The Lakewood Police Department announced the recipients of its annual awards at the Lakewood City Council March 10, 2025 meeting. They include:
Supervisor of the year: Sgt. Charles Porche
In early 2024 Sgt. Charles Porche began planning for a return to full staffing in the traffic unit as the department hiring push neared completion. As part of that plan, he came up with a restructuring of duties for the traffic officers and developed a new position for a “traffic unit investigator.”
Porche recognized that hit and run vehicle collision investigations were going largely unassigned due to lack of investigative resources and manpower. Serious injury and fatal traffic collisions were spread between officers in the traffic unit, leaving extended periods of time where routine traffic enforcement was not conducted while time-consuming fatality collisions were investigated. Porche developed a plan for the investigator duties to encompass hit and run cases as well as being the lead on serious injury and fatality collisions. In late 2024 the traffic investigator position was filled.
With this position in place, traffic officers became available to conduct needed traffic enforcement on a consistent basis, improving the safety for people traveling in Lakewood. The investigator is also making a marked improvement on backlogged cases of hit and run cases in the city. This restructuring of the traffic unit was no small task. Lakewood residents have also noticed, sharing positive comments about the increased presence of officers in their neighborhoods working on making the streets and sidewalks safer to travel.
For these reasons Sgt. Charles Porche is receiving Supervisor of the Year 2024.
Detective/Investigator of the year: Karen Latimer
Detective Karen Latimer is currently assigned to the Major Crimes Unit. Most recently, she worked a homicide case that resulted in a guilty verdict. The victim was murdered by her ex-boyfriend who fled to California to avoid arrest. Detective Latimer tenaciously worked on this case from the identification of the suspect to the tracking and ultimately his capture. She then did all the follow-up work, culminating in the jury conviction.
The suspect was given a life sentence without the possibility of parole. Latimer’s dedication, attention to detail and ability to chase down every lead brought this case to a positive conclusion.
Latimer has been the lead and assisted in many other serious cases while also being a Detective on the regional PC-FIT team. She is a quiet professional that is well respected by her peers and is a role model to others who want to become a part of the investigative team here at Lakewood PD.
Because of her leadership and hard work, Detective Karen Latimer is receiving Detective/Investigator of the Year.
Officer of the year: Josh Repp
Officer Josh Repp consistently demonstrates exceptional proficiency and productivity, both as a K9 officer and a patrol officer. His ability to navigate the complexities of the new pursuit laws and policies with precision speaks to his understanding of the state’s evolving legal landscape and his commitment to upholding the highest law enforcement standards.
Repp’s keen sense of duty and dedication have significantly contributed to the safety and success of the department’s operations.
In addition to his outstanding work within the department, Repp’s professionalism extends to his collaborations with partner agencies, where he routinely volunteers for mutual aid. His high levels of patrol productivity, expertise in K9 operations, and his skillful handling of emergency driving situations set him apart as a leader among his peers.
Repp’s consistent willingness to step up and assist others, whether through his specialized K9 work or his readiness to engage in critical incidents, exemplifies the values of the Lakewood Police Department.
Officer Josh Repp is receiving the Officer of the Year recognition for these reasons.
Rising Star of the year: Jack Johnson
Officer Jack Johnson quickly distinguished himself as a dedicated and community-oriented patrol officer with the Lakewood Police Department. His calm and amicable demeanor consistently brings stability and reason to the often-chaotic scenes officers encounter, allowing him to effectively serve both the public and his fellow officers. Johnson’s commitment to teamwork is evident in his willingness to assist his district partners, whether stepping in when needed or staying late to support his squad.
The Lakewood Police Department is fortunate to have Johnson’s unique background and expertise from the medical field, which further enhances his ability to serve our community with compassion and professionalism.
His impact has already been significant, and we look forward to seeing where his career in Lakewood will take him next.
Congratulations to Officer Jack Johnson on being recognized as the department’s 2024 Rising Star!
Civilian of the year: Svea Pitts
Since early 2024 Svea Pitts has been tasked with playing a large role in the department’s move to go paperless. She has worked diligently to update and enhance the department’s skills manager program, moving it from server based to web based. This transition includes working with third-party developers to fashion a training request form that will allow officers to forward the form electronically for approvals and signatures. Pitts has collaborated with several key employees to ensure their needs are met with the transition, which has proven to be a large undertaking.
Additionally, Pitts was partnered with another employee to tackle the huge job of moving internal files from a hard drive to the cloud. She has dedicated countless hours to this project to ensure it is all that we need it to be once rolled out as opposed to haphazardly rolling out a half-finished project. As if these two tasks were not momentous enough, Pitts has also absorbed several responsibilities once held by a former employee, increasing her workload.
Though the stressors of accomplishing these tasks are massive, Pitts maintains a polite, professional, and accommodating attitude towards those who rely on her for day-to-day responsibilities. Pitts manages to fulfill her responsibilities while ensuring others have what they need to be successful in their positions.
It is because of these reasons that Svea Pitts is recognized as the department’s Civilian Employee of the Year.
See photos of the recipients at https://cityoflakewood.us/lakewood-police-announce-annual-award-recipients/.