Pleasanton Police Announce 2014 Officer and Professional Staff Member of the Year

Announcement information, photo submitted by Pleasanton Police Department:

The Pleasanton Police Department is pleased to announce as part of its longstanding annual recognition program for superior performance the 2014 ‘Officer of the Year’ and ‘Professional Staff Member of the Year.’ Employees throughout the organization nominate their peers and co-workers for their outstanding contributions throughout the year. The nominations are reviewed by a committee with final selection made by the Police Chief. This year the members of the Pleasanton Police Department are proud to honor School Resource Officer Ryan Dawson with the distinction of Pleasanton Police Officer of the Year and Support Services Manager Margaret Mary Goulart with the distinction of Pleasanton Police Professional Staff Member of the Year.

Officer Dawson has just completed his fourth and final year as School Resource Officer for Foothill High School. Over his tenure, Ryan has done tremendous work, but none has been more remarkable than this past year.

As one of two School Resource Officers responsible for servicing three high schools and three middle schools, Ryan is a busy guy, to say the least. This year however, Ryan handled a very heavy workload as the sole SRO for a majority of the year. His typical day is non-stop from beginning to end with calls for service and other school-related requests. His cell phone is constantly ringing with questions that typically sound something like, “Ryan, can I run something by you?” These questions quite often lead to allegations of abuse or other criminal cases, which Ryan would fully investigate.

Despite his workload and call volume, Ryan never says “no” and goes the extra mile to serve. Ryan’s workdays often don’t end at 5 p.m. as he can often be found working school functions at night like basketball games, football games and school dances.

A consummate professional, Ryan fully understands how important it is to maintain a strong relationship with the Pleasanton Unified School District and, more specifically, how critical his role is to both the police department and the schools. Whether providing a strong lecture to incoming freshmen during Freshmen Orientation, a program Ryan helped create, or being visible walking the quad during lunchtime, Ryan provides an immensely important presence on our school campuses. His firm but compassionate approach has earned him a terrific reputation among Pleasanton youth. A true mentor, his dedication to our schools and to the youth of our community is immeasurable. While the impacts of police officers are largely intangible, Ryan most assuredly should know how many young lives he has positively impacted. Ryan is a trusted friend to many. He is a quality individual with a servant’s heart. Ryan is a stellar example of what makes Pleasanton special.

Over the past year and many previous years, Support Services Manager Margaret Mary Goulart has demonstrated a level of dedication and professionalism that is unmatched. Having served the Pleasanton community for nearly 26 years as both a dispatcher and with 18 years of service as the Support Services Manager, Margaret Mary continues to be a reliable department resource expert that everyone relies on for critical information, guidance and expertise.

Her dedication and work ethic have been unparalleled and one of her managers recently offered, “Margaret Mary has one of the strongest and most consistent work ethics of any manager I have ever worked with at PPD. She remains committed to our organization and I have a deep regard for her professionalism and work ethic. She exceeds expectations in many dimensions as demonstrated by the goals she accomplishes year after year and the contributions she makes on a daily basis that continues to make PPD great!”

Margaret Mary is responsible for the overall management and direction of the Support Services Unit, which includes four Public Safety Dispatch Supervisors, numerous dispatchers and records clerks. Given the complexity of this unit and the number of staff members, she continues to perform at the highest level and provides outstanding service to the department and the community. Margaret Mary has directly managed or contributed to nearly every major technology project adopted by the department. She has been involved with the evolution of the New World CAD/RMS system from the beginning and remains one of the foremost experts in the complex management, maintenance and continuous upgrading of the system, which demonstrates her tremendous amount of technical aptitude.

Customer service is critical to Margaret Mary as evidenced by the consistently high standards that she sets for responsiveness to the community. Additionally, she is ever watchful over her staff and has a reputation of honesty and consistency. She truly exemplifies what it means to be a Team Leader and can be found at all hours of the day or night working alongside her staff in all functions of responsibility.