Two officers and two civilian employees who work for the Tucson Police Department will be recognized as “unsung heroes” at a celebration in two weeks.
The Tucson Police Foundation, a nonprofit fundraising arm for the Police Department, introduced the recipients at a reception Thursday at McKale Center’s Hall of Champions.
The Unsung Heroes Awards were created to recognize officers and civilian personnel “who go above and beyond their regular call of duty by volunteering their time, expertise and heart to a cause which benefits the men, women and children of Tucson,” said Bonnie Faircloth, executive director of the foundation.
The winners will be honored at a banquet Jan. 23 at Loews Ventana Canyon Resort.
The recipients being honored are:
Sgt. Paul Sheldon
Sheldon has been on the force 16 years and works in Operations Division Midtown supervising the Community Response Team, which proactively addresses crime by working with neighborhood residents.
When he is off-duty, he volunteers as a board member of My Team Triumph of Southern Arizona, a nonprofit organization that was founded for people with disabilities to be able to participate in triathlons or road races.
Sheldon, a distance runner, pushes developmentally and physically disabled children in race wheelchairs in 10Ks, 5Ks and marathons. He also helps raise funds to purchase specialty equipment and to cover entry fees.
Officer Matthew Merz
Merz is a 16-year veteran of the department and is assigned to the K-9 unit. He worked several years in patrol serving as a training officer and lead police officer, and also was a member of a specialized response unit.
He is a skilled laborer and his “most impressive attribute is his willingness to help his fellow officers,” say his peers. One of those he helped was Sgt. Robert Carpenter, who was shot in the head when he responded to a burglar alarm in 2012.
During the sergeant’s recovery, Merz fixed a major leak in an upstairs bedroom at the Carpenter family home, and he retiled a bathroom. He has helped numerous officers with various projects — asking for nothing in return.
He also started a charity, Flags for the Fallen, a foundation dedicated to honoring officers killed in the line of duty. Volunteers raise funds in order to give grieving families an engraved metal American flag.
Minnette Powell
Powell has been employed by the department for six years. She works in the finance section and provides fiduciary oversight for the multi-agency Southwest Border High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, known as HIDTA. She manages more than $12 million a year that supports the agency’s initiatives statewide.
In addition, Powell is an Air Force veteran and has received numerous military recognitions.
She is also active in community service, including her work with the Erik Hite Foundation. The foundation provides a child-care center and family outreach programs for children of public safety personnel.
Powell also volunteers with the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, which is an organization that brings clergy, churches and community organizations together to collaborate on making Tucson a better place for families. She also works with the Interfaith Community Services Food Bank, and offers her singing talent as a soloist for TPD ceremonies.
Debbi Rees
Rees has worked for the department 23 years and is now a technician in the Automated Fingerprint Identification System unit, also known as AFIS.
When off work, she volunteers every week with Therapeutic Riding of Tucson, where she helps children with special needs through horse riding and other physical therapies. Rees volunteers with the organization as a “side walker” and is responsible for the safety of the riders by knowing basic horse riding skills and technical aspects of horse riding.
Chairman’s Award
The foundation also honored Arizona Oncology for supporting officers with more than $100,000 in the last five years for training and equipment.
