Sheriff Kevin F. Coppinger recently received the Patriot Award from the U.S. Department of Defense program called the “Employer Support of The Guard and Reserve.”
He was nominated by Essex County Sheriff’s Department Correctional Officer Gary Roy, who also serves as a technical sergeant in the U.S. Air Force Reserves. The award is presented to employers who support reservists through flexible schedules; time-off related to deployment and caring for families; and granting leaves of absence. The Essex County Sheriff’s Department has 29 guardsmen and reservists currently serving among its ranks.
“It truly is an honor for me to serve Essex County alongside these brave men and women who have volunteered to serve our country in the National Guard and military reserves. They are called upon to serve in every sort of emergency, including weather events, pandemics, as well as military missions, and then they come back to work at the Sheriff’s Department and serve our communities,” Coppinger said.
The award was presented by Robert Pomeroy, vice-chair of the Massachusetts Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve. Correctional Officers attending the ceremony included Roy; Evan Perriere, who serves in the U.S. Army Reserves; and Jerome Jellison and Michael Cotton, who both serve in the Army National Guard.