The recipient is identified by the command staff of the respective department, and other than having demonstrated “Service Above Self,” the qualifications and selection are determined by that department.
At last week’s meeting, the club honored Officer Radd Rotello, of the Frisco Police Department, with the Rotary Club of Frisco’s 1st Responders “Service Above Self” Award.
Rotello has been with the Frisco Police Department for seven years. He spent two years as a detention officer and is beginning his sixth year as a police officer.
He serves in the Community Services Unit where he conducts community outreach on a daily basis. He has single handedly revamped the Frisco Neighborhood Watch program, which has approximately 400 active block captains. And he coordinates the Citizen’s on Patrol program and has spent countless hours on nights and weekends meeting with HOA and neighborhood representatives in an effort to prevent crime.
Rotello also serves as a member of the Special Operations Unit’s Containment Team –- having additional training to relieve the patrol officers who may be holding perimeter positions. He also serves on the Hostage Negotiator Team and the Honor Guard Team. As an Honor Guard member, Rotello has traveled the state representing the Frisco Police Department and the city of Frisco at numerous memorial ceremonies and funerals for officers who have fallen in the line of duty.
Rotello serves in the U.S. Army Reserves as a Sergeant coordinating training for other Army personnel. Rotello served during Operation Enduring Freedom, also known as the Global War on Terrorism, in Iraq and Kuwait.
Deputy Chief Jason Jenkins assisted in the presentation, sharing stories of Rotello's service and positive attitude.
Will Russell, the award's creator and program chair, added, "All of these commitments would take a toll on any one of us, but everything Officer Rotello does for our police department, our community and our country, is done without complaint and in the spirit of Service Above Self."