This honor is awarded annually to a uniformed member of the ETPD who demonstrators professionalism, ethics, initiative and other traits.
Officer Randy Molina of the Evesham Township Police Department was recently named as the recipient of the ETPD’s 2018 Officer of the Year Award.
According to police officials, the honor is awarded annually at the discretion of the department chief to a uniformed member of the ETPD who demonstrates a combination of professionalism, ethics, initiative, outstanding job performance, dedication to the goals and objectives of the department and service to the township.
Just some of Molina’s accomplishments throughout the year are as follows:
- Molina located a physical assault by a subject who was hallucinating on illegal narcotics and fled on foot. Molina was able to catch the subject after a brief foot pursuit and contain him using minimal amount of force to await medical arrival.
- Molina located a suspect vehicle in the AMC lot. Through his thorough investigation, he was able to determine the subjects were utilizing illegal narcotics and recovered a loaded .40 caliber handgun in the car.
- Molina responded to a bank robbery in progress with an indiviudal wearing a disguise who had just fled on foot with $1,400. Upon his arrival, Molina located a female in the area who had cash protruding from her pocket. She was quickly apprehended and the officer was able to locate her vehicle in the surrounding area that contained the discarded clothing that she wore in the bank.
- Molina assisted officers during a motor vehicle pursuit where several subjects fled the Sprint store after stealing several thousand dollars worth of merchandise. After the pursuit ended in Mt. Laurel, Molina assisted a K-9 officer on a mile-long track where he located subjects hiding along the turnpike. Molina gave chase across the six lanes of the turnpike and was able to apprehend all three subjects.
- Molina responded to senior citizen complex in town for a report of a 94-year-old male who was choking and could not breathe. Upon his arrival, the officer could not gain access to the building and had to run a considerable distance to gain entry through another entrance. Molina located the male on the floor and was not breathing due to obstructed airway. The officer worked diligently to remove the item from the airway and was subsequently successful where he immediately began CPR efforts to save the male’s life. After a few rescue breaths the subject began to breathe again and was transported to the hospital in stable condition. Officials say the subject would not be alive it was not for Molina’s efforts.
