St. Andrew by the Bay’s Knights of Columbus Council Honors Individuals of the Year

For Detective Jeffrey Hartlove of the Annapolis Police Department, Anne Arundel County Firefighter Philip Stratton and Emergency Medical Technician Scott Rodney, saving lives in the face of danger is often just another day on the job.

Of course, there are situations when the call of duty requires a higher level of skill, courage and quick thought than usual, and that’s exactly why the trio of first responders was honored on Sunday by Knights of Columbus Council #11552 at Cape St. Claire’s church.

The ceremony was just the second year for the council’s individuals of the year awards, which recognize firefighters, police officers, EMTs or Catholic school teachers for achievements that contribute to the local quality of life, according to Arnold resident Kamal Kardosh, who is director of community for Council #11552.

“My responsibility is to find and recognize individuals who have contributed to our community,” says Kardosh. “While this is our council’s second year for the awards, many other councils have been doing this for a number of years.”

Council Grand Knight Larry South recognized the three men in a ceremony immediately following Sunday’s late morning mass, which was also attended by St. Andrew’s Rev. Martin Burnham and church parishioners, as well as family members, friends and colleagues of the recipients. Knights of Columbus members also hosted a coffee reception afterward, where the honorees were presented with plaques.

Detective Jeffrey Hartlove, a nearly 25-year veteran of the Annapolis Police Department, received his award for his commitment to solving an interstate prostitution and human trafficking ring that was based in the Janwall Street neighborhood of Annapolis.

What began as his assignment to solve a homicide in 2008 ended nearly two years later with the arrest of several members of a prostitution business that had been promising women from Central America and Mexico to receive United States work visas but instead forcing them to become sex workers.

Hartlove learned that the murder ended up being between rival pimps, a lead that opened up the prostitution investigation for him and his partner, Det. John Lee. It was during the early stages of the interview process with Spanish-speaking associates of the victim when the police translator tipped the police that they were in the middle of a brothel, a fact that surprised even the two seasoned detectives.

“The fact is that we learned all of this was going on in Annapolis,” says Lee, “yet no one had ever known.” Since both the perpetrators and victims were Hispanic, Lee reports the illegal activities “flew under the radar.”

Hartlove spent thousands of hours, much of it on his own time, working with other local, state and federal law enforcement agencies to break up the ring and collect enough evidence to prosecute the leaders. The main suspect is currently awaiting trial and several others will soon be tried at either the state or federal levels.

Lee says that most of the victims were given U visas, special permits issued by the federal government to victims of crime in exchange for their full cooperation in continuing to work with the police. “They get work papers, legitimate jobs, and so on, but only if they cooperate with us,” says Lee, otherwise they face deportation.

For his part, Hartlove was humbled by the nomination for the award, which was submitted by his supervisor and peers. “That my colleagues wanted to honor me means more than anything,” says Hartlove, whose wife and sons attended the ceremony along with Lee.

Five-year Anne Arundel County firefighter Philip Stratton of Severn, Md., received his award for quick thinking that likely saved the lives of several colleagues. Though now permanently assigned to the Deale Volunteer Fire Department, Stratton was with the Cape St. Claire Volunteer Fire Company when he responded to a call for a townhouse fire in the Bay Head area of the Broadneck peninsula.

His truck was first on the scene, and, since Stratton was the driver, his colleagues entered the burning house with their equipment and hoses. Almost immediately, Stratton realized that the pressure to the water hoses was malfunctioning and that the situation quickly would become dire.

He immediately radioed his fellow crew members to reposition themselves to safety in the townhouse, then called for additional apparatus and personnel so that a secondary water supply could be established. But his creative thinking didn’t stop there. Stratton says he recalled a stopgap measure he learned while at the fire academy years before. “I remembered learning that a temporary way to get more water pressure to the hoses was to rev the truck engine, increasing the RPMs to increase the pressure,” he says.

Stratton’s solution worked and provided enough water pressure to keep his colleagues safe until additional trucks arrived on scene. His calm sensibility saved lives and, almost certainly, prevented the fire from extending down the row to other townhouses.

In addition to working full-time as a firefighter, the Severn resident is a county telecommunications operator, answering 911 calls, dispatching equipment and managing radio traffic, and also serves as a member of the Marine Operations Unit, which provides emergency response for the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries.

Stratton’s mother, who attended the ceremony with his grandparents, aunt and young daughter, couldn’t be more proud of her son. “He’s a reactor and always a person who’s there for others,” says Charlene Stratton. Echoing his mother’s pride is Stratton’s grandmother, Katherine Stradley: “Whatever he does, he does with his whole heart.”

Scott Rodney of the Eastern shore town of Galena, Md., is a seven-year advanced life support paramedic provider with Anne Arundel County. Formerly with Paramedic Unit 12 at Earleigh Heights Volunteer Fire Company, Rodney is now with Unit 17 at Arnold Volunteer Fire Company.

Though Rodney is frequently required to use his advanced life support training at accidents, one horrific incident last year required mental focus and sharp skills as he led the rescue of a young child who had been struck by a car in Arnold.

Rodney directed a team of emergency workers to attend to the critically injured child, ensuring that proper treatment was administered on-scene and that quick transportation was given to transfer the victim to a hospital. Because of Rodney’s professionalism, the child was in surgery within the “golden hour”—the time required for trauma victims to receive treatment that greatly increases their chance of survival—and recovered successfully.

Nominated by his battalion chief, Rodney was surprised and overwhelmed to have received the Knights of Columbus award. He also has volunteered for his hometown fire department in Galena since 1986, and was accompanied at the ceremony by his wife, Tracey, who describes him as “tremendously giving.”

The Knights of Columbus is the world’s largest Catholic family fraternal service organization, and, according to Deputy Grand Knight Pat Griffin of Cape St. Claire, Council #11552 was established at St. Andrew by the Bay in 1995 and currently has approximately 140 members.