The second annual Awards & Recognition Ceremony took place on October 6th, 2023. At The View Restaurant in Quincy, MA. The Awards and Recognition ceremony is not only a time to celebrate, honor and appreciate the recipients. But also, a time to pay tribute to Hispanic Heritage month, a month-long celebration to recognize the many contributions, diverse cultures, and extensive histories of the Latino Community to the USA. This culturally diverse group includes people with ties to Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean and Spain.
We want to extend our sincere gratitude to all who submitted nominations and those who took time out of their busy schedules to attend the ceremony. Special thanks to Quincy Police Honor Guard for their presentation of the flag. Deanna Tarraza for her beautiful rendition of the national anthem. Our event emcee, Oscar Margain from NBC10-Boston and our guest speaker, DEA Supervisory Special Agent Catherine Agudelo.
Of course, all this would not be possible if it weren’t for our award recipients and special recognition candidates for their extraordinary dedication and professionalism to the law enforcement profession and the communities they serve and protect.
The Massachusetts Latino Police Officers Association received various nominations for the Awards & Recognition Ceremony in the areas of Community Service, Mentorship, Leadership, Life Saving and Officer of the year. Due to many outstanding nominations, the selection was rather difficult one for the Awards committee; therefore, a few nominees were selected to receive a special recognition certificate for their contributions to the communities they serve as well as the law enforcement profession.
Awards Recipients:
Community Service Award
Officer Nashley Gonzalez, Babson Police Department
Life Saving Award
Officer Andressa Rosa, Franklin Police Department
Mentorship Award
Lieutenant Carmelo Ayuso, Massachusetts State Police (retired)
Leadership Award
Officer Angelica Guerra, Cambridge Police Department
Officer of Year Award
Officer Alfonso Manzueta, Framingham Police Department
Special Recognition Certificates:
Officer Minerva “Rosie” Vazquez-Browne
Brockton Police Department
Sergeant Candice Doyle
Swampscott Police Department
Officer Jose Ruiz
Boston Police Department (retired)
Officer Oscar Santos
Brookline Police Department
Officer Alex Juan Cheung
Belmont Police Department
Officer Julio Quiles
Wilmington Police Department
Sergeant Christopher Ponte
Cambridge Police Department
Thank you to our officers’ families, and their respective departments for the support. The examples they have set and continue to set in their respective communities help further the trust of our profession. We are grateful for all that you do and hope to see you at our next gathering.
Respectfully,
MLPO- Executive Board