SALEM — The Salem Police Department held its annual awards night Saturday at the Salem Country Club.

Approximately fifty people attended the event where Police Chief Sean Reynolds, and Deputy Police Chief Susan Miller, handed out the Police Officer of the Year and Communications Officer of the Year Awards.

Juana Gilbert received the honor of Communications Officer of the Year award for 2019 due to what Reynolds says is her continuous level of professional service to the community.

Gilbert will have been employed as a 911 Communications Officer for the Salem Police Department for 40 years this March.

Reynolds says she continuously strives to go above and beyond when handling 911 calls, dispatching police, fire, and EMS, as well as non-emergency calls to the police department.

Sergeant Kyle Ambuehl was named Police Officer of the Year for 2019 due to what Reynolds called the officer’s unmatched work ethic and his ability to answer the call for service to his community.

Reynolds says that Ambuehl spent hundreds of hours in 2019 training for, or responding to, high-risk search warrants with the ILEAS Region 9/11 SRT Team all over southern Illinois.

Ambuehl has proudly served as an officer with the Salem Police Department for 19 years.
Deputies from the Marion County Sheriff’s Department covered calls for a short time so Salem Officers on duty could enjoy dinner and festivities.