It is my honor and pleasure to nominate Neighborhood Impact Officer Jason C. Knorowski for a Top Cop Award for the period January 1, 2005 to April 1, 2006.

Officer Knorowski is the assigned police officer to my neighborhood, the Shea Terrace neighborhood of Portsmouth, Virginia; under the Portsmouth Police Department’s Neighborhood Enhancement Action Team (NEAT) Program.

Officer Knorowski’s excellent working relationships with other units has also allowed for additional police presence in our community.  He is a known leader within the Portsmouth Police Department.   Because he frequently backs up narcotics operations, we have that added cooperation and response here as needed.  Due to his status as an instructor, we have had 18 bike officers in training train here in Shea Terrace.  His habit of taking younger officers under his wing with advice and informal training has also allowed for additional police presence here, as well as a better response on 911 calls due to officers not assigned here having more familiarity with the neighborhood.

Due to his proactive stance, his continuous presence in Shea Terrace and the rapport and trust he has developed with residents, numerous crimes have been prevented or solved because of his involvement.  Officer Knorowski has excellent “people skills” with residents.  He has his “ear to the ground” in the neighborhood and can address many emerging problems before they become a crisis.

Jason has organized neighborhood clean ups of our community using court-mandated volunteers.  This has allowed Civic League members to concentrate on other activities needing our attention and has left Shea Terrace a much cleaner community.

In trying to convey a sense of what type of police officer he is, I will cite just a few cases which he has worked on.  If I listed every situation, I would exceed the allowed length of this document.

The very first time I did a ride-along with Jason and asked him to check into a residence about which I had received concerned calls, he made three arrests and recovered a significant amount of heroin from the hollowed-out dash board of the car. 

His diligence in continuing to monitor this situation led to the cooperation of the Portsmouth Commonwealth Attorney’s office in placing this residence at 1923 Holladay Street under drug seizure laws.  I have even known him to come to work at 5:00 a.m. and sift through stinking garbage to obtain evidence needed for warrants.  Officer Knorowski also responded to a similar situation at 1914 Boston Street, a residence that was also ultimately placed under seizure action by the Commonwealth Attorney’s office.

In July 2005 my home was burglarized while I was attending church services.  Officer Knorowski worked with us to solve this case in just over 24 hours.  He advised us to request records of calls made from my husband’s stolen work cell phone.  Using these records, he used the Google internet search engine to find addresses connected with a number of the 78 outgoing phone calls made.  Following investigation at these addresses, he identified a suspect and an arrest was made with the assistance of other special units..  Corey Sublett awaits trial in August on this case and the other three residences he confessed to burglarizing on the same day.

Also during the evaluation period, Shea Terrace resident Gary Culpepper was riding his motorcycle on a back street during a warm winter day.  Three youth from this neighborhood strung construction wire across the street and nearly garroted him to death as he hit the wire at the throat level.  Due to his close ties and contacts in this community, Officer Knorowski was able to arrest three young people who were convicted in this terrible crime.

Jason has worked closely with me and the owner of a troubled apartment building at 222-224 Sandpiper Drive.  Owner Cary Faison, a decent and honorable out-of state investor, had purchased this building during the evaluation period and had inherited some troublesome tenants.  This was the highest crime area of the neighborhood prior to Jason’s involvement.  Jason helped the owner to make changes with parking rules, security rules, their towing company and their method of evaluating prospective tenants which has allowed for a much reduced crime rate.  His diligent attention to this situation has made Shea Terrace a Hampton Roads Community,  a much safer place.

Jason also demonstrated strong leadership in how he covers the neighborhood while he is gone.  Even during scheduled absences for vacation, training and/or out-of-state Master’s degree work at St. Leo’s Florida campus, Officer Knorowski remains available via cell phone. He makes arrangements for coverage by other officers during this time and briefs all police officers on current concerns via “The Wire,” the PPD’s intranet system.  He has helped us handle many difficult situations this way, even during uncompensated time.    He has made many sacrifices in his personal life to serve the residents of Shea Terrace.

Shea Terrace has had a restaurant in our community called Flagship, which has been here since 1910. Just prior to Jason’s assignment, the restaurant had been purchased by an unsavory owner.  A drug overdose occurred in the parking lot.  I had numerous calls from concerned residents regarding drunk driving through the neighborhood from the premises, loud noise and fighting late into the night, etc.  A drug raid was effected by the Narcotics Division of PPD.  Prostitution and drug distribution were alleged from an RV illegally parked in the lot, as well as from a separate house on the property belonging to the restaurant owner.

Officer Knorowski made law enforcement at Flagship a top priority for many months. Due to this pressure, the Flagship was sold to Earl Industries, a major defense contractor.  The residents now enjoy the beautifully-refurbished space and tasty menu.  PBA, as well as Civic League meetings are held there. 

The house that once was used for illegal purposes is now fully restored and serves as the satellite NEAT Office.  The President of Earl Industries donated this space and all the renovation costs because he understands the value this officer has in our community. This allows for an even more visible police presence in Shea Terrace. This is a big change from a seedy, run down “crack house.”

Not long ago, Shea Terrace residents, as well as Jason’s supervisor, Sgt. Lisa Smith, submitted votes and recommendations to America’s Most Wanted’s “All Star” Police Officer Program.  Please see the attached print out from that web site.

Officer Knorowski received his college degree in law enforcement during the evaluation period and has begun work on his Master’s degree in the same subject at St. Leo’s University.  He is one of the PPD’s busiest Honor Guard members, serving at many events honoring police officers.  He is President of the Southeast Virginia Chapter of the Policeman’s Benevolent Association.  During this evaluation period, he was named as Neighborhood Policing Officer of the Quarter.

Police Officer Jason C. Knorowski’s dedication to duty and to Shea Terrace reflect highly upon himself and his department.  They are in keeping with the very best that law enforcement has to offer.  I respectfully urge you to recognize him as a “Top Cop,” but he has been “top cop” of Shea Terrace in all of our hearts since his assignment here.

Submitted very respectfully on behalf of a grateful and proud community,