Clearfield County Officer of the Year and Civilian of the Year Awards
Clearfield County Deputy Sheriff Greg Neeper, center, shown here with his wife, Christene Dahlem, was recently named Officer of the Year by District Attorney Ryan Sayers, left, for his quick responses to two traffic accidents while he was off-duty. He also assists with the Central PA Outdoor & Sports Show, helps with the Men Who Cook competition, interacts with and fingerprints children at the Clearfield County Fair, and is an active member of the Clearfield VFW and Legion. (Photo courtesy of DA Sayers)
CLEARFIELD – Clearfield County District Attorney Ryan P. Sayers recently announced the recipients of the Officer of the Year Award and Civilian of the Year Award.
Officer of the Year is Deputy Greg Neeper of the Clearfield County Sherrif’s Department who has served the Clearfield community and the county for over 30 years.
In July of 2022, Neeper and his wife were on their way to their daughter’s wedding when they noticed an accident in front of them.
Neeper immediately contacted 911, got out of his vehicle, and while in a suit and tie, started providing aid until emergency medical services arrived.
Just a few days later, Neeper was in the DuBois area serving a protection from abuse order when he came upon another accident with three older occupants who had all sustained serious injuries.
He again contacted 911 and immediately began rendering aid on the scene to the injured persons.
The individual that nominated Neeper said, “I have known Greg for many years and admire the love and passion he has for his career, it definitely shines through. He is the reason my daughter has chosen her career path. He has been a true mentor to her and many others.”
Sayers stated, “Deputy Neeper truly cares about the community and county that he has served for over three decades, and is deserving of this honor!”
Other nominees this year were:
PA State Trooper Tyler Blaniar of PSP DuBois. In 2022, Blaniar assisted 52 individuals stranded along the roadway, responded to 654 calls, conducted 295 traffic stops, and took 36 drug and alcohol impaired drivers off of the roadways.
His results far exceed the state average and he takes great pride in his work to make the roadways safe for the public to travel.
PA State Trooper Raymond Green of PSP Woodland. As part of his duties in 2022, Green was assigned multiple Childline investigations that involved the same adult male. During the investigation additional crimes were discovered and Green was able to obtain a full confession from the defendant as to his soliciting of child pornography. This case is only one of many cases that Green handled in 2022, in which he thoroughly investigated the charges that led to a confession and/or conviction.
Officer David Hoover of the Clearfield Regional Police Department. In addition to his duties as a police officer, Hoover has participated in a variety of community events, including Popsicles with the Police, has volunteered his time on Halloween to pass out candy, and has participated in the Christmas parade with the local fire departments.
Sergeant Jonathan Walker of the Clearfield Regional Police Department. Walker has worked to hone his skills and has become an accredited sniper and utilizes his skills to keep the community and his fellow officers safe while engaged in dangerous situations. Additionally, he routinely gives back to the community by committing anonymous acts of kindness to citizens in need.
The Civilian of the Year award was given to Carney Cataldo of Cataldo’s Collision, Inc. in DuBois which goes above and beyond to keep the DuBois State Police fleet in great working order.
No matter how busy they are, Cataldo’s will schedule the emergency vehicles in for maintenance and repair, even if it requires them to work after hours.
The nominator stated that, “Carney and his staff are huge supporters of the police and they are greatly appreciated by the Pennsylvania State Police for their quality work and dedication.”
Sayers added that, “it is incredibly important to know that there are people and businesses in our area that support these officers on a daily basis, and I greatly appreciate the hard work of Carney and his staff for their efforts to keep our officers safe.”
The other nominees were:
PCO Justin Butterworth of PSP Woodland who handles calls from the general public on a daily basis and is able to display effective listening skills and compassion with the citizens in need of assistance.
In the community, he is also very well recognized for his dedication to his local fire department by volunteering his time to help train and manage the Hope Fire Company in Philipsburg.
Amy and Dave Duke of Clearfield’s “Ice Dreams”.
The Dukes have participated in the program Popsicles with Police during the summer of 2022 in which they donated their time and their own funds to purchase the popsicles. They also participate in the annual Christmas parade and did Reindeer Patrols with local first responders during the Christmas season.
“Mr. and Mrs. Duke embrace the community and the first responders within the community,” stated one officer.