[taxthedeer]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2012/1...1d230072722.txt

Exchange Club honors firefighter, police officer of the year

Firefighter Scott Kaletha, Michigan City Exchange Club President Dennis Schultz at the ceremony.

By Kelley Smith
Staff Writer

Published: Wednesday, October 24, 2012 5:06 PM CDT

MICHIGAN CITY — The Michigan City Exchange Club honored Michigan City Police Detective Marty Corley and Michigan City firefighter Scott Kaletha at the organization’s annual Safety Awards luncheon at the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 23 on Tuesday. Corley received the award for Police Officer of the Year, and Kaletha was named Firefighter of the Year.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the Michigan City Fire Department and the Michigan City Police Department in their day-to-day operations and how they perform,” Michigan City Mayor Ron Meer said.

When speaking about Corley and Kaletha specifically, Meer said, “Their commitment goes way beyond the eight hours a day they are on the job.”

Meer discussed the “different sides” of Corley, saying one is compassionate and is best showcased when Corley is working in the community. The other side, he said, is “all business,” the serious, professional demeanor Corley exhibits when he is working on a police case.



Kaletha, the mayor said, is professional, and at the same time, “he’s like the Pied Piper with kids.”

In addition to his award, Corley was celebrating the 12th anniversary of his service with the Michigan City Police Department. He is a member of the street crimes unit, where he assists with narcotics investigations and major crimes.

Police Chief Mark Swistek said that Corley’s personnel file contains nine letters of commendation, a service star and awards for having been named Police Officer of the Month for February and April 2012.

Police Lt. Cary Brinkman, who nominated Corley for Police Officer of the Year, told those in attendance about a running joke that police officers have about “Marty Time,” which causes Corley to run about five minutes off schedule.

Brinkman said that in addition to the 40-plus hours Corley spends performing his assigned police duties, he fulfills multiple roles within the community. To illustrate the long list of commitments, Brinkman read a bulleted list of 27 different capacities in which Corley serves the police department and the community.

Corley volunteers and mentors children at the Boys & Girls Club, Hours for Ours, the Man Up/GAP Youth Summit II, New Prairie High School and more. He also serves on about 10 different boards, commissions and committees. “Ask yourself,” Brinkman said, “could you keep ‘Marty Time’?”

Corley thanked the police department and his father for “opening doors” for him to become further involved in the community. He thanked his mother for instilling in him a good work ethic; his brother for teaching him that “when you shake a man’s hand, you look him in the eye.”

Corley thanked his sister for showing him the kind of wife he would like to have one day; and thanked his son for being a good student and always making him proud.

Kaletha has served with the Michigan City Fire Department for 10 years, and is currently a member of the C-shift, Engine 1 crew.

Deputy Chief James Young, of the fire department’s training division, nominated Kaletha for Firefighter of the Year.

Before he read the nomination letter he had submitted, Young told the crowd, “It all comes from the heart ... Scott has a positive attitude every day, comes with a smile on his face, and he gives 100 percent to the people of Michigan City.”

Young remembered Kaletha diving into Lake Michigan to save a drowning victim and tackling the most dangerous assignments at structure fires.

“As the station captain, I’ve been greatly impressed by Scott’s ability to motivate others, lift morale, maintain and project an outstanding level of service to the citizens of this city,” Young said. “I have personally witnessed Scott at highly stressful emergency scenes, and he demonstrates exceptional courage and compassion for the people we serve.”

Kaletha, a husband and father of three, uses his spare time to volunteer by working with school-aged children and cognitively impaired adults. He also has coached Pop Warner football for 10 years, and has led one of his teams to a national championship.

“I tell my kids that after a huddle, after a break, you have to hustle,” Kaletha said. “Hopefully this award will show the boys that when you hustle in life, good things happen.”

In each of their speeches, Corley and Kaletha recognized the dedication of their co-workers to serve and protect the community. The guests of honor said their fellow police officers and firefighters deserved the awards as much as they did.

[Ang]

Congratulations to both of these men on a job well done. I can see Marty being Chief of Police one day--and a fine Chief he woud make, too. Nothing against Mark, personally, I like the guy, but you can't sit behind that desk forever....

One comment I feel needs to be made though, and I apologize in advance if I offend anyone...

The Pied Piper took the children away from their parents because they wouldn't pay him for taking away the rats.

I wonder if that connotation was accidental, or intended? Hmm...