6 will be honored as 'unsung heroes' by Police Foundation

The banquet raises funds for the foundation, which will use money to replace bulletproof vests for patrol officers and those assigned to special assignments, said Paul Hallums, a retired police captain who is vice chairman of the foundation.

The nonprofit foundation began the vest-replacement project 18 months ago, replacing 250 vests, and is expected to raise funds to replace another 250, Hallums said.

The honorees, selected for their contributions at work and to the community, are:

• Larry Housner

• , a volunteer who has given thousands of hours of service to the Police Foundation and Department; the Southern Arizona Law Enforcement Training Center; the Citizens’ Police Academy; and the CPA Alumni Association.
• Officer

• Seth Hoyte,

•  who has been with the department for 15 years and currently patrols Operations Division East. He is frequently found at schools working with administrators on crime and disturbance cases. He also addresses traffic safety issues in the Rita Ranch/Houghton Road areas.
• Officer

• Sean Payne

• , who was hired in 2007 and helped Operations Division East by volunteering to train officers in a new computer system that replaced the department’s aging, obsolete system. He worked answering the questions of officers in the field and handling glitches, which led to him becoming a computer systems instructor and updating the training manual.

• Kristi Ringler

• , the police chief’s executive assistant, who took on the duty as the department’s videographer and multimedia manager during a departmental budget crunch. She sought training and has turned the chief’s internal message to employees into a video. Now she also creates videos for assessor training, and videorecords departmental ceremonies and memorials.

• Detective

• Ericka Stropka,

•  who took a personal interest in the case of an elderly victim who was swindled out of more than $2 million by a woman who befriended him. The victim, who attended the same church as Stropka, had no family nearby, so Stropka spent personal time making sure he was doing well and in good spirits. Stropka also developed information that will be taught to volunteers and employees of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Tucson regarding vulnerable adults and how to assist them so they do not become victims.

• Kathy Mansur,

•  a specialist in records who has served as a records training assistant and volunteers with Honor Flight of Southern Arizona. She lectures and raises money for the nonprofit organization, which is dedicated to ensuring that World War II veterans get to visit memorials dedicated to them in Washington, D.C. They are provided at no cost with a three-day trip, which includes airfare, transportation, meals, lodging and a guardian who takes care of their needs during the trip.