Honoring those who protect and serve

Deepa Bharath

Police Dispatcher Jason Servin has that kind of a voice. A reassuring

monotone drenched in compassion. Smooth, sensitive transitions that

don’t throw listeners off guard.

Servin has the kind of voice that could persuade a suicidal drug

addict spiraling deep into a whirlpool of depression to drop the

knife he was threatening to kill himself with and peacefully

surrender.

The dispatcher, who is also a trained hostage negotiator and part

of Newport Beach Police’s SWAT Team, received the department’s

prestigious Life Saving Award at the 32nd annual Police Appreciation

Breakfast hosted by the Newport Beach Chamber of Commerce on

Thursday.

Servin was awarded the medal for saving the life of a suicidal man

after a 45-minute negotiation that took a lot of patience and

persistence, said Chief Bob McDonell, who made Thursday’s

presentation along with Mayor Steve Bromberg.

Officer Lloyd Whisenant was named Officer of the Year.

“It’s a real honor,” he said, accepting the coveted award. “It’s

hard to believe you can receive an award for doing what you love to

do so much.”

The Award of Merit went to the Sexual Assault Investigation Team

of Sgt. Bill Hartford, Det. John Hougan, Det. Teri Fischer and Det.

Tom Monarch, who went through evidence -- zip disks, computer hard

drives and reams of paper -- in child molestation and sexual assault

cases that plagued the city last year.

Those cases included Trenton Veches, the former city recreation

coordinator who is expected to stand trial this year for allegedly

molesting several young boys who participated in the city’s

after-school programs. Prosecutors say he took digital photographs of

himself sucking the boys’ toes.

Accepting her award, Fischer said she and her colleagues “are at

war everyday to make the bad guys go away.”

“We try to put them away forever so that our kids can be safe,”

she said.

Fisher asked those in attendance to take their children seriously.

“Listen to your kids. They may be trying to tell you something,”

she said. “Our children are our future, and if we don’t protect them

today, it’s going to affect our future.”

The annual breakfast gives the community an opportunity “to hear

and see things we normally don’t hear or see,” chamber President

Richard Luehrs said.

“It’s a privilege to acknowledge and appreciate people who play a

special role in our community,” he said.

McDonell, in his 10th year as chief, said the department has made

huge strides in the last few years.

“Like any family, we’re not perfect,” he said. “But we’ve been

really fortunate to have the quality of officers we do have and a

community that supports us so much.”