An award and recognition ceremony Thursday honored law enforcement officers and civilians for their efforts in keeping Chula Vista safe.
Among the stories was one about a detective who went above and beyond to make sure there was justice for a victim and his family.
It was just last month that a South Bay teenager was beaten by about 10 teenagers at the Cotixan Mexican and Seafood restaurant.
That was when Detective Anthony Molina said the community and the school police helped with the identification of the seven suspects. As a result, he was able to make a legal case.
Molina was given the Scottish Right Award as thanks for his tenacity and dedication he puts into his cases.
The award was presented to him by the victim's mother, Laura Martin, who told NBC 7 that, she feels relieved there were arrests made and that she is grateful.
“Being able to make the call to her family to be able to say, they're in custody, and to know that there will be some resolution to this,” said Molina.
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A second story out of this ceremony, honoring heroes, is the story about Sgt. Frank Giaimie, who was presented with the Officer of the Year Award by the Chula Vista Police Foundation.
Giaime was given the award for this outstanding work as the supervisor of the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT).
He tells NBC 7 that he introduces himself to citizens by his first name and tells them that he wants to hear their story and help.
"I'm not one for the limelight, when I found out I was receiving this award it really made me think of the team behind me and all the work and dedication they put in to make this a success," said Sgt Giaimie.
In 2016, the city recognized the urgent need to address the growing homelessness issue in Chula Vista. The HOT Team was created to find strategies to help people who find themselves on the streets.
“It's a complex issue, to be honest, we just used a common sense approach in addressing folks and understanding who they are, know their story and that took time and we were able to make some inroads,” said Giaimie.
This was the 27th Annual CVPD Awards and Recognition Ceremony. This ceremony helps tell the story of the daily efforts officers make to serve others and of the exceptional efforts made by members of the community for the greater good.
