John Stein was golfing at Rockland Lake earlier this year when his wife noticed someone else on the course having some difficulties.
Stein went over and saw the man wasn’t breathing, so he started administering CPR. Stein performed CPR on the man for about 10 to 12 minutes until the first officers from the Clarkstown Police Department arrived. Officers Thomas Flanagan and Charles Owens were the first to get there, and they used a defibrillator on the unresponsive golfer.
The officers assisted in giving the man CPR until the medics arrived to transport him to Nyack Hospital, where the man became coherent and responsive.
On Sunday, Stein was given a Civilian Lifesaving Award during the Clarkstown Police Department’s Recognition Ceremony. Flanagan and Owens were given lifesaving awards as well.
“The award is that he’s still alive and gets to still see his family,” Stein said. “This is nice for me, but far less important than that.”
At the ceremony, officers from the department and civilians were honored for their work during the past year. Scholarships were also given out to high school seniors, and more than 30 members of the Youth Police Academy graduated their 10-week program. The graduates attend Clarkstown North and South high schools and Nanuet Senior High School.
Police Chief Michael Sullivan spoke to the crowd in the parking lot of the police department about all the equipment and training used to keep Clarkstown safe, such as mobile computers, emergency life-saving training and a state-of-the-art emergency communication and command center.
“None of these things would mean anything or have any impact if we didn’t have the most important resource of all: some of the finest, most qualified men and women in law enforcement today,” Sullivan said. “I appreciate everything you do. To all the men and women of the Clarkstown Police Department, I appreciate everything you do every day all throughout the year.”
Clarkstown Police Department Officer Keith Garrabrant was selected as the Officer of the Year.
“Keith has always conducted himself in a manner that brings credit to our department, and he’s a wonderful representative for all the men and women who wear the badge in the Clarkstown Police,” said Clarkstown Policemen's Benevolent Association President John Hanchar.
Garrabrant, a former chief of the Valley Cottage Fire Department, has been with the department since 1988, and is the emergency management coordinator. His work during Tropical Storm Irene and the October snowstorm last year were brought up in his introduction as some of his exemplary work.
“We had some extraordinary weather patterns last year,” Garrabrant said. “It wasn’t just me doing all the work, though. The police department, town hall and emergency services played a big role in keeping the town safe.”
Garrabrant added he thinks the award, while given to him, is for the work of many.
“We had long hours, a lot of long days, last year,” he said. “I wasn’t the only one there late.”
Still Garrabrant was happy to earn the award.
“I’m very honored to receive it,” he said. “There are a lot of great officers in the department, so to be picked as the officer of the year is really something.”
2011-2012 Award Recipients:
Lifesaving Award:
- Police Officer Thomas Flanagan
- Police Officer Charles Owens
- Police Officer Andrew Kelly
- Police Officer Brian Quinn
Excellent Police Service:
- Sgt. Steven Chernick
- Det. Alan Fehsal
- Police Officer John Hanchar
- Police Officer Patrick Kivlehan
- Police Officer Peter Monroe
- Police Officer Robert Reilly
- Det. Thomas Sheehy
- Police Officer David Trois
- Police Officer Joseph Dwyer
- Det. John Fredericks
- Police Officer Andrew Kelly
- Det. Robert McDonald
- Police Officer Rodney Picott
- Police Officer Kevin Ryan
- Police Officer Keith Teneyck
- Police Officer Michael Valentino
Meritorious Police Service 2nd:
- Police Officer Gary Bromm
- Police Officer Lee Davies
- Police Officer Daniel Martin
- Police Officer Robert Reilly
- Sgt. Steven Chernick
- Police Officer Daniel Maloney
- Police Officer Brian Michel
Meritorious Police Service 1st:
- Police Officer Orlando Cruz
- Police Officer Robert Fortune
- Police Officer Kevin Quinn
- Police Officer Thomas Flanagan
- Police Officer James McCormick
Lifesaving Award - Civilian:
- John Stein
- Peter Eckhart
Officer of the Year:
- Keith Garrabrant
Clarkstown PBA Scholarships:
- Alyssa Breslow
- Clare Gilroy
- Kelly Voglio
Chief G. Robert Schnakenberg Scholarship:
- Harrison Weissberg
Detective Sergeant James L. Doyle Scholarship:
- Robert Arbuco
- Jennifer Cole-Hatchard
- Martin Cummings
- Patti Kelly
- Thomas Lawrence
- Courtney Quinn
- Jack Trois
Youth Police Academy Graduates
Clarkstown North:
- Marissa Camacho
- Michael Depietri
- Tommy Garchitorena
- Dylan Graney
- Josh Jacobs
- Rashaun Jemison
- Andrew Korsky
- Eric Murphy
- James Murray
- Alen Pjetrovic
- Frank Regalbuto
- Carla Serani
- Jeanine Siegel
- Wes Sippel
Clarkstown South:
- Erik Aguilar
- Eliza Brutyan
- Erica Carchichabla
- Ryan Donnellan
- Billy Muller
- Alexandra Recupero
- Ashley Tolentino
Nanuet:
- Jon Brown
- Tyshaun Brown
- Gedeon Fayimir
- Chris Hudak
- Patrick O’Hara
- Dylan Sierpinski
- Shelby Silva
- Chris Smith
- Jonathan Stanaj
- Rachel Tasaro
