Judges & Police honor 20 with Lawman of the Year Awards
Their acts of heroism range from rescuing a driver trapped in a car upside down in a creek to stopping an incident of elder abuse that could have turned deadly.
Others were recognized for saving a suicidal person from jumping off a bridge and for solving some of Niagara County's most complex homicide cases.
Collectively, the board of directors of Judges, Police & Executives of Niagara County honored 20 individuals for their 'Lawman of the Year Awards' for 2025.
The award recipients represent seven law enforcement agencies that operate across Niagara County. Those agencies range from city and town police departments to county, state-wide and federal law enforcement.
The Judges and Police describe their honorees as those 'who have gone above and beyond the call of duty.'
Among those honored was New York State Trooper Eric Braunscheidel was also honored for saving the life of a volunteer firefighter who had responded to a traffic accident on Saunders Settlement Road in Lockport. The firefighter had collapsed on the road and showed signs of cardiac arrest.
Braunscheidel immediately began performing CPR on the firefighter and was able to regain his pulse and breathing. The firefighter has since made a full recovery.
Niagara County Sheriff's Deputies Shagundeep Virk and Keith Kennedy were recognized for their life-saving actions in jumping into the freezing waters of Bergholz Creek on December 29 to rescue a driver from his sinking vehicle. The vehicle had veered into the water and overturned, causing it to fill with water.
The deputies were able to get the vehicle door open and pull the driver to safety.
Also honored was Falls Police Criminal Investigation Division Detective Steve Kerfoot. In a letter of nomination from Falls Police Superintendent Nicholas Ligammari, the city's top cop, wrote that Kerfoot's 'unwavering dedication to justice, exceptional leadership and profound impact on (the) community' made him 'an exemplary candidate.'
An eight-year member of the department with the last four as a detective, Ligammari stressed that Kerfoot showed 'sharp investigative skills' in solving two complex 2024 homicides in the city. In one case, that involved identifying a suspect, tracing him to Alabama and working with law enforcement agencies there to make an arrest.
The Judges and Police recognized the 29-year career of Niagara County Sheriff's Corrections Officer Paul Curcione for his work as his agency's field intelligence officer. Curcione, who is also a member of the corrections emergency response team, teaches at the Niagara County Law Enforcement Academy and is a veteran of the unit at the Niagara Air Reserve Station.
Life-saving honors were also given out to New York State Courts Officers Jack Carson Jr. and Benjamin Farley, along with Lockport Police Lt. Toby Trowbridge, for their quick action in keeping a suicidal person from jumping off a bridge over the Erie Canal. Farley spotted the individual and called for help.
Carson and Trowbridge, along with Farley, were able to get the individual off the railing and out of harm's way, before having him taken to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Lewiston Police Officer Cody Bruyere and New York State Trooper Adam Moen saved the life of a fellow officer when LPD Patrolman Joshua Belin hit the rear of a tractor-trailer and his patrol car burst into flames. Belin was left unconscious from the impact and the truck driver called 911.
Bruyere and Moen arrived at the scene and were able to pull Belin from his vehicle before the car was 'fully consumed by flames.'
And a combination of Town of Niagara Police officers and Niagara County Sheriff's Office deputies were honored for their work to rescue a man, in his 70s, who had been kidnapped and 'viciously' attacked by a man and woman seeking to rob him.
Town Police Chief Craig Guiliani, Officers James Bissell, Kenneth Kostek and Anisa Mahmood, along with Sheriff's Office Captain Tracy Steen, Lt. Eric Gieseler and Investigator Edward Finley were all recognized for what Guiliani called an 'outstanding example' of interdepartmental cooperation/
'It is my truly held belief (the cooperation) saved the life of (the victim),' Guiliani said.
Also honored were U.S. Border Patrol Special Agent Timothy Carroll, Agent Scott Kozina and Information Specialist Jessica Matuszak.
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