2 Monroe deputies are praised as heroes

4/18/2002

MONROE - Two Monroe County Sheriff's deputies were honored last week at the department's annual law enforcement dinner for the bravery they displayed last August in helping to pull four victims from a burning home in Detroit Beach.

Deputies Dean West and Michael Langton were among the first on the scene of the burning Detroit Beach home on Aug. 3. Both men rushed up without any protective gear to assist Frenchtown Township firefighters and neighbors in their attempt to pull victims from the single-story, four-bedroom home.

Teri Daniels, 40, and her sons, Joseph, 16, and Michael, 17, died in the blaze that also injured Joseph Dylenski, 16, a nephew of Mrs. Daniels. Mrs. Daniels' daughter, Sarah, 11, managed to escape the blaze.

Both deputies suffered smoke inhalation during their attempts to save the family, and were presented citations last week for bravery in the line of duty by Sheriff Tilman Crutchfield.

The two veteran deputies - both have been on the department for more than a dozen years - went “above and beyond” the call of duty in an attempt to save those in the burning building, the sheriff said.

“There was a heavy amount of smoke emanating from the building. It's not something that we would require or expect them to do in the normal course of their duties without proper equipment or training,” Sheriff Crutchfield said of the two deputies' actions that day.

The citations were presented as part of the department's annual recognition dinner, which also marks the department's presentation of its officer of the year awards, both for its road patrol division and its corrections division, as well as its civilian employee of the year award.

At this year's ceremonies, Detective Sgt. Enrico Galimberti was named Command Officer of the Year for 2001. Sergeant Galimberti was recently tapped to lead the department's detective division, and also serves as a firearms instructor, leader of the department's special response team, member of the dive team, and the department's domestic violence representative. He has been a member of the department since 1981.

Deputy Todd Sulfaro was named the department's Deputy Sheriff of the Year. Deputy Sulfaro, who joined the department in 1990 as a corrections officer, has served as a road patrol deputy since 1994, and last year received two letters of recognition from the sheriff for outstanding police work for foiling two different burglary rings.

Kenneth Cain was recognized as the department's Corrections Officer of the Year. A decorated Vietnam veteran, Officer Cain became a corrections officer in 1999 after moving to the Monroe area from Florida, where he held a similar position. During his short tenure with the department, Officer Cain was instrumental in beginning a bicycle restoration program at the Inmate Dormitory Facility that takes abandoned bicycles and fixes them up for needy children.

Sgt. Anthony Sancrant, who was hired in 1997, was named the department's Corrections Officer Supervisor of the Year. Sergeant Sancrant is a certified corrections training officer and served as the corrections officer training coordinator for the department after being promoted to sergeant in August, 2000.

Arlene Balog, who has worked in the sheriff's department since 1990, was honored as civilian employee of the year. Mrs. Balog is currently assigned to assist administrative Major Tom Scott with purchasing, billing, and payroll responsibilities.