Page 6 THE VILLADOM TIMES IV • May 20, 2009 Ramsey Patrolman Timothy Shoemaker of the Ramsey Police Department recently received a trio of honors. In the last few weeks, he has been named 2009 Drug and Alcohol Resistance Education Officer of the Year for his innovative effort to promote the core values of the DARE program, was named 2009 John Rinaldi Award winner by the 200 Club of Bergen County, and accepted the 2009 Shield Award presented by the Ramsey Knights of Columbus. Shoemaker joined the Ramsey Police Department in December of 1996. Before he joined the borough’s force, he was a police officer at Fairleigh Dickinson University. At FDU, he spearheaded several community policing initiatives and helped develop a software program that enabled the force to track incoming calls for service. He was promoted to sergeant just one year out of the academy, and continued to train FDU’s employees for several years after he left his post at the university. He holds an associate’s degree in criminal justice from the County College of Morris and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice and social studies from Caldwell College. He is a three-time summa cum laude graduate and a member of American MENSA and Northern New Jersey MENSA. At 19, he graduated at the top of his class at the Morris County Police Academy. He is currently an instructor at the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute. Shoemaker is a DARE instructor, emergency vehicle operations instructor, and field training officer, who also is also involved with technical and supervisory in-service training. He speaks both Spanish and English, and serves as a translator for local police agencies. “Since being hired by the Ramsey Police Department, Tim has developed into a fine police officer,” Ramsey Police Chief Bryan Gurney said last week. “As many officers do, Borough police officer receives trio of honors Spring Is Here! SPRING LANDSCAPE PROJECTS Now is the right time to start plans on your ����������������� ������������������ ������������������������ ���������������� ����������������� ������������������ ��������������� ��������������� �������������������� ���������������� Tim was able to find an area that he excelled in. In May 2004, Tim successfully was certified as a DARE instructor. Once Tim started teaching, he hit the ground running. His natural ability to teach has rejuvenated our DARE program. Events such as the Ziti Dinner, DARE Skate Night, (and) DARE Fishing Derby, have all been very well attended by students, parents, as well as the entire community. “Tim’s most successful DARE endeavor is the innovation of the DARE Idol. DARE Idol is formatted much like the American Idol competition which can be seen on television. Hundreds of children have performed in this idol competition. The culmination of the DARE Idol Competition is where the 10 finalists perform in front of sellout crowds in high school auditoriums. All three of the DARE Idol winners perform at various community celebrations. Officer Shoemaker proudly holds his son will as he makes his acceptance speech Recently, the three DARE Idol winners sang at the New Jersey State DARE Convention in Atlantic City. The main purpose of the DARE Idol competition is not to see who is the most talented, but to promote self esteem and achievement for all of the contestants. “Words cannot describe how proud I am of Tim. His work ethic and dedication to the school children is unprecedented. The people of Ramsey as well as the State of New Jersey are extremely fortunate to have such a dedicated person teaching their children of the dangers of drugs and violence.” At 33, Shoemaker is an accomplished presenter and innovator. He recently helped develop a county-wide training program now being implemented through the Bergen County Law & Public Safety Institute. ������������������������ ��������������������� �������� ����������� FREE No Obligation Est. & Design ����������� Weeping Pine Nursery ������������������������� ������������ YOUR NEIGHBORHOOD NEWSPAPER ������������