Police Officer of the Year Award Goes to PNHS Resource Officer

Rich Meszaros, a school resource officer at Plainfield North High School, has been named the Plainfield Police Department's 2010 Police Officer of the Year.

Meszaros, who joined the department as a patrol officer in 2002, has been the resource officer at PNHS since it opened in January 2007. In the summer, he's part of the department's motorcycle unit.

Among the 2010 accomplishments Meszaros was recognized for was first place standing in the July Click It or Ticket campaign, with 35 occupant restraint citations; second place in the Route 30 Corridor Traffic Safety Campaign, with 28 citations; completion of the certified lidar instructor program; membership on the strategic planning committee, which created the 2010-14 Strategic Plan; and completion of an update of the Employee Evaluation Database and System, of which he was the original creator.

He was also cited for his participation in the American Cancer Society Relay for Life, St. Baldrick's, Shop with a Cop and Cell Phones for Domestic Violences.

The department also named executive assistant Angela Winiarski as its 2010 Civilian Employee of the Year.

Winiarski was hired in 2001 as a part-time records clerk and was subsequently promoted to court secretary and then exexutive assistant for patrol operations in 2004. Among her duties is to help ensure the statistical analysis of patrol data is error-free and to assist the commander and sergeants with a variety of administrative tasks.

She is also co-captain of the department's American Cancer Society Relay for Life team and helps keep photographic records of the department's activities throughout the year.

In both awards, the winners were nominated by their peers.