On the Job 

Each year, the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission shines a spotlight on the outstanding accomplishments of a select few men and women who have made notable contributions to the law enforcement profession. As in previous years, the honorees were recognized at the Law Enforcement Training Symposium,  which was held Sept. 28-30 at Kalahari Resorts & Conventions in Sandusky. 

Victoria Allen Civilian Leadership Award

Honors a “servant leader” who, in the spirit of the award’s namesake, works to unite neighbors and local law enforcement for the betterment of the community as a whole

Dena Hess | Managing Director, Woodward Opera House, Mount Vernon
As the managing director of The Woodward Opera House, Dena Hess has been pivotal in increasing its role as a community hub. Most significantly, she has leveraged her position to plan and present events that bring law enforcement and community members together — efforts that have significantly enhanced public trust and fostered positive relationships. One such event was a fundraiser in partnership with the nonprofit Arms of an Angel, a local drug-awareness outreach organization. The event featured the Knox Community Jazz Orchestra and raised money for the police department’s canine program. Along with the Mount Vernon Police Department, Hess co-founded the Police and Kids (PAK) United program. She spearheads the annual Heroes Softball Tournament for first responders and organizes the police department’s annual banquet.

Community Service Award (2)

Honors a law enforcement officer whose involvement in civic organizations helps to build bonds between police and the community

Officer Joel Altman | Sharonville Police Department
Officer Altman has made it his mission to help military veterans who fall through the cracks after returning from service. His efforts inspired colleagues on the Sharonville Police Department with military experience to band together in reaching out to fellow vets in crisis. Altman, a veteran of the Coast Guard and former federal police officer, initiated the veteran response program in his department with the help of the Ohio Attorney General’s Office, which encourages such initiatives at agencies statewide. Altman has helped veterans secure their military records and medals, find help with home repairs and ramp installations, and obtain services through the Cincinnati Veterans Affairs office. He also uncovered a home-health-care aide who was fleecing a veteran out of thousands of dollars and has helped arrange Honor Flights to Washington, D.C.

Officer Scott Brown | Dublin Police Department
As the resource officer at Dublin Scioto High School, Officer Brown proves that school safety and school spirit go hand in hand. Students and parents love his kind, thoughtful nature, an attribute exemplified by the nonprofit organization he established, Dublin Food for Thought, which supports students and families dealing with food insecurity. They also love the fun, engaging way he approaches the job, now immortalized on social media in dance videos with students. But his contributions go beyond the school. As a police department community liaison, he has built bonds not only with students but also with residents and business leaders. In 2024, he led training and outreach for the Safe Space Dublin initiative, which works with city agencies and businesses to designate havens for people facing hate crimes, discrimination, or personal crises.

Blue Line Award

Honors a law enforcement officer who is an innovator and has a knack for devising ways to improve day-to-day police work

Sgt. Nicholas Myrda | Mount Vernon Police Department
As supervisor of the Community Division, Sgt. Myrda has been instrumental in implementing programs that bridge the gap between the police department and community. His manner and enthusiasm make him a favorite among residents, colleagues, and especially children and teens. Among his achievements, he was a driving force behind Police and Kids (PAK) United, secured a grant to distribute several hundred bicycle helmets to children, collaborated with educators to launch Safety Town, organized fishing and archery events with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and Knox Anglers, and launched the department’s first Citizen Police Academy. He conducts presentations at churches and schools on public safety, and serves as the liaison to the Mount Vernon Association of Police Chaplains, supporting both officer wellness and community spiritual needs.

Training Award

Honors an individual whose instructional expertise has significantly influenced prospective and current peace officers

Chief Paul W. Hartinger, ret. | Blue Ash Police Department
Paul Hartinger was a police officer for 33 years in the city of Blue Ash and retired as chief. He became the Public Safety Services supervisor at Great Oaks Career Campuses where he helped them become one of the OPOTA Regional Training sites. He currently instructs basic and advanced law enforcement topics at Great Oaks. For decades, he has worked to bring modern, meaningful training programs to all levels of law enforcement throughout southwestern Ohio. In doing that, he works with local, regional, state, and national leaders. Since 2024, Hartinger has taught for OPOTA, including both basic academy and advanced courses, including the instructional skills course, field training officer program, virtual reality scenarios, several annual CPT courses, the new chiefs training program, and certification courses at the Law Enforcement Training Symposium. He is a certified instructor and coordinator in the regional Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) programs and in the Police Executive Research Forum’s ICAT Training Program.

Group Achievement Award (2)

Honors an outstanding accomplishment by a group of individuals resulting in a significant, positive and lasting impact on law enforcement and/or the public

Muskingum County Sheriff's Office: Detective Sgt. Brady Hittle, Detective Sgt. Matt Wilhite, Detective Ryan Paisley, Deputy Cody Kelly, Deputy Dustin Prouty and Auxiliary Deputy Drake Prouty
Zanesville Police Department: Detective Sgt. Phil Michel, Detective Michael Patrick, Cmdr. Derek Schilling
In the summer of 2024, the Muskingum County Sheriff’s Office and the Zanesville Police Department tracked and captured three jewelry thieves who had stolen $3 million in merchandise in smash-and-grab burglaries at stores in seven states. The thieves’ crime spree began in May 2023 in Illinois, then spanned the next 14 months and six additional states before ending in Zanesville. Tipped off by an FBI task force member that Zanesville was a potential target, Detective Sgt. Hittle organized the Muskingum County team, which used Flock cameras to locate the suspects’ car when it entered the area and watched its movements using a GPS tracker. Eleven days after officers began surveillance, the thieves struck a Kay Jewelers store, where they were arrested with $170,000 worth of jewelry. The men were convicted to prison terms ranging from 14 to 16½ years. 

Leadership and training staff, Ohio Tactical Officers Association
The Ohio Tactical Officers Association, a nonprofit organization dedicated to advancing the performance of first responders, launched the Tactical Patrol Officer Certification Program in partnership with the Ohio Peace Officer Training Academy to strengthen active-threat response and preparedness statewide. The program stemmed from the recommendations in February 2024 of the Attorney General’s Blue Ribbon Task Force on the Future of Police Training in Ohio. Building on the successful statewide rollout of standardized training on active-threat response, the OTOA team developed and implemented consistent curricula, regional delivery models, and instructor development protocols in all 88 counties. More than 5,000 officers from local, county, and state agencies have been trained through this initiative. The result is a scalable and operationally relevant program that transforms how tactical readiness — especially active-shooter response — is delivered statewide. The collaboration between OTOA and OPOTA stands as a benchmark in modernizing law enforcement training in Ohio.

Exemplary Response Award

Honors a law enforcement officer who saves or attempts to save someone’s life, or performs other exceptional actions, in response to a call for assistance

Deputy Christopher Culler | Champaign County Sheriff’s Office
While on patrol on May 30, 2024, Deputy Culler broadsided a BMW that had run a stop sign at an intersection north of Mechanicsburg, sending the car careening into a pond in a nearby yard. Though injured and dazed from the violent collision, Deputy Culler radioed for help, pulled himself from his disabled cruiser, tossed off his duty belt, and dived into the pond as the BMW began slipping below the surface. After several attempts to rescue the driver from the submerged car, he was joined by U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Paul Dangelo, an area resident who jumped in to help. After diving down to the car several times, the two were able to free the driver. Deputy Culler and the driver were treated for minor injuries.

Valor Award (2)

Honors a police officer who, despite risk to his or her own safety, demonstrates extraordinary courage in protecting other people from harm

Trooper Colin Acciavatti | Ohio State Highway Patrol, Special Response Team
On Nov. 11, 2024, Trooper Acciavatti, a sharpshooter with the Highway Patrol’s Special Response Team, was at home when he received a message from his command about a hostage situation outside Medina near I-71. En route to the scene, he was briefed on the situation and gathered information to determine the best position to set up in a sniper position. Earlier that day near Steubenville, Charles Alexander had abducted his 7-year-old non-custodial daughter and drove to northeastern Ohio, where he ditched his pickup, stole a U-Haul truck, and led police on a chase. He eventually pulled into an Arby’s parking lot after stop sticks deflated his tires. When Acciavatti arrived, he parked his Dodge Durango about 70 yards away, on the exit ramp from I-71. Though in Alexander’s line of sight, and despite the fact that Alexander had fired at police multiple times, Acciavatti climbed atop his SUV and took position. The girl was sitting on the man’s lap as he  held a gun to her head. Acciavatti fired a round through the small opening between the side-view mirror and the frame of the driver side window, killing Alexander and saving the child’s life.

Sgt. Kenneth Wohlheter | Carroll County Sheriff’s Office
On June 24, 2024, the Carroll County Sheriff’s Office fielded a 911 call from a woman in Minerva who said her husband was suicidal and had pointed a gun at her and ordered her out of the house. She said her husband had sought mental-health treatment but was turned away. Deputies Ken Wohlheter and Andrew Flowers responded, later joined by other deputies. When the man refused to come out, Deputy Wohlheter prepared for a barricade situation and radioed for help from area departments. He tried to keep the man talking, but a shot rang out and struck the deputy’s car only inches from his head. Maintaining his discipline and composure under fire, he directed his colleagues to take cover and, as they did so, attempted to distract the gunman. More shots rang out, pinning the deputies behind their cruisers. Sheriff Calvin Graham soon arrived with the department’s armored vehicle. After coordinating the recovery of his fellow deputies using the armored vehicle to shield them, Wohlheter eventually scrambled to the cover of the armored vehicle as well. During this time, a single muffled gunshot could be heard inside the home, where the gunman was later found dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.
 

Lifetime Achievement Award

Honors a retired law enforcement officer with a career-long history of extraordinary contributions to the profession

Sheriff Russell L. Martin, ret. | Delaware County Sheriff's Office
Russell Martin served his community for 42 years, first as an officer with the Delaware Police Department, where he rose through the ranks to become chief for the final eight years of his 31-year tenure there, then as Delaware County Sheriff for three terms. He is a past president of the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, and a member of both the International Association of Chiefs of Police and the Police Executive Research Forum. Praised as a teacher, mentor, and advocate and known for his integrity, compassion, and deep faith, Martin is frequently asked to speak at state and national conferences and trainings on the topics of leadership, ethics, and values. He is currently the volunteer board chair and an instructor at the Pointman Leadership Institute in Alton, Iowa.