Citrus County Sheriff's Office presents annual Employee of the Year awards
CCSO photos, top right and left: Dittemore and Harvey; bottom right and left: Hayden and Ritli.
During this ceremony, awards were presented to four professionals in their respective categories: Deputy Sheriff of the Year, Communications Officer of the Year, Civilian of the Year, and Volunteer of the Year. All these individuals have peformed above and beyond the scope of their duties and exhibit extraordinary professionalism in their work achievements every single day. All are committed to providing excellence in public safety and exemplify the agency's core values of Integrity, Service Above Self, and Loyalty Above All.
DON DITTEMORE AWARDED CCSO's VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Volunteer of the Year was awarded to Mr. Don Dittemore, in recognition of his peerless dedication to assisting the CCSO with the agency's ever-growing caseload.
Don started with the agency as a volunteer in 2019 and has investigated over 800 cases, working countless hours, communicating with victims and financial institutions, and coordinating with other agencies to combat the effects of fraud within the community. In 2022 alone, Don investigated 222 fraud-related cases for Citrus County, providing assistance and closure to citizens, while still acting as an invaluable asset to detectives in the Major Case Section, lightening their burden, allowing them to focus on urgent outstanding cases. The cases Don took were still received with the same attention to detail and high level of care as high-profile cases. Don is a true resource and an integral part of the sheriff's office.
"Mr. Don Dittemore has been a substantial help to our agency, eager to show up to assist our community every day," said Citrus County Sheriff Mike Prendergast. "Our agency is extremely grateful to have Don as a teammate, and I couldn't be prouder to have him represent all of the astounding work that our volunteers do. Congratulations to Don Dittemore for receiving the Volunteer of the Year award!"
DAVE HARVEY AWARDED CCSO's CIVILIAN OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Civilian of the Year award was awarded to Mr. Dave Harvey in recognition of his exemplary performance of duties and service to the CCSO's mission throughout the year. He has assisted in bringing the highest level of training and education to agency members, helping to improve and maintain their lifesaving techniques. Dave's recent involvement in facilitating and coding the programs necessary for the agency's transition to the Motorola Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system was instrumental to the agency; Harvey kept vital operations running.
"Dave Harvey has helped his team in an immense way by sharing his years of experience to teach his fellow colleagues and advance our operations," said Sheriff Prendergast. "While converting over to a new Computer Aided Dispatch (CAD) system to better serve our community, Dave played a crucial role in ensuring the smooth transition of our critical infrastructure. Congratulations to Dave Harvey for receiving the Civilian of the Year award!"
ROBERT HAYDEN AWARDED CCSO's COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Communications Officer of the Year award was presented to Mr. Robert Hayden for exemplary performance of his duties and service to the CCSO's mission throughout the year. Robert has embodied the role of a communications officer throughout his consistent display of patience with callers facing dangerous situations. His thoroughness in collecting pertinent information for deputies and fire rescue responders has proven to be invaluable in the case of several calls for service handled by the agency.
Additionally, Robert played an instrumental part in the Motorola Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) transition through his efforts in building the CAD View' program. This program required a significant time commitment and expertise in SQL and SSRS coding languages. Robert's involvement was imperative to keeping critical operations for emergency services running smoothly throughout this significant transition.
"Mr. Robert Hayden was an important asset to our Communications team during a difficult and lengthy transition to a new computer-aided dispatch program, all while providing premier service to our citizens," said Sheriff Prendergast. "I want to extend my gratitude to Robert for his commitment to serving our community and ensuring Citrus County stays safe. Congratulations to Robert Hayden for receiving the Communications Officer of the Year' award!"
DEPUTY JONATHAN RITLI AWARDED CCSO's DEPUTY SHERIFF OF THE YEAR AWARD
The Deputy Sheriff of the Year award was presented to Deputy Jonathan Ritli for his consistent and outstanding service and performance. Deputy Ritli played a vital role in the agency by training with other School Resource Deputies (SRD), thus ensuring the team maintained excellence in various areas. CCSO especially wants to give recognition to Deputy Ritli's actions as an SRD at the CREST School.
Another instance highlighting the excellent level of care Deputy Ritli holds for his students is when a student confided in him that Christmas would be challenging for their family due to financial constraints. Deputy Ritli took it upon himself to organize a fundraiser and provided the student and the student's mother with an all-expenses paid trip to Universal Theme Park in Orlando, Florida.
The level of care and support provided by this law enforcement professional, not only to his students but also to his fellow deputies, serves as a positive example to all.
"Deputy Ritli is a prime example of a law enforcement professional," said Sheriff Prendergast. "I am extremely proud of the dedication Deputy Ritli exhibits every day. This is a well-deserved recognition, and he is an integral part of our team. Congratulations to Deputy Ritli on being recognized as Deputy Sheriff of the Year."