Officer Carlos Luciano selected as 2009 Lancaster County Chiefs of Police Association Outstanding Officer of the Year

Officer Carlos Luciano was named the 2009 Lancaster County Chiefs of Police Association Outstanding Officer of the Year at a ceremony at Grace Church, 300 Willow Valley Square on May 16, 2010. Off. Luciano has been assigned to the Lancaster City Bureau of Police Patrol Division, as a School Resource Officer under the Patrol Services Section. He has been assigned as the School Resource Officer at Wheatland Middle School for the last three years. Officer Luciano is a consistently hard-working officer, who sets the standard for School Resource Officers. Officer Luciano diligently investigated incidents that occurred within his school and assisted other officers by providing helpful information regarding students at his school. During 2009, Officer Luciano investigated or assisted with almost any type of incident imaginable, from Aggravated Assaults and fighting to Thefts and Terroristic Threats. Officer Luciano pays particular attention to detail with his investigations and writes very neat, complete reports. Officer Luciano uses good judgment in deciding to prosecute offenders who need to be prosecuted or with counseling kids who need some guidance and direction, referring kids to the Youth Aid Panel when appropriate. Officer Luciano consistently makes the right choice depending on the needs of the juvenile he is dealing with at the time. Officer Luciano takes great pride in his work and it shows in his appearance and his work product. He represents the department well and always maintains a professional demeanor.

Officer Luciano always represents the department well when he speaks with groups outside of the police department. In August, Officer Luciano assisted at Camp Cadet, as he has in the past. He created a unique presentation to show the “cadets” that what you see isn’t always what you think it is. Officer Luciano incorporated his experience as an undercover officer who poses as a drug dealer/ buyer and combined that with his role as a member of the Honor Guard, to show the two, very different roles one officer can play. The presentation was well received and drew the undivided attention of all of the kids in attendance.

At the beginning of the school year, Officer Luciano organized assemblies for all of the students at Wheatland. Officer Luciano presented information to the students, with the assistance of MDJ Mary Sponaugle, to inform students about the law and the expectations that Officer Luciano had to maintain order in the school. Officer Luciano also serves as a guest speaker for CSI McCaskey, at Stevens Trade School and also at Harrisburg Area Community College, speaking on various issues related to law enforcement. He also served as an assistant coach on the Wheatland Middle School basketball team, working with the kids on a different level where the kids get to know him as Coach Luciano and not just Officer Luciano. He previously helped coach the school’s football team. In addition to his responsibilities as a School Resource Officer, Officer Luciano also finds time in his day to teach programs in the schools such as T.E.A.M. and G.R.E.A.T., which help prevent students from getting involved in violence, gangs, drugs, bullying and other risk behaviors. Officer Luciano has also assisted other officers and detectives with his language skills, helping translate for Spanish-speaking witnesses, suspects or victims. Officer Luciano remains flexible and is willing to take on new tasks whenever asked.

Officer Luciano is so well respected within the School District of Lancaster, the district was reluctant to give him up when the Manheim Township Police took over policing of Lancaster Township at the beginning of this year. In December 2009, the staff and administrators at Wheatland Middle School wrote a letter to the police department requesting that the police find a way to keep Officer Luciano in their school. In their words, the staff of Wheatland described how Officer Luciano has become an important part of their staff and their community. Officer Luciano has left a lasting impression on the students, staff and administrators at Wheatland Middle School. The staff at Wheatland credited Officer Luciano with helping change the climate at the school and for making the students realize they will be held accountable for their actions. Superintendent Rivera also made a personal plea to keep Officer Luciano at Wheatland, because of the great work and strong relationships he had developed there. Unfortunately, keeping Officer Luciano at Wheatland was not possible, but that did not discourage him and his value was again realized when he began working as a floating SRO at the high school campus in January.

Officer Luciano has demonstrated what a valuable asset he is to our department, the School District of Lancaster and the rest of the community. He is well respected by the teaching staff, students, and parents at Wheatland, as well as his peers at the police department.