Those who went above call of duty honored at Salem Co. law enforcement event

The Salem County Law Enforcement Recognition Awards Ceremony, sponsored by The Salem County Chiefs of Police Association and the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office, was held Thursday, June 9, 2016 at the Salem County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge in Pennsville. Penns Grove Police Sgt. John Stranahan, who received the James A. McManus Officer of the Year Award, speaks at the event. (Special to the Times/B.J. Ayars)

By Bill Gallo Jr. | For NJ.com

Original article: http://www.nj.com/salem/index.ssf/2016/06/those_who_went_above_call_of_duty_honored_at_salem.html#incart_most_shared-salem

Saving the life of a man whose throat had been cut by his wife, stopping a large shipment of drugs before it made it to local streets, pursuing a robbery suspect armed with a loaded gun.

These are just three of many instances in which law enforcement officers working in Salem County went above and beyond the call of duty — often putting their own lives at risk — to protect the community they serve.

The Salem County Law Enforcement Recognition Awards Ceremony sponsored by The Salem County Chiefs of Police Association and the Salem County Prosecutor’s Office pays tribute to these outstanding individuals.

On Thursday, the annual awards ceremony was held at the Salem County Fraternal Order of Police Lodge in Pennsville.

“It is important to take time each year to recognize the bravery and heroic acts of Salem County law enforcement officers,” Salem County Prosecutor John T. Lenahan said.

“As important as this program was back in 2004 (the year it was first held) it is even more important today. Police officers have a very difficult job and they perform it with dignity, respect and professionalism.”

“The 2016 Police Chiefs Association Awards Luncheon was a great success, recognizing those who have gone above and beyond in service to their communities,” said Pennsville Chief of Police Allen J. Cummings, president of the Salem County Chiefs of Police Association. “Some of the incidents they were involved in were real eye-openers.

“With law enforcement personnel of this quality, it makes me feel comfortable the people of Salem county are safe. We are such a small county, but everybody works together as a group to come together to get the job done.”

The top award at the ceremony was the James A. McManus Officer of the Year Award. The award is named after the late James A. McManus who, in 1959, was named Salem County’s first chief of detectives and served 30 years in the post until retiring in 1989.

This year’s recipient was Penns Grove Police Department Sgt. John Stranahan. Stranahan joined the Penns Grove force in 1988. He was promoted to sergeant in 1992 and then assigned to the detective unit in 1994.

Stranahan has made many arrests involving suspects carrying loaded guns. He has been involved in more than 3,000 drug arrests and has solved hundreds of other crimes, officials said.

Over his career, Stranahan has been the recipient of some 60 letters of commendation and awards for his work, including the Congressional Award for his assistance during 9/11.

He also serves as chief of the Carneys Point Fire and Rescue Department.

Here is a full list of the awards presented:

James P. McManus Officer of the Year Award