Officer Ed Stress of the Key West Police Department's Traffic Safety Division has been chosen by the Civil Service Board as Officer of the Year for 1999.
Capt. Bill Fortune, who nominated Stress, was particularly impressed with Stress' ability to obtain state grant money. The division just acquired two specially designed vehicles paid for by grants obtained by Stress, along with computers and other specialty equipment.
Stress has been with the department for ten years, nearly all of which was spent as a motorcycle officer in the Traffic Safety Division. The veteran officer has nearly 20 years in law enforcement. He is one of only two officers in Monroe County certified in traffic accident reconstruction. He is also certified to conduct traffic homicide investigations.
Before coming to Key West, he worked for 10 years at the Fort Worth, Texas, Police Department, rising through the rank of detective to administrative assistant to the deputy chief of detectives.
Civil Service Board Chairman John Dillon presented Stress with an honorary plaque at Tuesday's Key West City Commission meeting.
This Sunday, May 7, is Local's Day at the Key West Aquarium, Key West Shipwreck Historem and Flagler Station Over-sea Railway Historeum. If you can prove you're a Monroe County resident, you can visit any of these attractions for free. Local's Day is scheduled for the first Sunday of every month.
."Locals day is a great opportunity for the residents of the Florida Keys to come down and learn about the rich history of our island," says Piper Smith, Vice President of Marketing. "If you can't make it for Local's Day this month, don't despair, because we have a big surprise for locals coming this June."
The Greater Miami & The Keys Chapter of the American Red Cross anounced this week that Joan and Edward Knight have been selected as the Florence Spottswood Humanitarians of the Year. This is the sixth annual award and is named after Florence Spottswood, who founded the key WEts Chapter of American Red Cross in 1917. Previous winners have been Mary Spottswood/Spottswood Family, Mayor Emeritus Wilhelmina Harvey, Dr. Herman Moore, Anne McKee and last year's winner Dorothy Sherman.