Manassas City Police Department INVESTIGATIVE MERIT AWARD

OnDecember 19th, officers were dispatched to a local restaurant for a stabbing. The stabbing victim advised that he was confronted by known gang members who questioned his gang affiliation. The victim told the suspect that he was not involved in a gang. A physical fight ensued, with several suspects and the establishment staff spilling outside to the parking lot. Officer Ricapito was the first to arrive on the scene and quickly determined that the victim suffered severe stab wounds. Officer Ricapito provided first-aid treatment to the victim to stop the bleeding until medical personnel could arrive. The victim was stabbed in the chest, and the suspect proceeded to flee the area. Due to the severity and location of the stab wound, the victim was flown to a regional trauma center. Master Detective Turpin responded to the scene and began the investigation. Detective Turpin conducted numerous interviews and collected multiple pieces of evidence with Officer Ricapito. Master Detective Speights and Detective Dranko were also assigned to the investigation and began conducting follow- ups. Collectively and through their investigative efforts, Detectives Speights and Dranko identified the stabbing suspect. Al Detectives worked countless hours to locate and eventually arrest the suspect, who was found in Prince William County. It should also be noted that these cases are exceptionally difficult to investigate and require extensive crime scene processing and analysis.

Manassas City Police Department VALOROUS MERIT AWARD

OnDecember 7, 2022, Sergeant Jones was advised by dispatch that a subject in a chatroom hosted by the National Suicide Hotline needed assistance. The Hotline was only able to provide a phone number. Sergeant Jones ran the number through databases with negative results. Sergeant Jones then sent a text message, introducing herself and asking if they would talk. The unknown individual texted back, advising that she was a female juvenile. The juvenile reported that she was contemplating suicide but had not made any attempts. The youth stated she felt she could not seek help and feared retribution from her parents. The conversation continued well into

Sergeant Jones off duty time as the juvenile would not provide identifying information but continued to text Sergeant Jones, who never gave up trying to help. During this time, the youth revealed she was a “cutter” and had tried to “strangle” herself in conversation pauses. Based on the exigency, Sergeant Jones initiated a ping on the cell phone. The ping returned to Loudoun County, which was notified and sent deputies to the area. Eventually, deputies located the juvenile and took her for a mental health evaluation. The last message Sergeant Jones received was from the youth, stating, “I’m ok I’m being seen.” While it cannot be quantified, Sergeant Jones may have saved a young life by utilizing her skills perfected through years of service to bring a potentially tragic situation to a positive ending.