In a rebirth of its "police officer of the month" program, the V.I. Hotel and Tourism Association honored two St. John police officers, Detective Cassandra Vincent and Officer Richard Dominguez, at its meeting Wednesday at the Westin Resort and Villas.
Two St. Thomas police officers, Gigi Alexander and Dwight Griffith, were also honored but did not attend the luncheon.
Police brass, including Acting Commissioner Novelle Francis, were on hand to make remarks.
"This is about going beyond the call of duty," Francis said.
Vincent, who joined the Police Department in 2003 and was named officer of the month for May, has been on St. John since 2004 and solved numerous cases.
"Detective Vincent investigates every case with the same aggression and determination whether it is considered high profile or not," Hotel Association President Lisa Hamilton said.
According to Hamilton, Vincent was selected officer of the month because of her diligence, dedication and desire to help make the Virgin Islands a safer place for everyone to live.
"Detective Vincent exhibits great leadership skills and can execute her assignments with little or no supervision," Hamilton said.
Dominguez joined the Police Department in 2008 and is officer of the month for June. He’s made numerous arrests during his short time with the police department, Hamilton said.
"Officer Dominguez was selected as officer of the month because of his initiative, willingness to be a public servant and relentless work under trying circumstances," Hamilton said.
Vincent and Dominguez left the luncheon shortly after being honored and were not available for interviews.
In addition to honoring the police officers of the month, the Hotel Association had staff from the V.I. Waste Management Authority as its featured speakers.
"We are the first line of defense for the community," Waste Management’s chief planning officer, Sonya Nelthropp, said.
Nelthropp said that just as the police, hospitals and fire were important, it was Waste Management’s job to protect the community from disease.
In Hotel Association announcements, Hamilton said the territory’s Sizzlin’ Sampler promotion subsidized by the Tourism Department sold 5,000 packages. There are another 1,500 left to sell.
"It looks like we’ll sell out by the end of July," she said.
And she said the upcoming winter season should see six-percent more airlift to the territory than last season.
"This season was 3 percent more than last year," she said.
