Rehoboth’s finest celebrated at annual awards ceremony

The Rehoboth Beach Police Department held its annual recognition banquet March 28, recognizing officers, emergency communications professionals and more for heroic responses and performance.

“Working in public safety can be a challenging career choice, but it’s also a noble profession,” said Keith Banks, RBPD chief. “It’s the least we can do, once a year, to offer recognition and appreciation for our public safety personnel’s service, dedication and exemplary performances. These officers and communications professionals make me proud every single day.”

The 2024 Police Officer of the Year Award went to Detective Brian Reynolds for his service as anchor of the department’s productive criminal investigation unit, instructor, problem-solver and leader. The detective’s efforts resulted in the arrests of several fraud suspects, including one with more than 40 victims.

Communications Specialist Gregory Tietmeyer was named Civilian of the Year for his work as a highly effective call-taker and his leadership as the call center’s training coordinator. In 2024, Tietmeyer successfully managed training for seven new dispatchers.

For their heroic efforts to provide first aid and save a life, the following officers received life-saving awards: Sr. Cpl. Jeffrey Bixler, Communications Specialist Dustin Crago, Pfc. Marie Fuller, Communications Specialist Cynthia Peters and Communications Specialist Steven Watson.

Fuller also received an Exceptional Performance Award for her compassionate care for a juvenile rape victim and, in the same case, her work on a suspect identification that demonstrated skills and professionalism indicative of a more experienced officer.

Commendations of Merit were presented to communications specialists in the city’s 911 call center for simultaneously training multiple new communications officers. Communications specialists recognized were Ryan Buff, Dustin Crago, Todd Reilly, Greg Tietmeyer and Steve Watson.

Sgt. Scott O’Bier, who will be retiring later this year, received the Chief’s Citation for his exceptional service, unwavering commitment and invaluable contributions to the department, particularly as firearms and Taser instructor. Master Cpl. Curtis Sauve was presented the Sustained Superior Performance Award. Sauve was recognized as the only officer to submit required activity reports with 100% accuracy not only in 2024 but over the past decade.

Patrol officers Timothy Chan and Rocco Esposito received Firearms Awards for achieving above-average scores in three or more consecutive firearm qualifications.

Several officers were recognized with Police Performance Awards, including: Pfc. Marie Fuller for most complaints investigated; Sr. Cpl. Jeffrey Bixler for most criminal cases closed; Cpl. Joseph Mulhern for exceptional traffic enforcement and investigation; and Sgt. Dana Wyatt for DUI enforcement.

In the 911 center, several communications specialists received recognition for their efficiency in responding to specific kinds of calls. Among those honored were: Ryan Buff for best overall score for emergency medical dispatch with a 96% overall performance score; Gregory Tietmeyer for fire dispatch with a 100% overall performance score and police dispatch with a 98% score; and Cynthia Peters for most complaints processed (1,692) and for most calls processed using ProQA software (755).