Hoover chamber salutes 2018 public safety workers of the year

The Hoover Area Chamber of Commerce today honored the 2018 Hoover public safety workers of the year.

Detective Brandon Harris was named the 2018 Hoover Police Officer of the Year, while Stephen Finlen was named the Firefighter of the Year and retired Capt. Rusty Lowe was named Paramedic of the Year.

Additionally, Willie Young was honored as the 2018 Detention Officer of the Year, and Amy Appleton was chosen as the 911 Operator of the Year.

POLICE OFFICER OF THE YEAR

The Hoover Police Department chose Harris as its Officer of the Year because of his handling of a sexual abuse case involving a Hoover teenage boy and a youth evangelist.

In March of last year, the Police Department received a report that a teenager was the possible victim of sexual abuse by Paul Edward Acton Bowen, a youth evangelist who had been a co-host of a popular show on a youth-oriented Christian television network owned by the Trinity Broadcasting Network.

Harris, a member of the department’s special victims unit, was assigned as the lead detective on the case. He arranged interviews, gathered evidence and built a case against Bowen, who in April of 2018 was arrested on charges of sexual abuse, sodomy and enticing a child for immoral purposes.

As the investigation unfolded, evidence indicated Bowen had been involved in sexual relationships with teenagers in other jurisdictions, and Bowen is now facing similar charges involving a total of seven victims, Hoover police Chief Nick Derzis said. He is in jail, awaiting trial, with bonds totaling $2.5 million, Derzis said.

“Cases involving the sexual exploitation of children are some of the most difficult to investigate because they involve crimes the human conscience struggles to comprehend,” Derzis said.

“Harris exhibited an extraordinary amount of compassion, patience and determination as he went through the difficult process of investigating this case,” the chief said. “While the victims will have a lengthy recovery ahead, they can begin the healing process thanks to the work of Detective Brandon Harris and the team of investigators who sought justice for them.”

Two other Hoover police officers were named finalists for 2018 Police Officer of the Year: Cyle Cutcliff and Chad Logan.

Cutcliff was honored for identifying the supplier of a man who died of a heroin overdose and building a case against the drug dealer, who was sentenced to more than 24 years in federal prison, Derzis said.

Logan was honored for his work in finding and capturing a man who was charged with attempted murder and robbery in connection with the robbery of the Citgo gasoline station at 3551 Lorna Road on Dec. 7. He spotted the suspect’s vehicle turning into an apartment complex off John Hawkins Parkway and, when the suspect ran away from his vehicle after crashing into another vehicle, Logan helped set up a perimeter and again found the man, Derzis said.

FIREFIGHTER OF THE YEAR

Finlen was chosen as Firefighter of the Year not so much for one act of bravery or heroism, but for having good moral character, a strong work ethic and being a good role model, fire Chief Clay Bentley said.

Finlen has been with the Hoover Fire Department since February 2014 and currently works at Station No. 8 in Greystone.

In addition to his regular duties as a firefighter and paramedic, Finlen took on the responsibility of overseeing the maintenance and repair of the department’s self-contained breathing apparatuses, the air tanks and masks that help firefighters operate in smoky environments. The equipment includes small computers, so keeping them maintained is complicated and technical, Bentley said.

There are more than 60 of these across the city, and Finlen, with no extra pay, has attended certification classes to be able to repair them himself, saving the department thousands of dollars, Bentley said.

“He does that with extreme confidence and professionalism,” the chief said. “Our people wear this equipment every day, knowing it is kept in top order, and they wear it with confidence.”

Finlen also was recognized for helping save the life of a man who had suffered a cardiac arrest in the back of a tractor trailer in February.

PARAMEDIC OF THE YEAR

Lowe spent 30 years with the Hoover Fire Department and 37 years total as a firefighter before retiring on Sept. 1 as the department’s public information officer and emergency medical services officer.

His responsibilities included training all the emergency medical personnel, and he also taught paramedics more than 20 years at Jefferson State Community College. He is a tremendous leader and a great role model, Bentley said.

He has saved countless lives over his career but in 2018 was instrumental in helping save the life Hoover police Sgt. Brian Foreman, who went into cardiac arrest while working at the SEC Baseball Tournament in May.

Foreman was in his vehicle when it happened and was able to put out a distress call, but no one knew where he was initially. Lowe arrived to find police officers breaking into Foreman’s vehicle, and he began CPR on Foreman, who was unconscious, until someone else brought an automated external defibrillator.

Foreman went into cardiac arrest multiple times on the way to the UAB Medical West freestanding emergency room off John Hawkins Parkway and eventually went to Grandview Medical Center on U.S. 280 for further treatment. He is now back at work with no permanent cardiac damage, thanks to the work of Lowe and others to save him, Bentley said.

DETENTION OFFICER OF THE YEAR

Young was recognized for helping prevent a possible suicide attempt in the Hoover Jail in June. Inmates are given razors twice a week for a brief time so they can shave, and when Young and another officer were collecting the razors, one inmate said he accidentally flushed his razor blade down the toilet, Derzis said.

Young was suspicious of that claim and pulled two inmates aside to search them. As another officer was searching one inmate, Young noticed the other inmate pull a razor blade from his sock and place it on the floor, Derzis said. The inmate later indicated he planned to cut himself because he had just learned his mother had been diagnosed with cancer and was told she did not have much time to live, Derzis said.

Then in January of this year, Young noticed four inmates huddled suspiciously inside a cell for an extended period of time. The inmates were pulled out and separated, and the cell was searched. Officers found two AA batteries that had been removed from a TV remote control.

Derzis said inmates sometimes put batteries together with a razor blade to create a heat source to light up contraband that sometimes works its way into the jail, so Young successfully prevented that from happening.

911 OPERATOR OF THE YEAR

Appleton was selected as 911 Operator of the Year for her handling of the shootings at the Riverchase Galleria on Thanksgiving night.

She is an emergency communications supervisor and was training a new employee on the dispatch equipment that night when the call came in about shots fired at the Galleria and a person being down, said Linda Moore, who oversees the Hoover 911 Center.

Due to the seriousness of the situation, she immediately stopped the training and took over handling the police radio channel, Moore said. She quickly gathered details from officers on the scene, dispatched medics and maintained control of the radio and was the primary point of contact until the event ended, Moore said.

“Supervisor Appleton was a vital link in the public safety chain that ensured the safety of our police officer and firefighters and citizens of Hoover,” Moore said. “She is a great example of an extraordinary emergency communications officer who rose to the challenge under the intense, stressful circumstances of the incident to get the job done and to ensure the safety of our police officers and fire personnel and as well, again, our citizens.”

Turner Batson Architects and the Hendrick Hoover Auto Mall sponsored the chamber luncheon, as well as lunch and gifts for the award winners.