Avenue Wednesday evening.
The unnamed 26-year-old Staunton man has been transported to the University of Virginia Medical Center with what appeared to be life-threatening injuries, according to a report from the Waynesboro Police Department. Continue reading “Shoplifter struck by car” »
Police report possible gas scam
The Waynesboro Police Department would like to alert citizens, especially the elderly, to be cautious when approached at their homes by person(s) purporting to be in need of money to purchase fuel or food.
Two instances of young adult males knocking on doors of city residents late at night asking for money for gas have been reported to police recently and in both cases the elderly homeowner gave the subject a small amount of cash. These incidents appear to be linked due the fact that both home owners had recently had tree work done and the subject requesting the assistance claimed to have performed tree work for the resident in the past.
Although neither citizen recognized the person or could provide descriptive information it is possible that the subject may have been employed in tree work and was soliciting former customers.
Residents are urged to be cautious in these situations because many times these types of solicitations are, in fact, scams with the money acquired not being used for the stated purpose or anything related to it. Additionally it could put the home owner at risk of future victimization through burglary, home invasion or some other deception.
WPD announces awards, promotions
The Waynesboro Police Department held its Third Quarter Awards Ceremony on Wednesday, Nov. 3. Chief Michael Wilhelm awarded five Departmental Commendations and one Lifesaving Medal. In addition, five newly promoted supervisors were pinned during a promotion ceremony.
The award recipients were as follows:
- Receiving the Life Saving Medal was Sgt. Brian Edwards for actions taken on June 11, 2011 while working the Soap Box Derby. At approximately 1300 hrs a male collapsed near the top of Main Street Hill and Sgt. Edwards responded to the scene and provided CPR for the victim until arrival of personnel from the Waynesboro Fire Department and First Aid Crew. His quick action saved the life of the victim, who was able to be present for yesterday’s ceremony.
- Receiving the Departmental Commendation Ribbon was Detective Sue Vance and Detective Alyssa Campbell for exceptional performance from July 4-7 during the course of an investigation into two related burglaries of the Sunoco Station located at 1175 E. Main Street.
- Receiving the Departmental Commendation Ribbon was Detective Ben Lemons for exceptional performance over several months while multi-tasking multiple special assignments relating to departmental training and equipment maintenance while also maintaining an active Investigations case load.
- Receiving the Departmental Commendation Ribbon was Detective Christopher Hilliard for exceptional performance on April 15, 2011. While working night shift Detective Hilliard became involved in the investigation of several Commercial Burglaries in the downtown area that resulted in significant property damage. He identified two juvenile suspects, obtained confessions and placed a total of 13 charges which all resulted in guilty pleas.
- Receiving the Departmental Commendation Ribbon was Detective Corporal David Shaw for exceptional performance during the course of several months while completely restructuring the Field Training Program for new officers.
- Receiving the Departmental Commendation Ribbon was Animal Control Officer Darlene Price for exceptional performance on or about July 11, 2011. Over two days Officer Price worked relentlessly to rescue a citizen’s cat that was stuck in a storm drain, even returning to the scene while off duty to continue the effort. Finally, with the assistance of Patrol Officer Jeremy Johnson and a mentorship student who was riding with Officer Price, the cat was freed and reunited with its owner. In addition to the Commendation from the Department, Officer Price was awarded the 2011 Public Service Award from the Virginia Animal Control Association (VACA) during their annual training conference on Oct. 19. Officer Johnson was also recognized by the (VACA) for the invaluable assistance he rendered that day and he was presented an award on behalf of that organization by Officer Price.
As the result of a recent promotion process to fill vacant supervisory positions in the department several officers have been promoted to corporal and sergeant respectively. Although these promotions have already taken effect, yesterday, these leaders along with family and friends participated in a pinning ceremony.
The officers and their new rank are listed below.
- Sgt. David Shaw
- Sgt. Jason McCall
- Sgt. Christopher Hilliard
- Cpl. Fred Smith
- Cpl. Alyssa Campbell
Downtown tattoo business burglarized
The Waynesboro Police Department is investigating a breaking and entering that occurred sometime between Saturday and Monday in a downtown tattoo parlor.
Officers were called to Xtreme Expressions located in the 100 block of North Wayne Avenue Monday morning when employees of the business discovered the crime. It appears that the perpetrators entered the business through adjacent buildings after gaining access to the roof and opening several windows leading to the building housing the tattoo parlor. Once inside they removed tattooing equipment, a computer monitor, cash and other items. Owners are still formulating a comprehensive list of stolen property but at present the value of items stolen is approximately $1,300.
The Waynesboro Police Department is actively seeking leads in this case and requests anyone with information contact them at 540.942.6675 or call Crime Stoppers at 800.322.2017.
Walker, Meeks promoted to captain in Waynesboro PD
The Waynesboro Police Department announced on Monday the promotions of Sgt. Kelly Walker and Sgt. Rebecca Meeks to the rank of captain. Both of these promotions are effective as of July 11, 2011.
Capt. Walker has been with the Waynesboro Police Department for 26 years and will assume command of the Support Services Division. He has served as a patrol officer, patrol corporal, DARE officer, crime prevention corporal, patrol sergeant and support services sergeant. He has been a member of the department’s Negotiations Team since 1999 and currently serves as the team commander. Walker is also an Instructor for the Blue Ridge Crises Intervention Team.
Capt. Meeks has been with the Waynesboro Police Department for 21 years and will assume command of the Criminal Investigations Division. She has served as a patrol officer, DARE officer, crime prevention corporal, patrol sergeant, and investigations sergeant. Meeks has served on the Color Guard and she is a member of the Negotiations Team. Additional duties include being an instructor at both the Central Shenandoah Criminal Justice Training Center and the Blue Ridge Crisis Intervention Team.
Waynesboro PD honors officers for hard work
The Waynesboro Police Department held its Second Quarter Awards Ceremony on June 22, and Chief Michael Wilhelm awarded four Departmental Commendations to individual officers for exceptional performance as indicated below.
Officer Robert Dean and Officer Vincent Donald
These two officers were awarded Departmental Commendations for their exceptional work in planning, implementation and utilization of the department’s complex multi-unit license plate reader technology program. This program was recently recognized by the International Association of Chiefs of Police for Excellence in Technology and much of the credit for this honor is attributable to Officers Dean and Donald.
Animal Control Officer Darlene Price
Officer Price was awarded the Departmental Commendation for exceptional service during the course of a recent animal cruelty case in which she demonstrated a high degree of dedication and expertise. Her skill and knowledge were instrumental in bringing the case to a successful conclusion resulting in a conviction and significant jail sentence for the accused.
Officer Jesse Feazell
Officer Feazell was awarded the Departmental Commendation for exceptional performance while attending the 123rd Basic Law Enforcement Class at the Central Shenandoah Criminal Justice Academy. Upon graduation he was designated as a Distinguished Honor Graduate for attaining the highest overall average in all categories of training.
Waynesboro PD honored for technology efforts
Waynesboro Police Chief Michael Wilhelm accepted the prestigious International Association of Chiefs of Police-iXP Excellence in Technology Award at a ceremony held June 14 in San Diego.
The IACP award program recognizes law enforcement agencies’ superior achievement and innovation in the field of communication and information technology. This highly competitive international award program is designed to recognize exceptional, innovative, and extraordinary achievement in law enforcement technology-based programs, efforts, or initiatives that benefit law enforcement as a profession.
The Waynesboro Police Department was recognized for the effective deployment of a complex multi-unit license plate reader technology program that serves as an example for other law enforcement agencies to follow. The federal grant funded project was coordinated by Waynesboro’s Computer User’s Group. This group of sworn and civilian personnel insured that policy, privacy, and training issues were effectively addressed before deploying the cutting edge technology.
The National Institute of Justice (Office of Science and Technology) and SPAWAR’s Advanced Law Enforcement Technology Branch provided operational, research, and technical expertise that allowed Waynesboro Police Department to apply the findings of numerous LPR research projects from around the country within a single LPR program. The expertise developed among WPD’s officers and IT support staff has already been called on by other police and sheriff’s departments in the region, state, and nationwide.
Wilhelm was invited by IACP and the National Institute of Justice to present an overview of the award winning project at the IACP’s Law Enforcement Information Management (LEIM) Section Conference in San Diego. His travel-related expenses were reimbursed by the U.S. Justice Department. The IACP LEIM conference had over 600 law enforcement executives and technologists in attendance. Chief Wilhelm was able to take advantage of the no cost training opportunity to bring technology related ideas and resources back to the department.
City police joining Click It or Ticket patrols
Waynesboro Police will join local and national law enforcement officers and highway safety advocates all across Virginia and the country for the 2011 national Click It or Ticket seat belt enforcement mobilization that begins Sunday, May 22.
During the mobilization, which runs through June 6, law enforcement throughout the Commonwealth will be cracking down on motorists who fail to obey all traffic laws – including seat belt and child safety seat use.
Virginia has seen a steady decline in traffic related fatalities in recent years, but even with the decline, preliminary data from 2010 indicates that there were a total of 740 fatalities, and of those, 314 were not restrained at the time of the crash. Two of the three fatalities occurring in the city of Waynesboro during 2010 were unrestrained and at least partially ejected during rollovers.
Pickup truck occupants have been proven to be less likely to buckle up than any other class of vehicle. In a 2010 Seat Belt Use Observational Survey conducted by Old Dominion University, the average seat belt use rate of pickup truck occupants was 71.4 percent as compared to the state use rate of 80.5 percent
“We need to continue to make the case that seat belts really do work,” said Waynesboro Police Sgt. Kelly Walker.”We will do that by hitting the roads and enforcing all traffic laws 24/7, no excuses, no warnings, and we will be paying particular attention to unrestrained drivers, passengers and children.
City names new police chief
Waynesboro Police Sgt. Michael Wilhelm was promoted to police chief, City Manager Mike Hamp announced on Monday.
Wilhelm has served in the Waynesboro Police Department since 1995. He was promoted to corporal in 2000 and to sergeant in 2004.
“I have confidence in Chief Wilhelm’s leadership abilities, critical thinking skills and expressed desire to maximize available departmental resources for the benefit of the community,” Hamp said. “Mike is eager to establish a unifying vision for the department, and establish a proactive approach to law enforcement, crime prevention, and overall service delivery to the community. He is a goal-oriented individual and will apply that commitment in his leadership and management style.”
Wilhelm succeeds Doug Davis, who retired in March after serving as chief for seven years. The recruitment for the position drew nearly 80 applications from more than 21 states. Nine candidates were selected for interviews, and four individuals were identified as finalists for the position.
Waynesboro Police investigating armed robbery
The Waynesboro Police Department is investigating an armed robbery that occurred early Sunday morning, March 27,at the Shell Station located at 301 E. Broad St.
An unknown black male wearing a black toboggan pulled over his face entered the store and approached the 26-year-old female clerk demanding money. He was displaying a gray-colored semi-automatic handgun, and the victim complied with his demands handing him an undisclosed amount of money. The suspect then left the store traveling in an unknown direction on foot.
The store surveillance system captured video of crime.
The case remains under investigation, and the department requests anyone who may be able to identify the suspect or who has information about the crime to contact police at 540.942.6543 or Crime Stoppers at 800.322.2017.
