NLV Police honor officers

Tuesday, June 12, 2001 | 9:15 a.m.

The North Las Vegas Police Department is recognizing several of its own with awards, including four medal of valor presentations.

Detective Michael Rodrigues and investigator Alberto Ramos were given the medal of valor at a Thursday ceremony for their bravery in apprehending a group of narcotic suspects who opened fire on the officers on Oct. 28, 1998.

The officers were working undercover and approached four men stripping a car in an apartment complex near Lake Mead and Martin Luther King boulevards, when one of the suspects pulled a gun and fired three shots at the officers.

Officers Irene Booth and Mario Alfonsi Jr. were awarded the medal of valor for bravery during an October 1995 gun battle in which another officer was shot.

The department's crime prevention division was recognized for outstanding community service, as were Susan Gilbert, Jo Preston, Nicole Hugins and Officers William Flynn and Tiffany Morey.

A group of 14 people were recognized for their part in establishing the "Nasty Boys" unit to combat drugs and gangs, including Chief Joey Tillmon, Capt. Joseph Forti, Lt. Chris Larotonda, Lt. Mike Blackwell, Lt. Art Redcay, Lt. Michael Kincaid, Lt. Anthony Scott, Sgt. Timothy Grady, Sgt. James Jackson, Sgt. Eduardo Ortiz Jr., detective Robert Tanner, detective Edward Brown, Officer Hollice Butz and crime scene investigator Lester Morton.