A Bethlehem Police detective and three county detectives assigned to the office of the district attorney were honored Nov. 15 with awards for their service at a Lehigh County Chiefs of Police Association event at DeSales University.

Lehigh County District Attorney Jim Martin presented the awards that had been delayed for several years due to COVID-19. The 34th, 35th and 36th annual Col. John K. Schafer Memorial Awards were presented to detectives Timothy S. Salgado, James F. Bruchak and Gail M. Struss. Bethlehem Police Detective Emily Falko was also named Police Officer of the Year.

The Schafer Award is named in honor of a former Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner who had a 23-year career with state police, part of which was with Troop M in Bethlehem. Col. Schafer rose through the ranks of the state police to be appointed Commissioner by Gov. Robert Casey in 1987. Unfortunately, his tenure was cut short by his death from cancer later that year.

Bethlehem Police Detective Falko was nominated by Chief Michelle Kott and her supervisor, Lt. Michael DiLuzio, who wrote in a nomination letter detailing her exemplary work in investigations; including, a 2020 homicide, online investigations of child predators and cases involving the sexual abuse of children.

“She continues her excellent work investigating crimes against children,” DiLuzio said. “I can’t emphasize enough what an asset Detective Falko is to the Criminal Investigations Division. She has a unique skill set, an uncanny determination and an attention to detail that makes her an excellent detective, regardless of the crime she is investigating.”

Deputy Chief Scott Meixell presented her award along with District Attorney Martin.

Detective Salgado is a former Allentown Police officer who worked at the department from 1984 through 2005 where he worked as a patrol officer, detective, lieutenant and captain. He joined the Lehigh County District Attorney’s office in 2008 and works as a detective with the Homicide Task Force which responds to every homicide that occurs within the county.

Detective Bruchak is a former Pennsylvania State Police Trooper who served from 1994 through 2016. At the time of his retirement, Bruchak was a corporal in the department’s Bureau of Integrity and Professional Standards. He also had served as a supervisor of the Troop M in both the Fogelsville station and Bethlehem headquarters. He also works on the Homicide Task Force.

Detective Struss is a summa cum laude graduate with a bachelor’s of science degree in criminal justice from Shippensburg University. She is a former Lehigh County adult probation officer and joined the Allentown Police Department in 1997, where she rose to the rank of assistant chief before her retirement in 2020. During her career in Allentown, Struss worked as a detective, school resource officer, hostage negotiator and defensive tactics instructor. Struss now works in the district attorney’s Domestic Violence Unit.