The UT Police Department has honored three employees for outstanding performance and service this year to the university and the community.
The award recipients seized weapons from suspects to keep campus safer, mentored fellow officers, and streamlined the university’s array of alarm systems to make them more efficient.
No ceremony was held this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. Employees were awarded their plaques individually.
The employees honored were nominated by their peers. They are:
Corporal Jeffrey Quirin—Officer of the Year. Quirin is a patrol officer and K9 handler. His name is synonymous with excellence, one nominator wrote. “A few things that stick out to me when I speak of Corporal Quirin’s work ethic is his dedication to seeing cases adjudicated, and his ability to help his peers and teach other officers the proper way to do police work.”
Quirin has been instrumental in revamping UTPD’s Field Training Officer Program and mentoring new officers. This year, together with his partner K9 Bruno, Quirin has seized seven guns from suspects along with two stolen bicycles and about $3,000, all with an eye toward keeping UT safe. He consistently leads the department in the number of felony arrests and reports written.
Corporal Jeffrey Quirin, left, is the 2020 Officer of the Year. He is pictured with UTPD Chief Troy Lane.
Sergeant Dale Wolf—Supervisor of the Year. Wolf is supervisor of one of the night shift patrol squads. In the past seven months, he has been the sole supervisor during the shift and has taken on the role of both lieutenant and sergeant. “Given that he has only been a sergeant since April 2019, he has responded well to the extra responsibility,” one nominator wrote.
As the only supervisor on Friday and Saturday nights, usually the busiest days for UTPD, Wolf constantly assists officers on calls for service. His squad is comprised of mostly young officers with less than two years of service. “Dale is committed to fostering a positive work environment for his officers and gives them guidance to make them successful,” the nominator wrote. “He is committed to making sound decisions for our police department and the university community.”
Sergeant Dale Wolf, left, is the 2020 Supervisor of the Year. He is pictured with UTPD Chief Troy Lane.
Joe Carriker—Noncommissioned Employee of the Year. Carriker is director of electronic security for UT Public Safety and oversees the university’s video surveillance and alarm systems. Since assuming the role almost a year ago, he has done a tremendous amount of work to bring the systems up to date. “He’s established a good inventory of alarms, which was previously unknown,” one nominator wrote. “He’s also done a great job of working with a vast array of personalities that come from our alarm customers across campus. He is always pleasant and maintains a calm demeanor when working with our customers.”
Another nominator wrote that Carriker is prompt and thorough when assisting with finance or payroll issues. “The central alarm billing process is going much smoother with Joe on the team,” the nominator said.
Joe Carriker, director of electronic security for UT Public Safety, left, is the 2020 non-commissioned staff member of the year. He is pictured with UTPD Chief Troy Lane.