MPD Honors 'Top Cop,' and Other Heroes in Blue |

Jeffrey Arthur and his wife Amy knew good vibes were coming at a Hilton Hotel luncheon on Tuesday, April 17. They had no idea the sharp eyed policeman would leave the Memphis Police Department's Awards Ceremony as the force's 'Top Cop.' Arthur had seized numerous weapons, drugs, and large sums of money during 2011 from his base at the Tillman Station in Binghamton. The MPD started the awards program nine years ago to celebrate the success of crime fighters like Arthur. Arthur was named his station's "Officer of the Year" for outstanding service in 2011. All nine Memphis police stations as well as MPD Bureaus and Divisions selected "Officers of the Year." But only one could be named 'Top Cop' and Arthur won the honor for turning a fairly routine traffic stop into a significant bust. According to the MPD citation, here's what happened: "In September, Officer Arthur observed a vehicle disregard a red light with lawn equipment hanging out of the back window.  Once he was able to stop the vehicle, upon approaching he noticed a shotgun on the backseat. Officer Arthur detained the occupants of the vehicle.  After further investigation, Officer Arthur determined most of the equipment in the vehicle was stolen in a burglary a few nights before where seventy storage units were burglarized. As a result of his persistence, he obtained a search warrant for the suspect and was able to locate more items which led to additional arrests.  Officer Arthur’s dedication and commitment to excellence makes him a valued member of the department." This is just the kind of meritorious service the new MPD Director Toney Armstrong and the top brass want to honor and encourage. At the conclusion of the ceremony, Armstrong had Arthur and the many other  medal winning officers stand up. Director Armstrong said, "every now and then, a police officer gets in trouble and they get a lot of attention in the news. But they are not a true representation of this police force, you are," referring to the standing honorees. The Awards ceremony started with an emotional remembrance of the late MPD Officer Timothy Warren who was killed by a gunman in the stairwell of the Doubetree Hotel in Downtown Memphis on July 3, 2011. Warren's wife, Betsy, accepted the Medal of Honor and the Service Medal-Combat for her late husband. 

Memphis Police Department 9th Annual Awards Ceremony 
MEDAL OF HONOR: Lt. Robert Skelton, Officer Timothy Warren, Lt. Paul Tucker 
Officers Steven Breth, Christopher Brown, Jonathan Barron, Mark Bullock, Kenneth Gibbs, Gabriel Lawson, Michael Hazelrig, Charles Webb, James Tate, Michael Loggia,
Eric Lee, Darnell Gooch. 

MEDAL OF VALOR: Officers David Voyles, Raymond Geronimo

LIFESAVING MEDAL: Officers Edward Yancy, Mardean Thomas, Meekos Evans, Pierce Hayden, Alan Taylor, Edward Young, Nuckoloas Kollias, Jeremy Mackey, Russell Cathey, Ryan Askew, Bader Awadeh, Lt. Donald Dickerson, Officers James Fort, Michael Malone, Thomas Mills,, Michael Roseberry, Joshua Downs, David O'Dell, Robert Strickland, Melanie Medlock. 

SERVICE MEDAL-COMBAT: Officers Timothy Warren, Mitchell McDaniel, Stephen Suarez

MEDAL OF MERIT: Officer Daniel Arrington

UNDERCOVER OPERATION MEDAL: OF MERIT: Christopher Bing, Brandon Harder, Keith Murden 

STATION/BUREAU/DIVISION SUPERVISORS OF THE YEAR: 

Old Allen Station: Lt. Stephen Ware
Raines Station: Lt. Angela Jenkins
Mt. Moriah Station: Lt. Maurice Burton, Jr. 
Union Station: Lt. Daniel Barham 
Tillman Station: Lt. Clarence Hawkins
South Main Station: Lt. Robert Skelton 
Airways Station: Lt. Monique Campbell 
Appling Farms Station: Lt. Timothy Rush 
Ridgeway Station: Lt. Curtis Bolden 
Investigative Bureau: Lt. Frank Andello 
Organize Crime Bureau: Lt. James Locket
Special Operations Bureau: Lt. Anthony Rudolph 
Administrative Services Bureau: Lt. Jeff Tow 
Communications Bureau: SPRD Beverly Davis 

OFFICERS OF THE YEAR: 
Old Allen Station: Alex Hudson 
Raines Station: Archie Rudd
Mt. Moriah Station: David day 
Union Station: Kevin Barrett 
Tillman Station: Jeffrey Arthur 
South Main Station: Andre Cope (Deceased) 
Airways Station: Michael Thomas 
Appling Farms Station: Jeffrey Harris 
Ridgeway Station: Tony Alexander 
Traffic Bureau: Sgt. Delbert Polk 
OCU: Ronald Weddle 
Special Operations: Sgt. Felipe Boyce 
Investigative Services: Byron Braxton 
Administrative Services: Sgt. Frankie Lanton 
Communications: PRD Angela Carroll