Awards all in the family

Deepa Bharath

It was an emotional day for the Beckmans.

Costa Mesa Police Training Officer Julie Beckman was selected by

her peers as Officer of the Year and her husband, Cpl. Paul Beckman,

as Supervisor of the Year.

The couple, as well as several other police officers, firefighters

and dispatchers received merit awards at the 41st annual Public

Safety Awards Breakfast Friday at the Hilton Costa Mesa, hosted by

the Costa Mesa Chamber of Commerce.

“This award is the highlight of my career,” said Julie Beckman,

who trains police officers and conducts the department’s Pre-Academy,

which prepares candidates for the Orange County Sheriff’s Police

Academy.

Thanking her husband for his guidance and support, she said: “I’m

proud to be a Beckman.”

Paul Beckman was the first corporal in the department’s history to

receive the Supervisor of the Year award, which is usually handed out

to sergeants.

“She wouldn’t have become Officer of the Year without me, and I

wouldn’t have become Supervisor of the Year without her,” he said.

It was a day to remember for Sgt. Dave Andersen and his family, as

well. The traffic sergeant received the coveted Medal of Merit for

his courageous response to a May 24 bank robbery. Andersen pursued on

foot two of the alleged robbers and used great restraint in not

shooting at the men as he exposed himself to grave danger, said Costa

Mesa Police Chief John Hensley, who introduced the awardees.

The sergeant said he did what came naturally to him.

“In a situation like that, your training kicks in and you go into

automatic mode,” he said. “We rely on teamwork, our own training and

the graces of God. But at the time, it felt weird.”

Andersen smiled on the dais as his wife, joined by their two

children, put the ribbon with the medallion around his neck.

Hensley, who completed one year as chief last week, said he was

happy with the attendance for the breakfast. This is the first time

the awards program has been held in the morning instead of an

afternoon luncheon.

“I wanted more people to be able to come,” he said, explaining the

change. Also this year, if officers showed up in uniform, they could

get in for free, which probably motivated more of them to attend,

Hensley said.

Fire officials and dispatchers were also honored during the

program.

Capt. Fred Seguin, who was named Firefighter of the Year, said it

was “fulfilling.”

“It’s a special honor to be chosen by your co-workers to receive

this award,” he said.

Seguin led a Costa Mesa engine to fight the wildfires, which

burned several hundred thousand acres in the Inland Empire last year.

“That was undoubtedly the biggest event last year and one of the

biggest fires I’ve faced in my career,” he said.

Fire Chief Jim Ellis was choked up as he received a special Life

Saving Award. He and his son, Kevin, who will attend the fire academy

this fall, rescued a man from a burning car after a traffic collision

in February.

The Ellises were on their way home to Aliso Viejo after having

dinner with friends.

“Having the opportunity to do something like this with your son is

simply awesome,” he said, holding back tears. “But like my son Kevin

always says, ‘We do what we’ve got to do.’”