By Jason Heid, Allen American (Allen, Tex.)
The 26-year-old Allen Police corporal hadn’t bothered to put on shoes when he drove to pick up his wife from work at Allen Premium Outlets one day last year. It was just supposed to be a quick trip.
But when he saw a fellow officer in need of assistance, he didn’t let his lack of footwear hold him back.
Cleveland spotted an officer patting down a suspect in the mall parking lot, when suddenly the suspect ran. And so Cleveland jumped for his vehicle and pursued.
“It really wasn’t until we had the cuffs on him that I realized my feet were messed up,” he said. “I was going to go to church that night, but I couldn’t go because my feet hurt so bad.”
(The reporter didn’t inquire about the legality of driving without shoes.)
The incident was one of several cited Saturday as Cleveland was named 2003 Officer of the Year at the Allen Citizens Police Academy annual awards banquet.
“That just shows what kind of person he is. He’s willing to get involved and assist,” said Police Capt. Robert Flores.
Cleveland was chosen for the honor by a committee representing each division of the Allen Police Department. He was also cited for helping to arrest thieves at Allen Premium Outlets and help recover, as part of a SWAT team, thousands of dollars worth of merchandise they had stolen.
Preventing a suicidal man from taking his own life with a knife, without any harm to the man or anyone else, was also mentioned as part of Cleveland’s 2003 resume.
“He just handles his business in a very professional manner. He’s very dedicated to the profession,” Flores said.
To Cleveland, all the actions he takes are simply part of doing his job, a job he loves.
“There’s a lot of fun involved in what I do,” he said. “Like any job, there are peaks and valleys, but the peaks, they outweigh the valleys.”
Cleveland’s served as a police officer for five years, first in Amarillo and since 2000 in Allen. He said any officer would have done what he did in each of the incidents for which he was recognized.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized by your fellow officers, your peers and your supervisors,” he said. “For some reason, I was the person chosen to be at these times in these places.”
Cleveland said his experiences of the last year have taught him at least one valuable lesson.
“Every time I go do something now, guess what: I’m wearing shoes.”
Several other department personnel were honored at Saturday’s banquet.
Investigator Phyllis Jackson received the Chief’s Award for sworn officers. Jackson was recognized for her work performance, which included filing 142 cases with the Collin County District Attorney’s Office for prosecution during 2003. She was the lead investigator in a murder-suicide case and worked numerous aggravated assault crimes during the year.
Bill Summers, a service technician, was awarded the Chief’s Award for non-sworn officers, for “his exemplary work ethic and hard work,” according to the department.
Al Treat received the Chief’s Award for department volunteers. Treat is a graduate of the fourth class of the Citizens Police Academy. He volunteered more than 700 hours at the police department during 2003.