Several City of Hilliard Division of Police employees were recently recognized for their exceptional efforts serving the community.
Officer Jeff Long and Training Coordinator Greg Bernard were named the 2024 Employees of the Year. They were nominated for recognition by their co-workers.
Officer Long joined HPD in 2023 and quickly distinguished himself as a leader on the evening patrol shift, according to Chief Michael Woods.
His coworkers called him “a go-getter who is always willing to help,” commending his “solid police work.”
“He is always calm in high-stress situations and is able to calm others,” one nominator said. “He has demonstrated several times that he is an essential part of the HPD team.”
Prior to his service in Hilliard, Officer Long had been a police officer for seven years, serving the communities of Prichard, Ala., and Akron, Ohio.
Bernard, who joined HPD in 2018 with more than 15 years’ experience in the Columbus Police Training Academy, received the Civilian Employee of the Year award. He oversees the division’s training program and guides recruits in the training academy.
Nominators called him approachable, positive, and helpful.
“He looks for unique solutions that benefit staff members and the agency,” said one nominator.
The division’s Special Investigations Unit (SIU) and Traffic Safety Unit (TSU) received the Chief’s Award. Working together over the past two years, the team’s proactive undercover work has led to 58 arrests and nearly 300 charges for mostly drug-related crimes.
Additionally, Life-Saving Awards were presented to Sgt. Chad Wood and Officer Sean Gill for their efforts finding a missing woman suffering from an overdose and administering CPR and Narcan.
Several officers were recognized for their work responding to a high-risk domestic violence call that evolved into a barricaded situation for several hours. Officer Long received a Distinguished Service citation; Sgt. Maggie Reed, Officer Steven Persinger, Officer Matt Hayes, Officer Sean Gill, Officer Luke White, Officer Ben Jackson, and Officer Michael Sherrill received Commendation Awards.
Officer Hunter Schweickart was presented with a Commendation Award for his work during a traffic stop that recovered a firearm that detectives later learned was linked to three homicides outside Hilliard.
Detective Brandon Long received a Commendation Award for meticulously searching databases to identify a theft suspect.
A Commendation Award was also presented to Sgt. Suzanne Muraco for creating a large-scale training exercise in coordination with Hilliard City Schools.
Achievement Awards were presented to staff for various incidents, including apprehending a man in a domestic violence situation, responding to suicide attempts, and investigating an extensive fraud and forgery case.
Those recognized were: Sgt. Justin Cramer, Detective Kyle Bright, Detective Randall Pugh, Detective Josh Howard, Officer Dustin Gigandet, Officer AJ Murry, Officer Hunter Schweickart, Officer Jeff Long, Officer Sean Gill, Officer Trenton Morrow, Officer Steven Persinger, Officer Tony Agosta, Officer Mike Taggart, Sgt. Suzanne Muraco, Sgt. Chad Wood, Detective Brandon Long, Officer Dustin Kaiser, Officer Matt Hayes, Officer Adam Showalter, Officer Jonathan Kane, and Officer Samuel Harris.
