J. A. Matas
Police
Maria Daum’s luggage didn’t come through baggage claim at Bush Intercontinental Airport. It was 5:50 a.m., and her baggage had everything in it, including her purse.
Continental assured Daum, a 20-year flight attendant, that only three bags had been stolen since increased security measures were implemented after 9/11. The bag would probably arrive on the next plane, they told her.
With just $22 dollars on her, Daum checked into a Marriott room that she’d already reserved. They gave her a toothbrush and mouthwash, and she bought a T-shirt.
Later that morning, two men from the airline’s loss-prevention division brought her the luggage, which had been found in a men’s restroom.
She cried, Daum wrote. “I’m not a sissy, but something in me broke that day. I cried all day. I did not care about the credit cards or the stolen money. My biggest concern was that this man went through the pictures of my children, and had stolen checks with my address on them.”
When Officer J.A. Matas called to take her report, he reassured her that whoever took her checks probably wouldn’t come after her family, Daum wrote.
“He actually listened to me when I was hysterical. And he calmed me down. I compare him to Dr. Phil because of his voice and understanding nature,” she wrote.
“You can’t pay someone to truly care about people. It’s either in their nature or not. This man cares.”
Kenneth Motley
Police
When Peggy Boice picked up her 85-year-old parents at Hobby Airport, a bellman helped carry their luggage to the car. Boice loaded it into the car and they left.
Forty-five minutes later, Officer Kenneth Motley called to tell her she’d left a bag on the curb, Boice wrote. The bag contained medicines and other valuables.
Boice dropped her parents off and then headed back to the airport. But she got stuck in rush hour traffic, so it took her twice as long as expected to get there. While she waited, she called Motley several times to assure him she was still on her way.
When Boice arrived, the employee with the key to the luggage room was on her break, so Motley asked a fellow officer to explain to the traffic officers why Boice had to wait at the passenger drop-off area.
After 10 minutes, Motley brought Boice the bag. When she asked him how he’d gotten her number, he said he’d called several of the numbers he’d found on a slip of paper inside the bag.
“All we ever hear about in the news are the rare stories of police mistakes,” Boice wrote. “It is sad that the media don’t instead report on what I feel sure are the many cases where our police officers show their sensitivity to the needs of people in our community.
“Thank you, Chief Harold Hurtt, for having compassionate and understanding officers like Officer Motley on your force.”
M.D. Zientek
Police
After his bike was stolen from the community swimming pool, John Yeates found a man on it at a local gas station. But by the time a police officer arrived, the man had ditched the bike and run away, Yeates wrote.
Officer M.D. Zientek displayed great interest, Yeates wrote. He took Yeates’ report and later called him for more information. The next day, Zientek told Yeates that he’d contacted a suspect and asked if Yeates would look at a photo lineup to identify him.
Yeates positively identified him.
“I was pleasantly surprised when Officer Zientek did not discount the minor crime but actually took ownership of the situation and demonstrated perseverance, exceptional investigative work and a true concern for the citizens in Kingwood,” Yeates wrote. “Officer Zientek realized that although the theft of a bicycle does not compare to the major crimes Houston police officers must investigate, the theft of my bicycle remained serious to me.
“By continuing to watch for and apprehend the suspect, Officer Zientek has made Kingwood and Houston a safer place.”
Edna Brown
Police
A pit bull had bitten a homeless man and snapped at the children in his neighborhood, said Oscar McGarr. When Officer Edna Brown responded to his call for help, she noticed the dog wasn’t acting right, so she called animal control before positioning herself between the dog and McGarr’s residence, giving him and the children a chance to get inside his house.
When animal control arrived, Brown helped capture the dog.
“I’m grateful for the service Officer Brown provided, and she should be commended for a job well done,” McGarr said.