National Police Week occurs every May, and on Monday, May 15, our Police Department commemorated National Peace Officers Memorial Day with a brief memorial service. The service paid tribute to officers who lost their lives in the line of duty in the State of Michigan from the start of 2022 to the present.

On Tuesday, May 16, Auburn Hills police officers were honored for their dedication to the community during an awards ceremony held at the Auburn Hills Community Center. The department acknowledged the men and women who performed outstanding acts of service and bravery in the past year.

The Chief’s Award went to Mariuz Skomski for his exceptional contributions to the agency, training new hires and preparing young officers for solo work. Additional commendations recognized agency members and departmental units for performing efficient and valuable service to the department, and for displaying an extremely high degree of professional excellence in difficult programs, projects, or situations. 41 recipients were called to the stage to receive awards from Chief Gagnon and Deputy Chief McGraw while Sergeant Brasil shared brief background stories about the events that earned the recipients recognition.

A welcome address from Chief Gagnon and an invocation from Police Chaplain Quentessa Tuff, touched on the mental load required to perform a police officer’s work. Chief Gagnon explained that law enforcement officials are out there every day serving citizens at a time when those citizens are experiencing the worst day of their lives. We don’t often hear about the Auburn Hills Police Department and the services they provide and that’s usually because law enforcement only makes the news when it is bad news. AHPD does a remarkable job diffusing potentially dangerous situations before they escalate into adverse circumstances. Take a moment to thank a police officer this week and join us in recognizing the invaluable work our Police Department does to keep our community safe.

Lisa Passalacqua, Community Engagement Manager