Police Officers’ Association Awards and Community Appreciation Social honors local heroes
Tori King
Local heroes were honored in Palm Springs on Wednesday. The 3rd Annual Police Officers’ Association Awards and Community Appreciation Social took place from 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM at the Rooftop Flannery Exchange at 750 N Palm Canyon Drive.
News Channel Three’s Tori King spent the afternoon at the Palm Springs Police Department speaking with Officer Michael Torres, who received the award for Sergeant of the Year. Torres says been with the PSPD for several years, and now it’s become a place and a community he now calls his home.”I’ve never been to a place where I literally can go anywhere in the city, and I’m getting waves, smiles, and thank you’s for what I do,” said Torres. Torres says receiving the award is beyond meaningful.
“I’m very honored,” said Torres. “I’ve been fortunate to get some awards throughout my career, but this is one is truly near and dear to my heart.” What makes this award so unique, is that it was voted upon by his peers.
“The best part about all of this is the camaraderie and teamwork and that atmosphere where you guys are working together,” said Torres. “They watch you do your thing, do your work, do whatever it is that you do, and to be acknowledged for that, for doing what you really love while taking care about the community, it’s unbelievable.”From solving cases to responding to emergency calls, Torres says he’s thankful for his fellow officers who are there even on the bad days. But he says he owes this award to his parents and his mentor.
“I owe my parents everything, and I had a good year,” said Torres. “I was very fortunate to have the people that I work with on a daily basis, including Lieutenant Villegas, who’s always been a mentor of mine, and he’s helped me throughout this process and really been a big piece of me growing as a supervisor and as a person as well.”News Channel Three also spoke with Lieutenant Mike Villegas, who says Torres has been a critical member of the PSPD family.
“Michael Torres, you know, he’s very special,” said Villegas. “He brings a lot to the table. He’s very passionate, and his work ethic second to none. But he has really changed the culture coming here.”Villegas also says Torres earned this award through years of hard work, dedication, and determination.”He’s constantly working, whether it’s working to make his troops better, whether it’s working to build relationships within the community, or constantly striving to be better himself,” said Villegas. “He’s truly a special man and I’m very happy for him. He more than deserves it.”
Torres also says he’s grateful to the entire department, and that he looks forward to working alongside Chief Andy Mills and Lieutenant Villegas in the years to come.”It means the world to me that they see the little things that I was trying to bring to the table,” said Torres. “The little intangibles. Those are the kind of things that really matter in the scheme of things.”For more information on the awards, or the Palm Springs Police Officers Association click here.