COMMUNITY NEWS
Police Captain Mike Dean is City Employee of the Year S cotts Valley Police Captain Mike Dean is the City of Scotts Valley Employee of the Year for 2020. He was recognized at the Feb. 17 City Council meeting, a virtual meeting due to COVID-19 safety precautions. The award honors extraordinary above-and-beyond service to the Scotts Valley community. Dean stood out in a year that was first marked by a global pandemic that upended all normality, shuttering local schools and businesses, and then by lightning-triggered uncontrollable wildfires that forced thousands of residents (and businesses) to evacuate for over a week. All this happened at a time when the Police Department had to provide public safety service despite the challenges of a staffing contraction, fierce storms and power outages. n ••• The City’s Resolution Whereas, in such a year, the City employee who rose to meet these challenges—and then some—shatters the definition of extraordinary commitment and effort in service to the City and is deserving of rich commendation; and Whereas, throughout 2020 and beyond, Police Captain Mike Dean has epitomized excellence and exceptional service, and in a year that tested the City to the limits, provided a steady hand, zealous protection of the community, phenomenal leadership, generous partnership with colleagues and the community, devotion of outstanding effort, and endless perseverance through the cascade of challenges; and Whereas, no matter the scale or scope of the work, Police Captain Mike Dean repeatedly answered the call of service: he took on the role of Acting Sergeant and actively patrolled the streets of Scotts Valley to fill shifts; he assumed the workload of both Captain positions and the Detective Sergeant when attrition winnowed staffing; he imbedded himself in the CZU Basecamp to provide liaison and logistical support to provide protection to Scotts Valley through the wildfire event; he shouldered the hiring and recruiting for the Police Department, reviewing over 100
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Scotts Valley Police Capt. Mike Dean applications and interviewing 75 candidates through the course of the year, resulting in the placement of 10 new employees; he coordinated with the District Attorney’s Office to ensure criminal cases would continue to be investigated upon the City’s staffing shortfall; he addressed adequacy of equipment and vehicles to ensure our officers had replacement cars and safety gear for their protection; he was instrumental to install enhanced personal protective measures, policies and equipment to keep our officers safe throughout the pandemic; he took on building maintenance coordination for the Police Department and City Hall proper as a whole; he marshaled in the Next Generation 911 installation, which constituted the largest dispatch system upgrade in over a decade; and, in innumerable ways, he supported the success of the City organization in its most difficult year since its formation in 1966; and W hereas, with the gratitude of the City of Scotts Valley, Police Captain Mike Dean is honored as the 2020 City of Scotts Valley Employee of the Year.
www.tpgonlinedaily.com Scotts Valley Times / March 2021 / 7
