History of the Rowan Award and 2015 Nominees

The Saint Paul Police Foundation invites the community to Blue Nite Gala on October 10, 2015 at the St. Paul RiverCentre to celebrate the 2015 Rowan Award Winner and all current and former St. Paul Police Officers.

Saint Paul, MN (September 17, 2015): Richard H. Rowan was Chief of the Saint Paul Police Department from 1970 to 1979, dedicating a total of 32 years of service to the Department. He began his career as a patrolman in 1949 and rose up through the ranks as detective, deputy chief and then chief. His tenure as Chief was marked by turbulent times in the city, during which Chief Rowan demonstrated strong and steady leadership. He has been praised as a man of integrity who displayed courage and innovation throughout his career.

In 1975, Chief Rowan established the first medal of honors program within the department. And in honor of his memory, the Rowan Award is presented annually at the Annual Saint Paul Police Foundation Gala to a Saint Paul police officer who best exemplifies the characteristics that reflect Chief Rowan’s service. The honor is awarded to an officer who, with integrity, courage and innovation, displays the finest example of police work throughout their career.

John Rowan, Chief Rowan’s son, reflected on what the award means to the Rowan Family, “The Rowan Award has really helped to keep everyone in the family connected with their father, grandfather, and uncle. This [award] has connected our family with his legacy, what he means to Saint Paul. It has kept [the family] connected to Saint Paul, even while living in a different state. Our family feels so proud when seeing the presentation of the Rowan award. My sons were young when the award was first presented in 2006 at the Gala, and now they wouldn’t want to miss the award presentation.”

This year’s Rowan Award Nominees reflect the characteristics of Chief Rowan: integrity, courage, and innovation. The 2015 Rowan Award Nominees are Jon Sherwood, Eric Skog, and Rob Zink. Learn more about the 2015 nominees below.

2015 Rowan Award Nominees

Jon Sherwood

Many officers are heralded for exemplary work on individual cases. Others achieve distinction through rank and administrative duties. Then there are those who make indelible impressions by delivering exceptional service—day-in, day out—over the entirety of their careers. For 29 years, Officer Sherwood has been a consummate professional, mentor, selfless leader, and advocate for those in the throes of the worst moments of their lives.
For much of his career, he worked in the canine unit. His leadership and commitment to excellence benefitted the community, fellow officers and the department as he volunteered to work midnight shift after midnight shift, never hesitated to rush toward danger and won accolades as the nation’s top dog handler. Since transferring out of the Canine Unit, Officer Sherwood has continued to epitomize the professionalism Saint Paul has come to expect from its officers. He currently exceeds his tour’s average in calls for service by 51 percent, arrests by 76 percent, and traffic stops by 85 percent. He has never been one to seek the spotlight, although his work has been recognized many times by both the community and the Department. Rather, his commitment to excellence stems from taking pride in patrolling the very neighborhood in which he grew up and currently lives as well as the fact that he cares deeply about the people he helps every day.

Eric Skog

Sergeant Skog has been with the Saint Paul Police Department since 1998. Throughout his career, he has been recognized for his investigatory skills, professionalism, and dedication—attributes that would serve the community and department well over the course of one of the highest-profile cases in recent history. From October 2013 through June 2015, Sergeant Skog was assigned full-time to the investigation of sexual abuse within the Archdiocese of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. It was a complex case involving numerous allegations from victims young and old, the review of tens of thousands of documents, and unyielding attention from local, national, and international media. Everyone, it seemed, had an agenda or vendetta. He interviewed top leaders of the Archdiocese. He coordinated with the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office. He served as his unit’s executive officer and carried a case load. He worked nights, weekends, and held the case together for months. On June 5, 2015, the Archdiocese was charged by the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office with three counts of Contributing to the Need for Protection or Services.

Rob Zink

Officer Zink has served the people of Saint Paul with pride and professionalism for 17 years. He is well known in the Saint Paul Police Western District for treating everyone he meets with compassion and fairness. Recently, however, he took his commitment to service a step further by embarking on a project that is making a profound difference for those who are among the most vulnerable—people with autism. Officer Zink started the Cops Autism Response Education (CARE) program, which connects parents of children with autism with officers in an effort to improve understanding, communication, and outcomes during police contacts. He also developed training to help officers better understand the unique sensory issues people with autism have and how they often lead to noncompliance and resistance. The results are promising. Parents in the western district have a better understanding of how and why officers do their jobs. Officers better understand how flashing lights, shouted commands, and crackling radios affect people with autism. Saint Paul is a safer place for people living with the disorder. A parent of a child with autism summed up the importance of CARE in a letter written to the department, saying that Officer Zink “is the definition of what community service police/peace officers should be. He has gone above and beyond in raising awareness of neurological disabilities to educate his colleagues, as interactions have greatly improved since he entered our lives.”

Past Rowan Award Winners
2014 –Timothy Moore
2013 – Timothy McCarty
2012 – Michael Dollerschell
2011- Michael Reuvers
2010 –Kevin Moore
2009 – Randy Barnett
2008 - Gregory Pye
2007 - Frank Verdeja
2006 - Thomas Dunaski

We invite you to join us for the Tenth Annual Blue Nite Gala celebration! To learn more about buying tickets, please visit www.saintpaulpolicefoundation.com/blue-nite-gala.