The ‘Officer of the Month’ award recognizes the efforts of an individual with the rank of patrol officer from Division or a Special Unit, who has demonstrated exceptional dedication in the performance of his/her duties during the previous month. I am very pleased to announce that our selection for this month’s LPD ‘Officer of the Month’ is Officer James Eldred, who is assigned to Patrol. This nomination was submitted by Captain Chris Kelly and seconded by Lieutenant Ashley Affonco and Sergeant Gary Hagerty.
In his written nomination, Capt. Kelly stated, “Officer Eldred writes a very thorough and detailed incident report. There have been many examples where Officer Eldred takes the extra time to further investigate and take out charges or give the information to CID for further investigation. He brings a positive work ethic, is always professional and is empathetic to family members at a death investigation.” According to Lt. Affonco, “Officer Eldred has always maintained his demeanor, even when the situation is hostile. Officer Eldred doesn’t let emotions get the best of him and always diffuses the incident. On top of his disposition, he conducts himself professionally at all times and presents with a command presence that we don’t always see in young officers. He is incredibly empathetic and does well dealing with people who are in crisis.” A recent example of his work by Lt. Affonco noted, “He responded to a motor vehicle accident and was very helpful to all parties on scene. He took the time to go check on the driver of one of the vehicles when she was placed in an ambulance after he had gathered her initial information. The other driver had just moved to the state. Officer Eldred then explained that she needed to change her information over and how to go about it. He was exceptionally patient with everyone on scene.”
Congratulations and thank you to Officer Eldred for a job well done!