Law Enforcement
Commendation Medal

2013

Members of the Fairfax Resolves attended the Fairfax County Law Enforcement awards ceremony to present the 2013 recipients with the SAR Law Enforcement Commendation medal. Compatriot Bud Walker, chairman of the Law Enforcement Award committee, organized the selection process and coordinated the Chapter’s involvement in the Fairfax County Awards program. As Compatriot Walker read the nominiations, Chapter President Phil Ray presented the awards to two very deserving recipients.

Medal Recipient

MPO James J. Banachoski

MPO James J. Banachoski has been a committed and professional member of the department for almost twenty-four years and is currently the senior detective on the Crash Reconstruction Unit.

Starting his career as a patrol officer, Detective Banachoski was then accepted into the difficult and highly competitive flight medic program. While a flight medic he was awarded a Medal of Valor for life saving efforts given to two people in a crash. Detective Banachoski then moved into the technically challenging field of crash reconstruction. From numerous training courses to mastering his skill on countless crash investigations, Detective Banachoski is recognized by his peers and supervisors as a leader in his field. To help pass on his vast wealth of knowledge, he trains at the academy, mentors new detectives and assists less experienced officers in their own crash investigations. Detective Banachoski also contributes to the community by speaking to high school students about traffic safety. Recently, he partnered with a local high school to create a video that speaks to teens about the impact of deadly crashes.

MPO James Banachoski is presented with the SAR Law Enforcement Commendation Medal for his outstanding commitment of service to Fairfax County.

Medal Recipient

Sergeant David J. Kuhar

Sergeant David J. Kuhar has been a proud and dedicated member of the department for over twenty-four years and has sustained exemplary performance in a variety of roles and functions.

Sergeant Kuhar has worked as a patrol officer, detective and instructor at the Criminal Justice Academy. At the academy, he served as a basic recruit instructor, a firearms instructor and a driving instructor. As a supervisor, Sergeant Kuhar has served at the Mason, McLean and Sully district stations as well as at the academy. In between work assignments, he also serves as a member of the honor guard, the peer support program, is a hostage negotiator and a founding member of the safety officer program. Sergeant Kuhar has also achieved the status of Master CEW or “TASER” instructor. Recently, he created and executed a program at Sully station to provide specialized training to Master Police Officers, which took extraordinary planning and logistics. Throughout his career and in his many roles, Sergeant Kuhar has influenced almost every single member of the department.

Sergeant Dave Kuhar is presented with the SAR Law Enforcement Commendation Medal for his outstanding commitment of service to Fairfax County.

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