The Peace Islands Institute Syracuse chapter (PIIS) in collaboration with Turkish Cultural Center of Syracuse (TCCS) held its first annual Law Enforcement Appreciation Dinner on March 27, 2015 at Syracuse, a gathering to celebrate the dedication of law enforcement officers that bravely serve the people of Syracuse. Award recipients were honored for their courageous efforts and cited for their role in protecting communities and resolving conflicts.
Frank Fowler, Chief Executive Officer of the Syracuse Police Department, was the keynote speaker for the event. He acknowledged many challenges they face in Syracuse and praised those in the law enforcements in Syracuse, NY. “Community support is extremely importance for our job,” he declared. He also offered words of thanks to TCCS and PIIS, saying, “Thank you for your hospitality, this is very important for the law enforcement as we do what is often described as a thankless job.” Michael Dubois, Supervisory Senior Special Agent FBI for Syracuse, also shared his thoughts about the importance of the cooperation between law enforcement officers and the community. He said events such as this one helps the community to understand what we do and it also helps us to understand the community.
During the Community Service award presentations, the recipients were introduced by their friends and colleagues. They spoke about the accomplishments of the recipients and complimented them on their sense of duty to the people of Syracuse. Those receiving awards from PIIS included Deputy Kathleen Kruger from the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office and Officer Kenn Burdick from the Syracuse Police Department. Ken Andrews, Deputy Chief Executive of Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office, Lt. John Stephens from the Onondaga County Sheriff’s Office and Murat Kaval, CEO of the Peace Islands Institute presented the award to Deputy Kathleen Kruger. Deputy Chief Joseph Cecile and Executive Director of the Upstate New York Peace Islands Institute, Bulent Ozdemir presented the award to Officer Kenn Burdick.
Guests enjoyed the delicious homemade Turkish food and the event ended by the video of a recent Turkey Trip.
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