April 26, 2024
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Marseilles Rotary honors officers on National Police Week

Club fetes ‘people who keep us safe, often at their own risk’

By Charlie Ellerbrock

The Marseilles Rotary Club recognized the city's police department on Monday as part of National Police Week.Rotary members Gene Carlson and Sherri Laitila, MPD’s Jake Callahan, Eric Yacko, Steve Kirsch, Alfonso Valdez, Michael Byrd, Todd Gordon, Brian Faber, Laurie Trager, Marseilles Mayor Jim Hollenbeck, Rotary’s Amanda Hart and MPD’s Michelle Gordon. (Charlie Ellerbrock)

The Marseilles Rotary Club knows the meaning of the words “community service,” so when members offer a tip of the cap to others who serve, it comes from folks who understand what it means.

The club opened its celebration of National Police Week by honoring and feting the Marseilles Police Department at Bobaluk’s Beef and Pizza Restaurant on Monday morning.

Chief Brian Faber, captain Todd Gordon, officers Michael Byrd, Jake Callahan, Steve Kirsch, Alfonso Valdez, Eric Yacko and administrative assistants Laurie Trager and Michelle Gordon were present.

They, along with absent officers Donald Weiss and James Buckingham and part-time officers Jon Kleckner and Trey Schorn, were described as “people who keep us safe, often at their own risk.”

Also honored was Marseilles Mayor Jim Hollenbeck, who was with MPD for 23 years, 30 years with the state of Illinois and four years with the FBI.

Rotary member Amanda Hart, whose husband is a 20-year veteran of law enforcement, explained the MPD in 2022 handled 17,437 calls – an average of over 47 per day – and in every single one, “officers are trained to expect the worst.”

“People don’t realize the things they deal with each and every day,” Hart said. “There’s no such thing as an ordinary call. For example, you go out on a call about a car that’s speeding and it turns out that drive has a warrant out for their arrest and suddenly, it’s a bad situation, a dangerous situation. It takes a special kind of person to take that kind of risk every day.

“Police seem to always get a bad rap and it’s time to put them in a place of respect, and in a positive light. This was a nice opportunity to get to do that (Monday).”

“It is a special day when we honor those who have lost their lives in law enforcement,” Faber said. “We appreciate you inviting us here and doing this for us (Monday).”