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A police corporal wounded in the line of duty, two young detectives eager to make a difference in their community, and the Village of Dundee's do-it-all sergeant have beennamedthe 2020 Monroe County Police Officers of the Year.

Detective Michael Swiercz of the Monroe County Sheriff's Office, Detective/Trooper Jordan Long of the Michigan State Police-Monroe Post, Cpl. Renae Peterson of the City of Monroe Police Department, and Sgt. Randy Sehl of the Village of Dundee Police Department received their awards Thursday at the Exchange Club of Monroe's annual banquet. While attendance was limited due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, a group of law enforcement members and elected officials gathered to recognize not only the four honorees, but the thousands of other police officerswho risk their lives to protect Monroe County.

"...It is a most challenging time to serve as a police officer, particularly with the proliferation of firearms and perplexing lack of respect for authority...," saidMonroeCounty Circuit Judge Mark S. Braunlich, chairman of the recognition program andemcee of Thursday's banquet."Despite the danger from ambushers and criminals willing to engage police in combat with firearms, the Thin Blue Line holds. Regrettably, the Thin Blue Line is increasingly shrouded with a black veil. These sobering news reports and tragic deaths are a stark reminder of the dangers our law enforcement professionals face each and every day while protecting and serving our communities.

"We must not take for granted their service and sacrifice. We must foster and reinforce the respect due to police officers."

Braunlich went on to say that one of the things that makes Monroe County unique is the level of cooperation that exists between the various components of its criminal justice system.

"An exceptional working relationship exists between police and prosecutors, between police and judges, between prosecutors and judges, and finally between the judges themselves," he said.

Cpl. Renae Peterson, City of Monroe Police Department

Monroe Police ChiefCharlesMcCormick's voice wavered several times as he recounted how Cpl. Renae Peterson was severely wounded in acarjacking and gunfire exchange that occurred last May.

A 17-year veteran of the police force, Peterson was responding to a report that two male suspects had pistol-whipped a victim before stealing the victim's vehicle by force. Peterson made contact with the suspects, but she was ambushed and fired upon by one of the two young men.

"Although she was critically wounded, she fought back like the warrior that she is," McCormick said. "She returned fire towards him, and forced him to retreat and flee the area on foot."

Both McCormick and Peterson acknowledged the quartet of officers whoresponded to the scene to assist Peterson and pursue her shooter and his accomplice. They both thanked Officer Seth Gonyea andLt. Dan Clanton, who worked together to apply pressure to Peterson's wounds, as well as officers Ryan Parise and Jacob Winter, who along with deputies from the Monroe County Sheriff's Officepursued the suspects on foot and apprehended them before they could cause further harm.

Gonyea and Clanton were previously awarded the Monroe Police Department's Life Saving Award, while Parise and Winter earned the department's Medal of Valor.

This is Peterson's second Officer of the Year award, as she also received onein 2016. For her actions in the May shooting, she has also received the Monroe Police Department's Medal of Valor and Purple Heart awards.

"She's battled cancer, she's battled bullets, and I'm proud to give her this award," McCormick said.

In her acceptance speech, Peterson cited the Bible verse Isaiah 6:8: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?'And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'"

"I have a passion to protect the innocent, to protect those who call upon us for help," she said. "I now my coworkers in the department feel the same way, because this is what we do... Thank you again for allowing me to share some of my appreciation, and I want everyone to know I have so much more to give in law enforcement.

"When citizens need help, we answer 'send me.'"

Detective Michael Swiercz,Monroe County Sheriff's Office

When Monroe County Sheriff Troy Goodnough arrived at the scene of theFebruary 1 shooting in Frenchtown Township, he was almost immediately approached by Detective Michael Swiercz.

"He took it upon himself to enlighten me, he said 'Sheriff, I'm in charge here, this is my case,'" Goodnough said, smiling as he toldthe story to the guests at Thursday's banquet. "That's the kind of leadership we want in the sheriff's office... As a new detective, Michael jumped in with two feet, working on complex, major felony investigations that are typically reserved for veteran detectives. We truly value the dedication and commitment Michael brings to the sheriff's office each and every day."

Swiercz said he is "truly honored and humbled to be chosen among equally deserving officers I work with every single day."

"Above all, I have to thank my family for their understanding, and their support, and especially their patience with me as I've grown in my police career," the South Rockwood native added. "Mine and all the family members in here deserve awards for all the sleepless nights and stresses our careers put to them."

Detective/Trooper Jordan Long of the Michigan State Police-Monroe Post

Michigan State Police First Lt. GregMorenko, commander of the Monroe post, explained that his department typically honors a uniform trooper with the Officer of the Year award.

"We decided to go with a detective/trooper this year...," Morenko explained in introducing Detective/Trooper Jordan Long. "This award, not to sound sappy, but it's kind of special to me. I remember Jordan when he was a brand new trooper, and I've gotten to see him turn into who he is today. It's been fun to watch, and I'm proud to see what he's turned into."

Long's commanding officer, DetectiveLt. MarcMoore, said that Long has time and time again proven he's willing to do whatever it takes to get the job done.

"There might be nights where he works until 8, 9, 10 o'clock at night, then comes in in the middle of the night to follow up on an investigation, which could mean putting trackers on cars, or pulling trash, or doing surveillance," Moore said. "That wears somebody down, it's tough on the person and their families. A lot of flexibility goes into the job, and a lot of it is for the greater good. (Long) does this consistently, he works many hours, comes in early for search warrants, stays in late for whatever cases that he's working on. I can't stress that enough, how important that is."

Moore went on to praise Long for his willingness to use every resource at his disposal during an investigation.

"He's been with us a few years now, and the guy has been a rockstar," Moore said. "We're a small team of guys, and we're all kind of grasping for time based on priorities, but everybody kind of follows Jordan because he really does lead the way.

"He's an outstanding detective."

Long did not give an acceptance speech, but he did thank his wife as well as Morenko and Moore.

Sgt. Randy Sehl of the Village of Dundee Police Department

Dundee Village Manager Dave Uhl said that Sgt. Randy Sehl has always been the go-to guy of the village's police department, dating back to when Uhl was the police chief.

Uhl was the one who hired Sehl back in 1996. Sehlruns the department's Volunteers in Police Service (VIPS) and Shop-With-a-Cop programs, as well as its social media accounts. He's also been a DARE officer for 17 years, with well over 3,000 children going through his classes.

"I've always considered him an all-around officer...," Uhl said. "If there's a difficult situation, or if there's a disgruntled citizen or a sticky situation that needs to be handled, I'll always send Randy out to calm the situation down and talk to everyone. I can tell you, about every time, there's no further complaints after Randy has handled a situation. He's that kind of go-to guy."

Sehl said that law enforcement is a team effort. He also encouraged his fellow officers to stay positive in the face of the negativity law enforcement as a whole has faced due to recent events across the country.

"Just stay positive," he said. "This is my 32nd year as a police officer, I'm proud to say that I'm a police officer and I will continue to do that."

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Monroe County police officers vetted at annual award banquet - Monroe Evening News