Two Quincy Police Department officers selected to attend Top Cops dinner in May in Washington, D.C.

QUINCY — Two members of the Quincy Police Department have been invited to participate in the 32^nd annual Top Cops Awards dinner on May 12 during National Police Week in Washington, D.C.

Officers Gabriel VanderMaiden and Matt Hermsmeier were among the 19 officers selected to be recognized.

The National Association of Police Organizations (NAPO), which represents more than 241,000 sworn law enforcement officers through 1,000 police units and associations nationwide, has paid tribute since 1994 to law enforcement officers from across the country for outstanding service to their communities during the preceding year.

Officers recognized as Top Cops were nominated by fellow officers and selected from hundreds of nominations by an independent awards committee. Officers, agents and deputies from the top 10 cases have been chosen to be honored in 2025. The top 10 case winners are flown to Washington for the awards ceremony, which features a short video of each case.

The other officers to be recognized are from Huntsville, Ala., Phoenix, Ariz., Fresno, Calif., Miami, Fla, Atlanta, Ga., Las Vegas, Nev., Buffalo, N.Y., Syracuse, N.Y., and Corpus Christi, Texas.

VanderMaiden, who had been on duty for less than six months, was on patrol with Hermsmeier, a 25-year veteran of the Quincy Police Department, when they responded to the 700 block of North Third at 11:51 a.m. on Jan. 11. 

According to an investigation by the Illinois State Police, the officers were told upon arrival that a suspect, later identified as Donald H. Hibbard, had barricaded himself in the residence with his ex-girlfriend and that he had a firearm. Upon making entry, Hermsmeier used his Taser, striking the suspect but failing to subdue him.

Hibbard then fired his weapon, striking Hermsmeier in the arm. The suspect refused to surrender the weapon after shooting Hermsmeier and continued to fight with him over control of the weapon. VanderMaiden then defended his fellow officer by firing two shots, both of which struck Hibbard and killed him.

A toxicology report showed Hibbard was under the influence of cocaine, morphine and THC at the time of the incident.

Gary Farha, Adams County State’s Attorney at the time, said his office determined that the shooting of Hibbard was justified and that no criminal charges should be considered against VanderMaiden.