VanderMaiden awarded Law Enforcement Officer of the Year at Quincy Service Club luncheon

QUINCY — Less than 10 days into his field training, Quincy Police Department (QPD) Officer Gabe VanderMaiden made a split-second decision that many law enforcement officers hope to never have to make.

VanderMaiden and 25-year QPD veteran Officer Matt Hermsmeier responded on Jan. 11, 2024, to a situation of domestic violence involving an armed suspect who had barricaded himself in a residence with his ex-girlfriend. After Hermsmeier struck the suspect with his taser in a failed attempt to de-escalate the situation, the suspect shot him in the arm, and a struggle ensued between the two over the weapon.

That’s when VanderMaiden drew his weapon and fired two shots, killing the subject — who was later found to have been under the influence of cocaine, morphine and THC at the time — and protecting the lives of Hermsmeier and the woman being held by the suspect.

The moment has come to define the beginning of VanderMaiden’s career. VanderMaiden and Hermsmeier recently were invited to attend the 32nd annual Top Cops Awards on May 12 during National Police Week in Washington, D.C. — two of only 19 officers selected to be recognized. 

VanderMaiden was awarded Law Officer of the Year on Friday afternoon by the Quincy Service Club, a recognition the group has awarded since 1967, during its annual First Responders/Public Safety Appreciation Lunch at the Elks Club. Previous honorees included officers from QPD, Adams County Sheriff’s Office, the Illinois State Police, Louis County Sheriff’s Office, Missouri Highway Patrol, Illinois Conservation Police and the Federal Bureau of Investigations.

VanderMaiden was one of four people nominated by their own departments to be honored at the luncheon. Others were:

• Firefighter of the Year: Lt. Andy Wittler of Tri-Township Fire Department
• EMS Professional of the Year: Tyler Wilson of Adams County Emergency Services
• Citizen of the Year: Auxiliary Lt. Allie Jarvis of QPD

The club has awarded Firefighter of the Year since 2009 and EMS Professional and Citizen of the Year since 2019. 

The event was emceed by U.S. Air Force veteran Barry Cheyne, who has dedicated more than 50 years to public safety himself. He is the chair of Quincy’s Board of Fire and Police Commissioners, which is tasked with hiring and promoting members of QPD and Quincy Fire Department (QFD).

Wittler is a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan and Iraq before joining Tri-Township in 2007. He was promoted to lieutenant in 2018 and has spent a significant amount of his time in recent years teaching rescue response skills to members of the U.S. Coast Guard and Army National Guard, John Wood Community College students in the fire science program and other groups in the Quincy and surrounding areas. 

“In emergency services, every chief likes to have an employee that they tell others they’d like to have 10 more alike. This year’s Firefighter of the Year is one of those guys … He’s dependable, he’s competent, highly motivated and always willing to learn new things and new skills,” Tri-Township Fire Department Chief Tom Bentley said of Wittler.

Wittler thanked the Service Club for the recognition and his family for the time they’ve sacrificed with him because of his position.

Adams County EMS Chief John Simon said Wilson “probably would not have attended today if he knew he was receiving the award.”

“He’s delivered babies, he’s experienced major trauma, he’s cared for the sick. He saved some, and he’s had the frustration of not being able to save them all,” Simon said. “This year’s recipient is always willing to do whatever it takes. He always stands up and says, ‘Pick me, I’ll help.’ He always lends a hand. He takes extra shifts. He works supervisor shifts on the weekends.”

Simon said Wilson has been in EMS for 20 years across multiple services, but his efforts to reform the group’s education programs for EMS providers and for the public were why he was chosen. Wilson has made CPR training more accessible. He has taught nearly 1,000 civilians how to quickly stop a life-threatening bleeding scenario and has built their training programs “from the ground up.”

As a child who loved watching ambulances growing up, Wilson always knew he’d become an EMS responder. His mother was an EMT, as is his sister.

Jarvis joined the QPD auxiliary unit in 2018. QFD Chief Steve Salrin, who presented Jarvis with the award, said the unit is “a critical component of the safety and security of many events” in Quincy, such as concerts, festivals and road races, for which the unit’s members volunteer to protect the attendees and participants of. 

Salrin said Jarvis has worked at events, created traffic and operational plans, arranged necessary resources and assisted with training new auxiliary unit officers.

“What makes all this even more impressive is that the considerable amount of time and effort Allie puts forth is done as a volunteer — a tremendous commitment,” Salrin said. 

Salrin pointed out that, in addition to her work in the auxiliary unit, Jarvis works full-time in the neurosurgery department and part-time in the behavioral health department at Blessing Hospital. She also works part-time at Perk Coffee in West Quincy.

“I definitely did not expect this. I couldn’t do it without my unit, we’ve got a good group,” Jarvis said. “Our whole goal is to keep the city safe during these events.”

QPD Chief Adam Yates thanked the recipients of the awards for their service, as well the attendees, many of whom were current or previous public safety professionals.

“You do a difficult, complicated and sometimes thankless job protecting your community,” he said. “I hope that today’s event offers a bit of reassurance that there is, in fact, a tremendous amount of support and appreciation across the region for the great work that you do.”