Five nominees up for Marco Police Foundation honor

The Marco Island Police Foundation will honor the Officer of the Year at a luncheon Tuesday, Feb. 21.

The nominees are Officer Mike Peña, Detective Linda Guerrero, Detective Glenn Zirgibel, Officer Kevin Henning and Officer Brian O'Malley.

The selection committee is composed of Police Foundation members Debra Sanders, Roy Sanders, Dick Shanahan, Sal Soldano and the Rev. Pat Boyhan.

"(We) made (our) decision based on everything we knew about those five officers," Debra Sanders said. "It was a hard decision to make and we put our heads together. With Chief (Roger) Reinke's guidance and help, we all decided who was going to win."

But to find out who the winner is, people need to attend the luncheon at the Marco Island Yacht Club. Anyone is welcome, but reservations and a payment of $14 must be made to Sanders by Thursday, Feb. 16.

Two other officers will be recognized as Officers of the Month. Ed d'Alessandro will be honored for November, Jennifer Lofy for December.

Guerrero, who also won Officer of the Month for March, said she would appreciate the honor but thinks other officers deserve it, too.

"There are a lot of officers who are worthy of it," she said.

"We all work together, so it's hard to say one deserves it more than the other."

Guerrero recently became a detective with the Marco Island Police Department after serving as a road patrol officer since September 2002.

Peña also said he believes many other officers deserve the award.

"I personally think there are a lot of people that deserve nominations," he said. "I'm honored that my peers nominated me."

Peña has worked with the department for about three years.

Before he came to the island, he worked in Miami in many positions, including pawn shop detective and neighborhood resource officer.

Zirgibel has been a detective for more than 20 years and came to Marco about two years ago from Milwaukee. When he arrived on Marco, he served as a police officer before becoming a detective again.

As for the award, he said it would be a "wonderful thing."

"It's incredible that a community would honor a police officer in that fashion," Zirgibel said. "I suppose there are other places with a foundation like this, but I don't know where they are. I had never heard of one prior to coming here."