The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
ONEIDA’S BRAVEST, FINEST IN BLUE
Charlie DeckerAward: Oneida’s Club honor goes to Meeker Sr., Hoffman
ONEIDA, N.Y. >> On a night meant to honor the service of the city’s bravest, the Oneida Police Department stole the show at the 22nd Annual Charlie Decker Public Safety Dinner.
“For many years, I have listened to various chiefs fromboth departments describe how difficult it has been to choose just one winner for this award,” said Acting Police Chief Paul Thompson in his first year tasked with choosing a recipient. “In each department there are a number of worthy candidates, which can make the de- cision tough,” Thompson said.
This year, Thompson added, the decision was as easy as it was unanimous.
“[He] is the only chief that most of our department has ever known. For his leadership and for his dedication and devotion to the Oneida Police Department, we bestow on Chief David R. Meeker Sr. the 2016 Oneida’s Club Police Officer of the Year Award,” Thompson said as the crowd at the Kallet Civic Center rose in a standing ovation as a uniformed Police Chief Meeker made his way to the front to give his first public comments since going on medical leave.
“I want to thank all the members of the department for this award,” Meeker Sr. said before quickly turning the attention back to the men and women of the OPD and the community they serve. “They kept things going and continue to do a great job, continue to function under difficult circumstances.”
SinceMeeker Sr. has been on leave, Thompson said his chief’s concern has always been the department, even immediately following his hospitalization. While in recovery, that concern remain unerring.
“His main concern expressed both to his family and to department members was always the department,” Thompson said.
Meeker Sr. also offered his advice to the City of Oneida and its community members and officers.
“The biggest thing is to work with the community to keep it safe,” Meeker Sr. said, stressing how a good relationship between law enforcement and the community keeps everyone safer.
Meeker Sr., a veteran of the Oneida City Police Department since beginning his law enforcement career in 1981, was promoted to the rank of sergeant in 1989, before attaining the rank of lieutenant in 1998. A year later in 1999, he was promoted to chief of police, the role he has since held for the past 17 years.
“Our family cannot thank the city and police department enough. Since Day 1, you’ve been there for us,” said Meeker’s son Chris.
Before Thompson revealed the Oneida City Police Officer of the Year, there was the matter of remembering a lost friend and a member of the community who, by all accounts, would have been a brother in blue.
Kane Buss’ family was presented with Kane’s Oneida City Police uniform on Friday, as the entire uniformed OPD took the opportunity to honor the Buss family.
“He embodied everything that we look for as an Oneida City Police Officer,” said Sgt. David Meeker Jr.
Buss was posthumously made an honorary member of the department in 2015 following the Oneida teen’s death at the hands of a drunk driver. Kane was set to graduate from Herkimer Community College and enroll in police academy to pursue his dream before senseless tragedy struck. Multiple reports say his last moments were spent shielding his girlfriend, who was in the vehicle with Buss at the time of the accident, from the crash.
Friday, his parents Claudette and Mike, his brother Dalton and his fiance Morgan, accepted the uniform, as they were bombarded with hugs and handshakes from the OPD.
“Everything that he wanted to do was to help other people, and he still continues that legacy today,” Morgan said, thank- ing the department on behalf of the family.
For the Oneida Fire Department, the evening saw three 20-plus years of service ribbons handed out to Assistant Chief Dennis Fields, Deputy Chief Darrin Ball, and Lt. Jeff White.
Additionally, Fire Chief Kevin Salerno had the opportunity to present the Fire Marshal Citation Ribbon to Tim Cowan for his “exceptional performance in the area of fire safety.” Under Cowan’s direction, the Fire Marshal’s Office is responsible for installing more than 450, 10-year smoke detectors at no expense to city residents, saving the community more than $15,000 in total. Cowan also spearheaded efforts to reinstitute the “Junior High Program” giving all Oneida City School District junior high students an opportunity to practice putting out pan fires and watch a live burn presentation.
Following those two presentations, Salerno turned his attention to the main event: The 2016 Oneida’s Club - Charlie Decker Firefighter of the Year.
“I am fortunate as a department head to have the dedicated people I do, who continually go above and beyond for the betterment of not only the fire department, but the community we serve. This year’s recipient, throughout his career, has been known to always have a full plate, with various projects and improvements he has been working on,” Salerno said. “This year’s Oneida’s Club Firefighter of the Year is Lt. David Hoffman.”
LikeMeeker Sr., Hoffman deflected the praise.
“This is not a one person thing,” he said, thanking the other members of his shift for keeping things running smoothly so he could have the opportunity to work on other projects. “Members of this department are above and beyond the best I’ve ever worked with and the city should feel very honored and very safe.”
Besides having arguably the best facial hair in either the fire or police departments, Hoffman, a 17year veteran, has been the OFD’s Emergency Medical Services Officer since January 2012.
The position is responsible for administering the medical training program of the department and directs the day-to-day operations of EMS division.
Salerno called Hoffman’s time, effort, and dedication in launching the Image Trend computer software program“invaluable.” Prior to the implementation, the department was required to report thousands of EMS calls to the state using paper forms, saving the department valuable hours.
Additionally, Hoffman is currently working to place all of the department’s equipment and tools into an inventory modules to allow for better tracking of equipment and as a means of streamlining communications during repair processes.
He is extending this inventory module system to the fire marshal’s office and housing inspection office as a means of creating more continuity among fire inspector and gives a more detailed and manageable database of commercial properties throughout the city, Salerno said.
“Under Lt. Hoffman’s leadership and direction... our EMS division has been transformed into one that everyone in Oneida can be proud of and one that should reassure every single resident and visitor of the city that when they call 911 for medical assistance, they are receiving some of the best care available,” Salerno said.
In addition to fire and police personnel, the Oneida City Crossing Guards were honored Friday night for their service to the children of the Oneida City School District and the community.
The Oneidas Club also gave its annual criminal justice scholarship to OHS Senior Casey Rich, who plans to attend Utica College to pursue a career in cyber security.
Oneidas Club President Bruce Burke spoke of some of the dinner’s history on Friday as well. Charlie Decker, the namesake and impetus behind the public safety dinner, was not an Oneida native. Instead, he grew up in Middletown, N.Y., where he served as a member of the volunteer fire department. Following his graduation fromcollege, Decker settled in Oneida, serving as the head of music department at OCSD for several years.
“Charlie had a big heart for the town he adopted as home,” Burke explained, adding that Charlie, who loved hanging out with members of the fire department, thought it would be appropriate if the city had a special event to recognize the brave work of its first responders. And though some initially voted against it, “nobody ever said no to Charlie Decker.”
“That’s what Charlie was all about,” Burke said.