Law enforcement officers from Sullivan County were among the honorees at the Fifth Annual New York State Troopers PBA Awards Dinner on June 3 at the World Yacht at Pier 81 in New York City.

New York State Troopers Charles Kaplan and Holli Schoonmaker were named PBA Troopers of the Year for Troop F, while Sullivan County Sheriff Michael A. Schiff was honored with the Trooper Roman J. Laurence Award.

The Annual Troopers PBA Awards Dinner honors not only NYSTPBA members who performed heroically, but also individuals whose actions benefited the PBA membership as a whole, and supporters who have made a difference in the everyday lives of Troopers.

Troopers Charles Kaplan and Holli Schoonmaker, both stationed at SP Liberty, were recognized for their efforts from a February incident. On February 9, 2015, Trooper Charles Kaplan was dispatched to a shooting. After arriving at the scene, he ascertained the direction of travel of the assailant and located his disabled vehicle a short distance away. As the suspect began fleeing on foot, Trooper Kaplan used his Troop car to block his escape and with the aid of K-9 Avery, placed the subject into custody. Trooper Holli N. Schoonmaker, a former paramedic, arrived at the scene and rendered substantial first aid to the victim of the shooting, who had sustained two gunshot wounds to his abdomen. This individual ultimately survived largely due to the immediate care he received at the scene.

Sullivan County Sheriff Michael A. Schiff, who was given the Trooper Roman J. Laurence Award, spent nearly 28 years as a New York State Trooper prior to running for his current position in 2005. In the mid-1990s, while working as a Trooper in Troop F, Sheriff Schiff tirelessly led a grassroots effort to effect change and transparency in the operation of Troopers’ labor union. His struggles led to significant gains in wages and benefits for Troopers over the past decade and a half, and were the catalyst for the current makeup and vision of the State Troopers PBA.

The award given to Schiff is named after Trooper Roman J. Laurence, the third PBA President (1944 – 49), who fought for the improvement of working conditions of Troopers and was fired by the Division of State Police for his outspoken activism. The PBA surely wouldn’t have survived its early years without Laurence’s dedication and tenacity. The award is presented annually to a PBA member who has demonstrated resolve in furthering union activities.

The PBA’s awards dinner brought together many supporters in raising nearly $250,000.00 for the Signal 30 Benefit Fund, which assists the members of the New York State Police in extraordinary circumstances such as line-of-duty death, illness, injury, and loss of residences to fires or floods. One of the largest supporters of the Signal 30 Benefit Fund is the Monticello Motor Club, which also annually sponsors a “Cops for Kids” fundraiser in which the State Troopers PBA participates.

(YWN Sullivan County Newsroom)