Several officers and a township resident were honored at a ceremony during the board of supervisors meeting.

This is the second year Upper Southampton Chief of Police Ron MacPherson has detailed and acknowledged the achievements of the individual members of the township's police force before the board of supervisors.  

"During the year officers can nominate fellow officers and citizens for consideration," explained MacPherson to the crowd gathered in the township meeting room.

MacPherson said the nominations are then reviewed by an awards committee comprised of four members of the department: Lt. Frank Groome, Sgt. Frank Walter, Detective Craig Rudisill and Officer Scott Hartranft.

If the committee approves a nomination, the officer is honored with a bar pin and a certificate detailing the accomplishment during the awards ceremony.

All told, a total of 12 members of the force received awards Tuesday for the roles they played in resolving seven separate incidents that occurred in 2011.

The following is a brief summary of the awards presented:

• Officer Michael Kaminski was presented with a Commendation for Life Saving for his efforts working to stabilize Ivyland Police Chief Nicholas Rosato when he suffered a heart attack while responding to an incident in Southampton.

• Detective Rudisill received a Commendation of Merit and Lt. Groome, Sgt. Michael Jones, Detective James Schirmer, Officer Derek Gale and Officer Ryan Hand all received Certificates of Appreciation following their work on the Kim’s Nail Salon murder investigation in November 2010. Thuy Van "Tony" Vo was convicted of first degree murder last December.

• Detective Rudisill was issued a Commendation of Merit for his work in the investigation into a theft from the Brotherhood of Master Plumbers last summer.

• Officer Kaminski and Officer Derek Gale received Distinguished Service Awards for leading the department in DUI arrests. This is the second year in a row these two officers were at the top of the pack for DUI arrests in the township.

• Officer Hartranft was issued a Commendatory Letter for his work uncovering a burglary in progress in August of 2011.

• A Commendation of Merit was issued to Lt. Groome and Sgt. Richard Gruver, Detective Rudisill, Officer Kaminski, Fire Marshal Mark Showmaker and Deputy Fire Marshal Kenneth Kline all received Distinguished Unit Citations for their team work in the investigation, apprehension and conviction of Joseph Glass for arson. (This award was carried over from 2009, as the outcome of the trial had not been decided as of last year’s awards ceremony.)

• Sgt. Frank Walter, Officer William McCloskey and Officer Anthony Marsaglia were honored with a Distinguished Unit Citation and township resident Patricia Boccella was presented with a Citizen’s Award following the apprehension of an individual for burglary and related offenses in October 2011.

In honoring Boccella, MacPherson said he was  “glad we live in a community where people call if they see something happening, [as] that doesn’t happen everywhere.”

“Must be why Southampton is 'a nice place to live,'” he added. 

The officers and Boccella were met with applause from the packed meeting room following the presentation.

All of the supervisors expressed their pride in the department lauded the members of the force for their service and commitment to the township. 

After the presentation ended MacPherson invited the officers and their supporters to attend a small reception, held upstairs in the township building.

To read additional coverage of the incidents for which the officers received their awards, click on the links contained within the story.