NASHUA – Law enforcement officers are often called upon to complete extraordinary tasks – and 12 Nashua Police Department members are being recognized for exceeding expectations.

During the New Hampshire Congressional Law Enforcement Awards (NH-CLEA) ceremony in Concord on Friday, members of New Hampshire congressional delegation honored the law enforcement community, including 12 Nashua officers.

“We were well represented this year,” Nashua Deputy Chief Kevin Rourke said. “It goes year-to-year and it is different every year, and this year, we had a few more than some other years.”

The winners are selected by an independent committee of officers consisting of current and retired officials representing federal, state, county, and local departments.

Rourke said each member who received an award Friday, as is the case with all members of the department, comes to work not looking to be recognized.

“They come to work every day and do their job. They come here not looking to win awards – they’re just here doing their job on a daily basis,” Rourke said.

“They have such professionalism and dedication to the community,” he added. “These officers, on a daily basis, go above and beyond and they should be recognized for their great efforts.”

Rourke emphasized the high character displayed by the officers, who at times end up putting their lives on the line.

Nashua had three of the 11 recipients for the award recognizing those who have gone Above and Beyond the Call of Duty – which is awarded to officers who put their lives in harm’s way to help other, showing heroism and sacrifice under extreme circumstances. The Nashua officers receiving such recognition were James Ciulla, Shaun Mailloux and Greg Miller.

Nine officers from the department were also awarded for going beyond their normal duties as they received the Dedication and Professionalism Award. Those officers were Scott Ciszek, Colin Flanagan, Jeffery Page, Ian Therriault, Matthew Vincent, Kyle Ingersoll, Jonathan Turcotte, Nicolas Markarian and Lt. Keith Dillon.

Officials were proud to present all winners of the awards Friday, including U.S. Sens. Jeanne Shaheen and Maggie Hassan, along with U.S. Rep. Annie Kuster, all D-N.H.

“New Hampshire’s men and women in law enforcement go beyond the call of duty every day to keep our communities safe. I’m so glad we have the opportunity through these awards to recognize these heroes among us,” Shaheen said.

“New Hampshire’s law enforcement officers serve with dedication and bravery, and continually go above and beyond, putting their lives on the line and serving the public good,” Hassan said. “I am glad to join my colleagues in the New Hampshire congressional delegation to honor just some of the men and women – whether in uniform or not – who have demonstrated exemplary service to our communities.”

“Law enforcement officers put themselves in harm’s way every day to protect our communities,” Kuster added. “I’m proud to be a part of this ceremony honoring brave Granite Staters who have gone above and beyond to serve our communities and keep us safe.”

Mathew Plamondon may be reached at 594-1244 or mplamondon@nashuatelegraph.com, @telegraph_MatP.

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