As a way to honor and thank these "Good Samaritans," the Los Gatos Rotary Club sponsored the 15th annual Los Gatos­Monte Sereno Police Department recognition luncheon on May 5 at the La Rinconada Country Club. The event, according to Sgt. Joe DePrima and crime prevention officer/volunteer coordinator Gwen Cross, was a way to acknowledge members of the community and officers extremely dedicated to the police force and to Los Gatos and Monte Sereno.

"Everybody likes to be recognized," Cross said. "The event is to appreciate the people in the community going beyond what they have to do and the officers going beyond what they have to do."

The luncheon—attended by about 150 people—also kicked off National Police Week 2004 May 9­15 and May's National Police Month, which honors officers who have died in the line of duty across the country.

The luncheon featured comments and award presentations by Rotarian Phil Couchee, Police Chief Scott Seaman, Sgt. Tam McCarty, Los Gatos Mayor Steve Glickman and Monte Sereno Mayor Erin Garner, as well as a tribute to fallen officers with Jay Tuttle on the bagpipes. District Attorney George Kennedy served as keynote speaker.

"It's always an impressive event," Couchee said. "I've been going to it for six or seven years now."

A certificate of appreciation was distributed to Lee Fagot, director of The Outhouse located behind Los Gatos High School, which is run by A Place for Teens, a nonprofit organization that provides a place for teenagers to hang out, interact and participate in activities without drugs or alcohol.

Monte Sereno resident Alan Aerts received a certificate of appreciation for his devotion to the community through the Special Olympics program and his Senior Care Program. And Tom Chang, owner of the Garden Inn Hotel at 46 E. Main St., was also recognized with a certificate of appreciation.

"Tom has always been supportive of the police department over the last 15 years," Cross said.

Chang cordially provides his facilities and conference rooms to accommodate the police department for banquets and events, Couchee said.

"These are community leaders that we have bonded with—a partnership to better the community," DePrima said.

DePrima added that commendations were awarded to Officer David Perez, Officer Todd Fleming, Officer Carlos Torres and Officer Erin Lunsford, as well as Sgt. Kerry Harris and VIP Bill Mercer, DART Commander Bruce Barry and San Francisco resident Gus Arellano.

Cross said Perez's award came as the result of his response to a call a couple months ago about a possible suicide by an elderly man who had left his house with a loaded handgun. Perez caught up to the man and initiated a car stop, DePrima said. While officers are trained to wait for backup, Perez took the initiative to approach the man and placed him in handcuffs before anyone was harmed.

Fleming was recognized for spotting and responding to an apartment fire on Carlton Avenue in Los Gatos, Cross said. She said his initial actions to start extinguishing the fire reduced the overall damage.

"With his quick action and thinking, he got out the garden hose," DePrima said.

Torres and Lunsford were responsible for performing CPR on a woman with a history of heart trouble who was unconscious and not breathing at a Los Gatos fitness center. They saved her life before paramedics arrived, Cross said.

Harris and Mercer were praised for coordinating the Community Emergency Response Team, a program that trains citizens through hands-on instruction about topics such as disaster preparedness, basic medical aid, light search and rescue and putting out small fires. Mercer is also a longtime volunteer and manager of the town's emergency operations center.

Barry was commended for running the police department's Disaster Aid Response Team, while out-of-towner Arellano was applauded for an unusual, successful and touching rescue, Cross said.

DePrima said Arellano, a San Francisco resident, stopped by his buddy's house in Los Gatos late one night, after having car trouble on his way home from Monterey. Arellano noticed a fire had started inside and knew the elderly father of his friend resided at the house. The air-conditioning unit had fallen inside the house and exploded to start the fire, Cross said.

After pounding on the front door to no avail, Arellano broke out a window and entered the smoke-filled home, helping to extract the 91-year-old father from the home. The elderly man had been sleeping or was unaware the fire had started, DePrima said, and at first resisted Arellano's help because he didn't recognize Arellano.

"He saved that guy's life," DePrima said.

Three "Officer of the Year" awards were distributed to school resource officer Michelle Stanfill, officer Steve Wahl and detective John Campos. Stanfill works in the juvenile educational division of the police department running programs like Every 15 Minutes, Challenge Day, D.A.R.E. and Adopt-A-Cop. She holds a position intended for two people, which has been consolidated into one position because of cuts to the police department's budget.

Officer DePrima described Wahl as being a "cop's cop" who demonstrates excellence on patrol and offers many valuable attributes to the force. Cross said Wahl has a "sixth sense at finding bad guys and solving cases."

Campos became a detective toward the end of his career, DePrima said, and is now leading the detective bureau. Cross said Campos has handled several suicide cases and solved a serial bank robbery case.

The luncheon also featured a special presentation recognizing the retirement of Duino Giordano, former captain of the police department, who worked there for 34 years.