A police staff assistant who talked a man out of committing suicide. A couple who helped a disabled man from his car before it exploded into flames. A group of police officers who rescued apartment residents from a burning building.

Those were just a few of the dramatic stories told Monday night when members of the Edmonds Police Department, their families and friends and community members gathered for the department’s 11th annual awards ceremony. With one notable exception, all of the awards were given for service in 2011.

At the end of the evening, Sgt. Karl Roth was awarded the department’s Chief David N. Stern Memorial Officer of the Year Award, named after the Edmonds police chief who died of an aneurysm five years ago. The award was presented by both the American Legion Frank Freese Post #66, represented by Commander John Bustard and Les Abel, and the Rotary Club of Edmonds, of which Stern was a member. (Stern’s wife Darlene and Doug Purcell, both Rotary members, did the honors.)

Edmonds Police Chief Al Compaan noted that the ceremony was held on Peace Officers Memorial Day, aimed at recognizing the 900,000-plus law enforcement officers serving across the United States. “In particular, we remember the almost 20,000 law enforcement officers who have made the ultimate sacrifice and have been killed in the line of duty since the first recorded death in 1792,” Compaan said.

Here are Monday night’s awards in order of presentation:

CITIZEN SERVICE CITATION, awarded to citizens who assisted the police department:

To Alexandria Jason, who on July 23rd, 2011, was walking with some friends when she found a wallet containing “a significant amount of cash” but no identification. She took the wallet home and talked with her father, and they called police. The wallet contained $362.

“Given that there was no identification in the wallet, it would have been quite easy for Alexandria to have kept the money,” noted Edmonds Police Sgt. Mike Blackburn, who provided narration for the awards ceremony. “However, she did what was correct and honest; she told her father and then called the police to turn the wallet in. After the required 60 days had passed and the owner had not claimed the property, the wallet and the cash within it were released to Alexandria; it does pay to be honest!”

To Robert Elder, his wife Erica and his mother Darla, who on Dec. 22, 2011 were leaving their home in the 22500 block of 73rd Place when they rescued a driver from a burning vehicle. The driver, who used a wheelchair, was having difficulty getting out of the car on his own after it caught fire. Robert and Erica helped the man out and into his wheelchair, and got him to safety while Darla Elder called 911.

“Within seconds of Robert and Erica assisting the gentleman from the car, it became fully engulfed in flames,” Blackburn said. “As a result of the quick, selfless actions of the Elders, as well as their willingness to get involved, a tragedy was most certainly averted.”

To Tom Bach, who on Nov. 7, 2011 was operating his City of Edmonds street sweeper along Olympic View Drive when he noticed three men leaving a residence on foot. “Mr. Bach knows that the resident of that particular house happens to be an Edmonds police officer and that it did not appear that the subjects belonged at the house,” Blackburn said. Bach noted the vehicle description and license plate, and also saw that the side door to the home’s garage had been forced open.

After calling the officer and confirming that the subjects did not belong at the residence, Bach called 911. Officers quickly arrived and determined that a burglary had in fact occurred. “As a result of Mr. Bach’s actions, the suspect vehicle was quickly located near Alderwood Mall; the suspects were taken into custody, and Mr. Bach positively identified the three subjects that he had seen leaving the residence,” Blackburn said.

To Erik Larson and Austin Peterson, two Edmonds Police Explorers who were assisting with traffic control at the June 5, 2011 Waterfront Festival when they observed an intoxicated driver crash his vehicle into a fence near the Amtrak Train Station. Larson, an Explorer captain, and Peterson, an Explorer sergeant, radioed for police assistance and — when the suspect turned violent after the responding officer arrived — stayed with the officer until back-up assistance could respond.

AWARD OF EXCELLENCE, based on nomination by a supervisor, and is given to a department employee whose actions deserve recognition:

To Officer Tony Collins,  who in 2011 led the department with 53 DUI arrests. This is the second year in a row that Collins, who works the 3 p.m. to 3 a.m. shift, has led the department in apprehending DUI drivers.

LETTER OF COMMENDATION, to department employees or officers from other law enforcement agencies, who perform particularly noteworthy acts or service:

To Officer Don Kinney, who on Dec. 21, 2011 was on routine patrol at 9th and Main when he apprehended a driver who was acting suspiciously and turned out to be a residential burglary suspect.

To Officers Bill Nelson and Jason Robinson, who worked diligently over the past year to track down group and individual photographs of Edmonds police personnel in preparation for the department’s centennial celebration.

To Officer Bill Nelson, for his efforts on Dec. 1, 2011 to the save the life of a woman suffering from a drug overdose at a Highway 99 motel.

To Police Services Assistant Amy Collins, who was off duty and driving her private vehicle near Alderwood Mall on Sept. 6 when she observed a suicidal man ready to jump off an Interstate 5 freeway overpass.

Collins called out to the man to get down but he ignored her, so she yelled at him repeatedly, Blackburn said. “Finally, the man acknowledged Amy’s efforts to help him. He informed her that he was experiencing a mental breakdown and needed help, and Amy assured him that she had already called for help.” Collins invited the man to sit down on the roadway curb while the two of them waited for police. “Moments later officers arrived on the scene and ultimately transported the man to a local hospital for mental health treatment,” Blackburn said.

To Detective Shane Hawley for his efforts in 2011 to update the police department’s Field Training Officer manual.

To Corporal Michael Richardson, who in February 2011 arrested a man suspected of robbing the Edmonds Pharmacy on 212th Street five times before finally being apprehended. After the Feb. 14 robbery, Richardson single-handedly apprehended the suspect and another man in a car in Mountlake Terrace. “As a result of Detective Richardson’s quick thinking and subsequent actions both subjects were charged with and convicted of robbery and all five cases were cleared,” Blackburn noted.

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE CITATION FOR VALOR, awarded to a department employee who performs an act of heroism in the face of personal injury or risk of life, and LETTER OF COMMENDATION:

To Officers Jodi Sackville, Ryan Speer, Earl Yamane (Citations for Valor) and Sergeant Jeff Jones, Corporal Mike Richardson and  Officers Davidson Lim, Andy Mehl and Jason Shier (Letters of Commendation). Due to the nature of the incident, this award was for actions performed in February 2012. The award was related to the dramatic rescue of residents from a fire at Park Ballinger Apartments. Richardson, Yamane, Speer, Mehl and Sackville were in the process of contacting a burglary suspect at the apartment building at 3 a.m. when the fire broke out. The lights in the building went out but officers continued their rescue efforts, Blackburn noted.

“Officers Yamane, Speer and Sackville continued to evacuate residents from the two burning apartments. While Officer Sackville was evacuating a disoriented, elderly gentleman, she was overcome by smoke. Sergeant Jones, Corporal Richardson, and Officer Lim continued to evacuate the residents from the bottom floor of the building. Officers Lim, Shier and Mehl assisted by directing the fleeing residents to an area of safely away from the burning building,” Blackburn said.

Richardson, Shier, Yamane and Speer returned to the same complex two days later and arrested the burglary suspect without incident.

NON-COMMISSIONED EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR, nominated by fellow department employees and is reflective of the recipient’s significant achievement and dedication.

To Kari Hovorka, who serves as the Domestic Violence Coordinator for both the Edmonds and Mill Creek police departments. Hovorka reviewed 859 domestic violence cases for the City of Edmonds and 367 DV cases from the City of Mill Creek.  At any one time, she is likely to be working 40 to 60 active domestic violence cases between the two cities, Blackburn said. “In addition to this busy workload, Kari continuously looks for ways to improve both departments’ overall service to domestic violence victims,” he added.

CHIEF DAVID N. STERN MEMORIAL OFFICER OF THE YEAR, nominated by fellow department employees and then selected by previous recipient’s of the award, and is reflective of the recipient’s significant achievement and dedication.

To Sgt. Karl Roth, nominated by last year’s winner Tony Collins, for his tireless efforts to provide police services for Edmonds’ many special events. Roth is also “extremely active with the Target Zero program, including coordination, budgeting, and training for extra DUI patrols in Edmonds and throughout Snohomish County,” Collins said in nominating Roth. “He has attended numerous meetings for the regional task force, working closely with our law enforcement liaison, with many of the aforementioned meetings routinely taking place on his days off.”