Acknowledged for his expertise, enthusiasm and professional demeanor, PFC Kevin Baldassari is the Sully District Police Station’s Officer of the Month for January. He was honored during the Feb. 10 meeting of the station’s Citizens Advisory Committee.
Before presenting the officer with his award, Capt. Bob Blakley, the station commander, spoke about Baldassari, who works the evening shift.
“He truly is a leader out there, every single day,” said Blakley. “As a patrol officer, he has the cool, calm and collected [frame of mind] to do the job well. He’s also the field training instructor for new and auxiliary officers and is probably the best one we have. Guys like him risk their lives every day, and it’s heroes like this who keep us safe.”
In nominating him for the award, Baldassari’s supervisor, Lt. Jonathan Stern, detailed the officer’s many attributes. “PFC Baldassari has been selected as Officer of the Month based on his exemplary performance,” wrote Stern. “He’s been with the Fairfax County Police Department for 18 years and assigned to the Sully District Station for the past nine years.”
Stern also noted that Baldassari “has proven himself to be the epitome of a well-rounded patrol officer. He sets the example for what a police officer should be – completely knowledgeable about his profession, enthusiastic about the work, maintaining an expert knowledge of his community, and being a great communicator.”
“Baldassari recognizes his strengths and uses his positive attributes efficiently,” continued Stern. “Kevin is a modern example of the old-time beat cop — fair, knowledgeable, respectable, reasonable and, most importantly, effective. Because of these abilities, he’s been a field training instructor for many years. During 2015, he trained three new officers and one auxiliary officer.”
Furthermore, wrote Stern, “Kevin is an invaluable asset to his squad and supervisors, as well. He’s reliable and competent in his day-to-day job performance and goes way beyond the norm in order to ensure a safe and educated police force is on the job at the Sully District Station. PFC Baldassari is a dedicated and reliable employee and most deserving of this recognition.”