Sgt. Frederick von Briesen hugged Tracy Wheeler after she handed him the award honoring both his dedication to keeping the roads of Howard County safe and her husband's memory.
Smiles and tears flowed at the Howard County Police Awards Ceremony held Tuesday night at the George Howard Building in Ellicott City. It was the first time the annual ceremony had been held since Cpl. Scott Wheeler was fatally struck by a car after he stepped onto a road to flag down a speeding car in June.
Von Briesen described the recognition as "bittersweet," adding that the Scott Wheeler Traffic Safety Award would never have been created if the accident had never occurred.
"I can remember every fatal collision I've been on since I've been in traffic," said von Briesen, who has worked as supervisor of the department's traffic division since 2000. "But Scott Wheeler sticks out as the most memorable."
Wheeler was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor, the department's highest award, and the Purple Heart, which recognizes personal sacrifice. Tracy Wheeler accepted the awards on her husband's behalf.
Cpl. Wheeler's parents, Janet and Fred Wheeler, and his brother, Michael, were among the ceremony's roughly 200 attendees.
"I'm very proud of Scott," Janet Wheeler said after the ceremony. "Even though it hurts, we're very proud and very honored of what Howard County has done."
Pfc. Jason Eskra was named Police Officer of the Year for his service last year. The Pittsburgh native has been with the department for four years, working the midnight shift in Elkridge, and was chosen out of more than 400 officers.
Eskra, 27, said he realized that he wanted to become a police officer after doing a ride-along during an college internship with the Pittsburgh Police Department.
"I enjoy the job," he said. "I enjoy the satisfaction of the job. I love the people I work with. We gel together. ... I'd like to think I change things that go on in Elkridge."
Eskra is the first person in his family to work in law enforcement, he said. He was also the department's Police Officer of the Month in May and was selected as his platoon's Officer of the Month seven times.
"Obviously, this year Jason stood out head and shoulders above every other officer in the department," said Capt. Lee Lachman, chairman of the commendations board, which chose the award winners. "To quote his supervisor, `He's a cop's cop.'
