By BEVERLY BRYANT

News Staff Writer

Several members of the Ponca City Police Department were recognized last week at the Citizens Police Academy Alumni Association's annual awards banquet, held at First Presbyterian Church.

Police Chief Clayton Johnson presented the award for 2009 Officer of the Year to Det. Sgt. Regeneia VanArsdale.

VanArsdale joined the Ponca City Police Department in May 1982 as a Communications Officer. By March of 1983, she had been hired as a Patrol Officer beginning in the Patrol Division. While in the Patrol Division she was a D.A.R.E. officer working within the elementary and junior high schools. In March of 1994 she was promoted to Sergeant and remained in the Patrol Division until September of 2001.

VanArsdale has received a substantial number of hours of training in the techniques of investigating crimes against women and children and works closely with the Department of Human Services and the Dearing House. She is also a student at the University of Oklahoma working on her bachelor's degree.

VanArsdale also is one of the many that were recognized for exemplary work during 2009. Each received a letter of commendation from Chief Johnson.

Others receiving commendation were Officer Matt Biddinger, Officer Neil Gory, Sgt. Fred Landis, Sgt. Jennifer Ward, Lt. Jason Filtz, Lt. Anthony Rogers, Officer Jesse Kriebel, Officer Fabron Porter, Officer Juan Duarte, Lt. Tom Duroy, Officer Colin Daugherty, Communications Officers Lyndi Rowe, Anna Carlisle and Shyanne Long.

Also receiving commendations were members of the Tactical Team and members of the Special Projects Unit. Members of the Tactical Team include Patrolman Dana Fisher, Master Patrolman Dana Wilson, Sgt. Jerry Hall, Lt. Clint Wood, Lt. Anthony Rogers, Det. Sgt. Brian Dye, Sgt. Tucker Hodgson, Sgt. Fred Landis, Sgt. Jeff Woodward, Master Patrolman Kevin Jeffries, Officer Rob Hughes and Officer Fabron Porter.

Special Projects Unit members include Lt. Clint Wood, Sgt. Jerry Hall, Master Patrolman Kevin Jeffries, Master Patrolman Dana Wilson and Officer Juan Duarte.

Chief Johnson solemnly recognized the July 9, 2009, loss of Citizen Police Academy Alumni and active Extra Eyes Member Dennis Kinkaid.

"Dennis was an advocate and a volunteer for our department and we miss him greatly," he said.

Retirements in 2009 from the Ponca City Police Department and 911 Communications included Lt. Don Dickerson, Sgt. David Hill, Communications Supervisor Margie Tebow and Communications Officer Larry Kitchens.

"These members served our community a combined total of nearly 100 years of service. We continue to benefit today because of the contributions that our predecessors have made," Johnson said.

Service milestones in 2009 also were recognized.

Department spokeswoman Sherry Bowers completed 25 years of service in January 2009. Deputy Chief Dwaine Vincent completed 25 years of service in May 2009.

Lt. Randy Tyner graduated from the FBI National Academy in Quantico, Va., in September 2009.

Promotional certificates were presented at the banquet to Communications Supervisor Beverly Frazier; Master Patrolman Dennis Cummings; Sgt. Tim Coble; Sgt. Jennifer Ward; Lt. Jason Filtz; and Lt. Anthony Rogers.

Support staff member of 2009 for the Ponca City Police Department is volunteer Glea Means.

Support staff is a non-sworn member of the Ponca City Police Department and nominated by a member of the department. The nominations are then given to a committee of previous recipients for evaluation and selection.

"Glea has had a direct impact on every member of our department. We are proud of you and grateful for your service to our community and to our department," Police Chief Clayton Johnson said when he recognized Means' contributions at the Citizen Police Academy awards banquet.

Means was one of three volunteers who attended AFIX Tracker system training in Dallas in 2003. AFIX is an automated fingerprint analysis system which the Ponca City Police Department began using in 2000. When a subject is arrested, he is fingerprinted as part of the booking process. Prior to the AFIX system, once the cards were sent to the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation, the process stopped. Since the AFIX tracking system was initiated, every set of fingerprints is scanned into the system.

There have been a number of crimes solved since the AFIX system was initiated, even when the investigators had no suspect information. With a match through AFIX, the proof appears.

Area law enforcement agencies have collected fingerprints at crime scenes and asked that those prints be run through the AFIX system. To date, the Kay County and Osage County Sheriff's Offices have solved cases through AFIX, as have the Blackwell and Tonkawa Police Departments and the Bureau of Indian Affairs. During 2009 a total of 29 matches were made, a record number since the system's inception.

Volunteers Glea Means and Ford Lasher logged 1,136 hours of recording, processing and searching fingerprints, palm prints and latent prints on the AFIX system. They have also given presentations to community groups and organization about AFIX. Means and Ford have scanned 6,537 prints into the AFIX system collected from 1,131 crime scenes.

"Without these volunteers, we wouldn't have been able to staff the AFIX program. I have no paid employees trained on the AFIX system. We rely strictly on the dedication of these volunteers," Johnson said.

Officers in the Citizen Police Academy Alumni Association are President T.L. Walker, Vice President Lowell LeFebvre and Treasurer Glea Means.