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Officer Vargas, Officer of the First Quarter

The Excellence in Law Enforcement Committee has selected Officer Vargas as the officer of the first quarter of 2001. Officer Vargas was nominated by his supervisor, Sergeant Hrbek. During the first quarter, Officer Vargas received two written commendations for outstanding work.

The first involved a self initiated traffic stop which resulted in the arrest of the driver for driving under suspension and for an Omaha Police Department warrant. Located inside the vehicle was a book of checks, which was later determined to be stolen. Further follow-up resulted in the driver being charged with two separate felony forgery cases in Bellevue, as well as clearing a burglary and several forgery cases in Omaha.

The second commendation was for Officer Vargas’ handling of a pursuit of a stolen vehicle. The commendation stated Officer Vargas handled the pursuit with calm, confidence, and was a text book example of how a pursuit should be performed. The pursuit resulted in the arrest of the driver and recovery of the stolen vehicle without incident.

Officer Vargas has also been very willing and able to assist other shifts needing additional manpower. On more then one occasion, he has also assisted the road patrol on calls while he was working off-duty at the New Life Thrift Store.

Honorable Mentions
2001 Officer of the First Quarter

Those officers receiving honorable mention were Officers Saum, Bailey, Bartley, and Detectives Legband, McDaniel and Gallo.

Officer Saum arrested a suspect for a theft from vehicle at Bryan High School. Officer Saum caught the suspect in the act by positioning his cruiser with the camera on and pointing towards the parking lot. This led to the theft being recorded on tape, which led to an arrest.

Officer Bailey was commended for his part in an investigation which led to a narcotics arrest and the clearance of several forgery cases. Officer Bailey also received a letter from the Child Saving Institute, praising him for his respect, patience and communication skills when handling calls at the Kid’s Cottage.

Officer Bartley was recognized for his success in subduing a man attempting to disarm him. He also received a letter of thanks for a job well done while conducting a K-9 search at the Plattsmouth High School.

Detective Legband was noted for excellent police work in clearing a burglary at Bellevue East High School. Also for his work in a complicated forgery case, which resulted in the identification and arrest of the suspect.

Detective McDaniel was recognized by his supervisor for several incidents, including the recovery of key evidence at a high risk warrant search, where a weapon had been fired. He arrested a theft suspect from the Bellevue Bridge. The theft case involved a large amount of logs and receipts, all of which had to be gone over by Officer McDaniel. He cleared a reported abduction and attempted sexual assault with several arrests including, forgery, domestic violence assault and false reporting.

Detective Gallo successfully worked a cluster of forgeries, including four from Bellevue, four from LaVista, one from Ralston, seventeen from Council Bluffs and sixty-six from Omaha. He was recognized for his professionalism and thoroughness while working with the Major Case Investigative Team on a police-involved shooting. Also, through the use of a polygraph, he was able to make a felony arrest in an $8,000 theft from the Omaha Police Credit Union. He was commended for his work ethic and efficiency in clearing over fifty cases so far this year.