Pina, Lashbrook, Jones named Officers of the Year

Palm Coast Observer
Neighbors

The Flagler/Palm Coast Kiwanis Club hosted its seventh-annual Law Enforcement of the Year awards Wednesday, May 8, at Pattie’s Place at the Government Service Building.

From the Bunnell Police Department, Cpl. Sergio Pina was recognized for his dedication to the job.

“We always give the awards to guys that go out and catch bad guys, and Sergio Pina certainly does catch his share of bad guys, but that’s a very small percentage of what he actually does for this police department,” said Chief Jeffery Hoffman.

Pina, who has been with the department for four years, was acclaimed for the work he does behind the scenes. That afternoon, for example, he was driving fingerprints to Daytona Beach to be analyzed, and taking a computer of a suspected child pornographer to Sanford to be analyzed as well.

“Without him, we would not exist as a police department,” Hoffman said.

From the Flagler Beach Police Department, Patrolman Dennis Lashbrook was recognized. Lashbrook, who has been in the department since October 2008, is active on the county’s narcotics task force, S.W.A.T. team and is a field training officer.

In his spare time, he rode the Tour de Force from North Miami Beach to South Daytona to raise money for families of officers lost in the line of duty. Directly following the Wednesday ceremony, Lashbrook left to travel to West Virginia, where he will begin a 250-mile bicycle ride to Washington, D.C.

“This is quite an accomplishment,” said Chief Dan Cody.

Sgt. Larry Jones was the recipient from the Flagler County Sheriff’s Office. Jones, a 28-year veteran of the Sheriff’s Office, is presently assigned to the Palm Coast precinct.

Four years ago, he launched the Christmas with a Deputy program, which this past year allowed 100 children to shop with law enforcement officers around the holiday.

“It’s an amazing opportunity for children not only to receive gifts but also to have a positive experience with an officer,” said Sheriff James Manfre. “What you don’t often see is the other side of law enforcement — trying to make the community better.”