The Southlake Police School Resource Officer Program continues to shine as a world-class SRO Program, locally and nationally. On March 20, 2023, Sgt. Blas Hernandez was recognized as the 2023 L.E.A.D. Instructor of the Year Award. Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D.) is a non-profit organization, supported by dedicated police officers, committed to protecting youth and communities from the proliferation of drugs, drug-related crimes, peer-to-peer/cyber bullying and violence.
In 2020, Sgt. Hernandez and Matt Petrie, a retired SRO and former DARE Officer, began the quest for educational programs that specifically target drug safety in schools. While steeped in research, Sgt. Hernandez discovered the L.E.A.D. program while completing his master’s degree in Criminology.
When asked why a program like L.E.A.D. is important to have in our schools, Sgt. Hernandez said, “The first 5-weeks of the curriculum focus on character building and I chose L.E.A.D. because it focuses more on developing confident and resilient kids as well as equipping them with the tools needed for drug resistance. After reviewing several drug safety programs, L.E.A.D. was my top choice.”
In 2022, with overwhelming support from the City of Southlake Crime Control Prevention District board members, SPD purchased its first L.E.A.D drug resistance education curriculum which is currently offered as an elective course available to 4th, 6th and 8th grade students in Carroll ISD.
The Southlake Police School Resource Officer Program continues to shine as a world-class SRO Program, locally and nationally. On March 20, 2023, Sgt. Blas Hernandez was recognized as the 2023 L.E.A.D. Instructor of the Year Award. Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D.) is a non-profit organization, supported by dedicated police officers, committed to protecting youth and communities from the proliferation of drugs, drug-related crimes, peer-to-peer/cyber bullying and violence.
In 2020, Sgt. Hernandez and Matt Petrie, a retired SRO and former DARE Officer, began the quest for educational programs that specifically target drug safety in schools. While steeped in research, Sgt. Hernandez discovered the L.E.A.D. program while completing his master’s degree in Criminology.
When asked why a program like L.E.A.D. is important to have in our schools, Sgt. Hernandez said, “The first 5-weeks of the curriculum focus on character building and I chose L.E.A.D. because it focuses more on developing confident and resilient kids as well as equipping them with the tools needed for drug resistance. After reviewing several drug safety programs, L.E.A.D. was my top choice.”
In 2022, with overwhelming support from the City of Southlake Crime Control Prevention District board members, SPD purchased its first L.E.A.D drug resistance education curriculum which is currently offered as an elective course available to 4th, 6th and 8th grade students in Carroll ISD.
The Southlake Police School Resource Officer Program continues to shine as a world-class SRO Program, locally and nationally. On March 20, 2023, Sgt. Blas Hernandez was recognized as the 2023 L.E.A.D. Instructor of the Year Award. Law Enforcement Against Drugs (L.E.A.D.) is a non-profit organization, supported by dedicated police officers, committed to protecting youth and communities from the proliferation of drugs, drug-related crimes, peer-to-peer/cyber bullying and violence.
In 2020, Sgt. Hernandez and Matt Petrie, a retired SRO and former DARE Officer, began the quest for educational programs that specifically target drug safety in schools. While steeped in research, Sgt. Hernandez discovered the L.E.A.D. program while completing his master’s degree in Criminology.
When asked why a program like L.E.A.D. is important to have in our schools, Sgt. Hernandez said, “The first 5-weeks of the curriculum focus on character building and I chose L.E.A.D. because it focuses more on developing confident and resilient kids as well as equipping them with the tools needed for drug resistance. After reviewing several drug safety programs, L.E.A.D. was my top choice.”
In 2022, with overwhelming support from the City of Southlake Crime Control Prevention District board members, SPD purchased its first L.E.A.D drug resistance education curriculum which is currently offered as an elective course available to 4th, 6th and 8th grade students in Carroll ISD.
At the 2022 TATOA (Texas Association of Telecommunications Officers and Advisors) Conference in McAllen, Texas, two departments from the City of Southlake were honored — the Department of Public Safety and the Office of Communications and Customer Experience.
The 26th annual conference for the TATOA organization was held on November 3-4, 2022, and included programming sessions geared toward the creation of videography and communications.
While the City of Southlake is dedicated to providing transparent and accurate information, it is also a goal of a few City staff to see this through creatively. Public Information Officer Brad Uptmore and Public Relations Coordinator Mikaela Hall ensure that information of all types is distributed to encompass both of these objectives.
A full list of the winning videos from TATOA 2022 is as follows:
2022 1st place in “Weather” with “Prepare Right Now for Your Home”
2022 2nd place in “PSA with Operating Budget Under $250K” for “Mascara DWI PSA”
2022 Award of Merit in “Public Education with Operating Budget Under $250K” for “Prepare Right Now for Your Home”
2022 Award of Merit in “Storytelling” for “Mascara DWI PSA”
2022 Award of Merit in “Use of Humor with Operating Budget Under $250K” for “Southlake Citizen Survey”
A TATOA winner veteran, Public Information Officer Brad Uptmore has worked for the City of Southlake for over six years, first as a Patrol Officer and then moving into his current role. His Facebook humor garners the attention of many — even those that are not Southlake residents! More importantly, his approach to distributing information in a way that reaches people makes his work more impactful.
"I really enjoyed making the 'Mascara DWI PSA' piece the most because it was such a pivot to our normal zany, humorous videos. DWIs are a constant problem in Southlake, and most PSAs showcase over the top drinking — the parties, the clubs, the loud bars, but I wanted to focus on what I feel is the more common drinker — the subtle alcoholic who drinks all day," said Officer Uptmore. "I really worked on making sure that if you re-watched it, you’d pick up on things you might have missed before."
Public Relations Coordinator Mikaela Hall just celebrated her first year with the City of Southlake and is a TATOA winner rookie. One of her primary job functions is creating the Minute with the Mayor weekly segment from start to finish. She touches on each piece of the process — from its initial brainstorming, scripting, and coordination to production and editing. The topics of the segment vary from week to week. They can feature events, City Council updates, or entertainment pieces regarding noteworthy residents or programs in Southlake.
"The episode of Minute with the Mayor where we featured Tristan Paskvan was extremely special to me because it was a labor of love. With the help of Jason Tamplin, an outside contractor, we set up two lights, four microphones, and four cameras to capture Tristan's monumental achievement," said Hall. "It took me 14 hours to sync up all the audio streams, footage from the different cameras, the music he played at the end, and the photos and videos provided by his family, but it was worth it. Seeing Tristan's family at the video shoot made me feel like I was doing something important for not only the Paskvan Family, but for the City as well."
Although he is an outside contractor, Jason Tamplin assists the City with efforts on special projects as needed. He also is instrumental to ensuring the City Council meetings are streamed properly for citizen review and transparency purposes. He assisted Mikaela Hall in the Minute with the Mayor shoot mentioned above, and he is a valued member of our extended network.
For more about the TATOA conference, please visit their website.
Just weeks before graduation, City Manager’s Office (CMO) Intern Bora Sulollari was named this year’s Outstanding Master of Public Administration (MPA) Student for the University of North Texas (UNT).
The Student of the Year award is given annually by the Department of Public Administration to the outstanding MPA student. The Outstanding Student Award includes a plaque recognizing the student's achievements. In addition, the recipient of the Outstanding Master of Public Administration Student award receives the E. Ray Griffin Scholarship including a $1,500 award.
“Bora was an excellent student in the MPA program,” said Dr. Hee Soun Jang, associate professor and MPA program Coordinator of UNT adding that Sulollari had an “exceptional academic performance.”
“She managed exceptionally high grade-point average (GPA) during the course work in the rigorous MPA program and her performance was a direct result of her hard work and strong focus,” said Dr. Jang. “She has consistently demonstrated an ability to rise to any challenge that she must face. Her leadership and outstanding performance were evidence by the Outstanding MPA Student Award of 2021.”
Serving as an intern for the City since September 2020, Sulollari has played an integral part in the success of many projects during her time with Southlake.
“We are especially proud of Bora for receiving this award,” said Assistant City Manager Alison Ortowski, who is a former recipient of UNT’s Outstanding MPA Student Award. “She exemplifies excellence in all she does here for the City of Southlake, and there is no doubt that she displayed that same excellence during her academic career.”
The City of Southlake has a long-standing relationship with UNT’s MPA program, often selecting student interns from the school.
“We are fortunate to have student interns like Bora join our staff. It’s a great opportunity for them to get some experience working in a City Manager’s Office and we also benefit from their knowledge and skills to assist our team in accomplishing our City’s goals,” Ortowski said. “With her determination and tenacity, Bora has shown her ample abilities as part of our team. There is no doubt that she has a bright future ahead in public administration.”
Sulollari completed her MPA degree earlier this month with a 3.94 GPA. During her time at UNT, she served as president of the Public Administration Students Association.
Dr. Jang said Sulollari was “such a dedicated leader in Public Administration Student Association (PASA) during the testing time of the pandemic. She had shown a strong commitment to public service and outstanding organizational skills in leading student organization activities.”
In addition, Sulollari served as chair of Pi Alpha Alpha (PAA), the national honor society for public affairs and administration, in 2020-2021; and as a member of PAA, UMANT, ICMA and TCMA. Sulollari earned her bachelor's degree from UNT in 2019.
The Southlake Community Services Department is a Texas Recreation and Park Society (TRAPS) 2020 Promotions and Marketing Award winner.
The team won for their efforts in promoting the 2019 opening and membership drive for Champions Club at The Marq Southlake.
Community Services Director Chris Tribble is excited The Marq Southlake team is being recognized for its efforts.
“Opening the doors to a new building is always a big job, and I am so proud to be a part of a team that was able to welcome all of our new Champions Club members with open arms,” Tribble stated. “We love seeing people learn about and enjoy the new facility.”
Jennifer Oaks, with the TRAPS awards committee, noted that “Your nomination stood out above the rest to exemplify commitment and dedication in the field of recreation. We are honored to present this award to you.”
Are you interested in learning more about Champions Club at The Marq? Visit us at www.ChampionsClubSouthlake.com for more information.
