Banquet to honor Seattle police employees

Dozens of Seattle Police Department employees will be honored Friday at the Seattle Police Foundation's 8th annual awards banquet.

The awards for valor, courage, excellence and distinguished service will recognize "outstanding" achievements over the past year, according to the Police Department.

Among those honored will be an officer who ran into a burning building to alert residents their apartment complex was on fire; a parking-enforcement officer who gave medical aid to two people in one day; and an officer who stopped a car from rolling downhill and caught two suspects.

The foundation's banquet, which is not a public event, will be at the downtown Sheraton Seattle Hotel and feature as keynote speaker Anthony E. Zuiker, the creator and producer of the CSI television shows.

Approximately 900 employees and family members are expected to attend the banquet, which annually raises money to support public-safety initiatives throughout the year.

According to a Police Department news release, Officer Marcus Martin will receive a Medal of Valor for running into the Henderson Arms Apartment on Feb. 26 when he realized residents didn't know the building was on fire.

Police said Martin quickly realized the fire alarm wasn't working and fixed it, then raced from floor to floor alerting residents to the danger.

All but two residents escaped serious injury because of Martin's "heroic efforts," police said.

Another Medal of Valor will go to Officer Eric Faust, who responded to a call of "shots fired" July 6, planted his own patrol car in front of an unoccupied car that was rolling downhill, was thrown from the car and still managed to chase and detain two suspects.

Parking Enforcement Officer Ken Newlin will be awarded the Medal of Courage for medical assistance to two people in one day.

On July 21, Newlin tended the wound of a delivery-truck man who had been knocked unconscious by the roll-up door of his vehicle.

A few hours later, he administered CPR to a woman who had overdosed on heroin, police said.

Both individuals survived, police said.

Officer Chris Meyers, who will be named Officer of the Year, is a "knowledgeable, highly proficient patrol officer" who "completely surpasses mundane expectations with almost startling regularity," police said.