January 27, 2003

Lansing - Michigan State Police Director Colonel Stephen D. Madden is pleased to announce that Joan Denemy, a secretary at the West Branch Post, is the newest recipient of the department’s Floyd R. Bell Jr. Civilian of the Year Award.

Denemy, a 25-year employee of the department, was chosen for the award as a result of her accomplishments both on and off the job and for her efforts to continue the department’s proud tradition of SERVICE through EXCELLENCE, INTEGRITY and COURTESY.

As secretary of the West Branch Post, Denemy has implemented several new methods of tracking information, which have resulted in increased efficiency at the post. For instance, Denemy has developed spreadsheets that monitor budget needs and funds, overtime from two different perspectives, uniform purchases, midnight patrol activity and blood test reimbursements.

Denemy serves as a liaison between the post and the community by interacting with post personnel and their families, as well as helping young troopers adjust to the community. Using her interpersonal and conflict resolution skills, she assists troopers with travel vouchers, ordering equipment and resolving conflicts in personal relationships. Denemy continues to represent her post and her community by having a reputation of being optimistic, honest, dependable, unselfish and helpful.

Denemy is not afraid to take on new tasks, as seen through her willingness to assist the post detective. Even thought it is outside of her job description, Denemy submits the Violent Crime Apprehension Program (VIACP) entries of her post detective. As a result of her excellent work, she was asked to submit the VICAP entries of other work sites in the district as well. Denemy has also assisted with the detective in the preparation of a presentation for the Attorney General’s office, in which she contacted the media for information and summarized her findings and statistics into a professional presentation.

Denemy assists her community in many ways. She serves as the post’s representative on the Assessing Community Traffic Safety Committee, which helps to increase safety in the community and she is also an active member of her church serving in a variety of support positions. Denemy has been a member of the Michigan Bow Hunters for the past 20 years, including serving as their secretary since 1999. She assisted in the development of a Michigan Bow Hunters procedural manual and took it upon herself to catalog the last 10 years of meeting minutes.

Denemy is both a native and a current resident of West Branch. Her father, Bill Denemy, retired from the department as an inspector in the Motor Carrier Division in the 1980s.

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