Syracuse Marshal Lauds Bank Workers, Officer After Bank Robbery
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By John DeGroff-
The awards were to show appreciation to two Farmers State Bank employees and one police officer who acted calmly and professionally during a recent robbery.
"As you're all aware, back on February 4th, Farmers State Bank was robbed once again," Ciriello said. "This time, we were able to apprehend the guy. He also confessed to robbery back in 2007, which has been solved."[[In-content Ad]]The same FSB branch was robbed Oct. 31, 2007, by the same suspect.
"In the wake of that, there were a lot of people who went to work to get that job done," Ciriello said. "There are three people who are very instrumental in getting that done for us. Two of them being victims ... both employees of the bank, and one of my officers."
Ciriello awarded plaques to bank employees for their quick action in getting descriptions of Russell George, the suspect, and the vehicle he was driving to police immediately after the incident.
Officer Joe Salazar, who was driving into town from the south, recognized the suspect as he drove by him, thanks to the description provided by Allen over the phone. He was able to turn around, stop the suspect, and apprehend him without incident.
"It all worked out very well. From the time she placed the original call until he was caught was four minutes," Ciriello said. Ciriello said Fort Wayne's best time from an incident call-in to apprehension of a suspect was 12 minutes.
Salazar is a 15-year veteran of the Syracuse Police Department, and has also served previously with the Indiana State Police.
In presenting him his award, Ciriello said, "Joe made this apprehension very possible. I hate for a guy to do his job and not be rewarded for his job. It is my honor to give this award to you, and it is my honor to work with you."
Ciriello said he had conducted training for employees of Farmers State Bank on what to look for during any attempted robbery, as well as proper conduct to ensure safety during an incident.
Ken Jones, of the engineering firm of Wightman Petrie, presented the council with an update on progress at the water plant. According to Jones, the high service pumps are oversized for the filters that are in place. There is also a design flaw related to the elevation of the water tower.
Although an extremely complicated problem, Jones' recommendation is that the best option for upgrading the system is to install variable frequency drives to each pump, which allows for automatic control. This should improve the original design, improve cost over time, and make the system more flexible in use. To integrate into the treatment plant's original design and interface with the existing computerized control will cost $69,336. The council approved the expenditure.
Another update presented was by Pam Kennedy, Housing Opportunities of Warsaw. Of the various grants in place to assist lower-income homeowners with repairs, work on seven houses under the first grant has been completed. The council approved two houses for the third grant. Grants are based upon specific income levels.
In financial matters, the council approved payment of claims for February in the amount of $603,876.37.
The contract for service at the water plant by the environmental service contractor Severn Trent was approved.
Remaining funds totaling $16,338 for Cripes Excavating were approved.
The council approved the balance of EMS funds, totaling $2,020, to be transferred to the Turkey Creek Fire Territory. All future EMS collections and payments will be made to the fire territory, as per the agreement between Syracuse and the township.
In other business:
n The Parks Department announced the Community Center will partner with the Lakeland Youth Center on a Daddy-Daughter dance for March 7.
n The police department announced there will be a bicycle auction in either late April or early May. A specific date will be announced soon, and anyone missing a bike will be given a chance to see if theirs is among the ones to be auctioned.
n Today, there will be a student-faculty basketball game at Wawasee High School. Ciriello is scheduled as one of the referees.
n The utilities department announced water bills for February will be estimated due to the amount of snow cover on the ground during scheduled meter reading days.
Syracuse town council members are Brian Woody, Bill Musser, Cassie Cowan, Larry Siegel Paul Stoelting.
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The awards were to show appreciation to two Farmers State Bank employees and one police officer who acted calmly and professionally during a recent robbery.
"As you're all aware, back on February 4th, Farmers State Bank was robbed once again," Ciriello said. "This time, we were able to apprehend the guy. He also confessed to robbery back in 2007, which has been solved."[[In-content Ad]]The same FSB branch was robbed Oct. 31, 2007, by the same suspect.
"In the wake of that, there were a lot of people who went to work to get that job done," Ciriello said. "There are three people who are very instrumental in getting that done for us. Two of them being victims ... both employees of the bank, and one of my officers."
Ciriello awarded plaques to bank employees for their quick action in getting descriptions of Russell George, the suspect, and the vehicle he was driving to police immediately after the incident.
Officer Joe Salazar, who was driving into town from the south, recognized the suspect as he drove by him, thanks to the description provided by Allen over the phone. He was able to turn around, stop the suspect, and apprehend him without incident.
"It all worked out very well. From the time she placed the original call until he was caught was four minutes," Ciriello said. Ciriello said Fort Wayne's best time from an incident call-in to apprehension of a suspect was 12 minutes.
Salazar is a 15-year veteran of the Syracuse Police Department, and has also served previously with the Indiana State Police.
In presenting him his award, Ciriello said, "Joe made this apprehension very possible. I hate for a guy to do his job and not be rewarded for his job. It is my honor to give this award to you, and it is my honor to work with you."
Ciriello said he had conducted training for employees of Farmers State Bank on what to look for during any attempted robbery, as well as proper conduct to ensure safety during an incident.
Ken Jones, of the engineering firm of Wightman Petrie, presented the council with an update on progress at the water plant. According to Jones, the high service pumps are oversized for the filters that are in place. There is also a design flaw related to the elevation of the water tower.
Although an extremely complicated problem, Jones' recommendation is that the best option for upgrading the system is to install variable frequency drives to each pump, which allows for automatic control. This should improve the original design, improve cost over time, and make the system more flexible in use. To integrate into the treatment plant's original design and interface with the existing computerized control will cost $69,336. The council approved the expenditure.
Another update presented was by Pam Kennedy, Housing Opportunities of Warsaw. Of the various grants in place to assist lower-income homeowners with repairs, work on seven houses under the first grant has been completed. The council approved two houses for the third grant. Grants are based upon specific income levels.
In financial matters, the council approved payment of claims for February in the amount of $603,876.37.
The contract for service at the water plant by the environmental service contractor Severn Trent was approved.
Remaining funds totaling $16,338 for Cripes Excavating were approved.
The council approved the balance of EMS funds, totaling $2,020, to be transferred to the Turkey Creek Fire Territory. All future EMS collections and payments will be made to the fire territory, as per the agreement between Syracuse and the township.
In other business:
n The Parks Department announced the Community Center will partner with the Lakeland Youth Center on a Daddy-Daughter dance for March 7.
n The police department announced there will be a bicycle auction in either late April or early May. A specific date will be announced soon, and anyone missing a bike will be given a chance to see if theirs is among the ones to be auctioned.
n Today, there will be a student-faculty basketball game at Wawasee High School. Ciriello is scheduled as one of the referees.
n The utilities department announced water bills for February will be estimated due to the amount of snow cover on the ground during scheduled meter reading days.
Syracuse town council members are Brian Woody, Bill Musser, Cassie Cowan, Larry Siegel Paul Stoelting.
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