From the City of Temple Terrace:

Temple Terrace Police Officer Leigh Smith and Temple Terrace Firefighter/Engineer Michael Brown will be honored today (May 31) at the 18th annual Our Heroes Luncheon in downtown Tampa.

Smith is Temple Terrace’s 2011 Thomas L. Lewis Police Officer of the Year; Brown is the 2011 Firefighter of the Year.

The two men are among more than a dozen law enforcement and fire rescue personnel in Hillsborough County who will be honored for their everyday acts of heroism. The event, presented by Sykes Enterprises Inc., begins at noon at the Tampa Convention Center.

Temple Terrace Police Chief Ken Albano noted Smith’s “attention to detail at crime scenes” that led to the identification and arrest of numerous suspects throughout the year. Smith was credited with stopping a rash of auto burglaries at an apartment complex, due to his diligent patrols.

Brown was praised for his work in the Temple Terrace Fire Department’s reaccreditation success last year. He is an active member of the department’s honor guard and ALS Competition Team.

Temple Terrace is proud to recognize several other award recipients:

• Police Officer Timothy Crocker – 2011 “Jennifer Baker Memorial” DUI Enforcement Award for demonstrating “a high level of proactive, aggressive enforcement in the area of DUI-related offenses.”
• School Resource Officer Tandra Patterson – Police “Meritorious Citation” for outstanding work as the school resource officer at Greco Middle School.
• Det. Tom Carroll – Police “Meritorious Citation” for his diligent efforts in solving a child pornography case.
• Senior Communications Officer Jennifer Bowling – 2011 “Fire Dispatcher of the Year” for achieving a remarkable 99.6 percent rating in handling emergency calls.