The Whitehall Township police chief and a Lehigh County Homicide Task Force detective were two of the recipients of awards for service at a ceremony Nov. 19 by the Lehigh County Chiefs of Police and the Officer David M. Petzold Foundation.

Chief Michael J. Marks and Detective Kevin R. Mriss both received the Col. John K. Schafer Memorial Award. Marks is the 38th annual winner for 2024 and Mriss is the 39th annual winner for this year.

The Schafer Award is named in honor of a former Pennsylvania State Police commissioner who had a 23-year career with the state police, part of which was with Troop M, Bethlehem. Schafer rose through the ranks of 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. This award presented in Schafer’s name is given in recognition of exemplary service to law enforcement.

Marks joined the Whitehall Township Police Department in 2000 and rose through the ranks, receiving commendations for both meritorious service as well as lifesaving efforts. In 2014, he was named the Whitehall Police Association Leader of the Year. He was named Whitehall police chief in 2016.

As chief, Marks is credited with creating the first standards for the department’s community-oriented policing program, as well as expanding the criminal investigations division with cybercrime investigators. He is a member assigned to the FBI Safe Streets Task Force.

He also created a new position for processing crime scenes, as well as evidentiary quality control.

Marks also serves as the president of the Lehigh County Police Chiefs Association and is an oversight committee member of the Lehigh County Municipal Emergency Response Team.

Mriss, a graduate of Lehighton High School, joined Allentown Police Department in 1997. He worked on the patrol and juvenile divisions before becoming a detective, where he received several awards for service. He joined the Lehigh County District Attorney’s Office in 2017 and in his role with the homicide task force.

Mriss has investigated many homicides, as well as other high-profile cases. He has served as a negotiator with Allentown police’s negotiation team, as well as for the Lehigh County Emergency Response Team. Mriss has also served as a member of the crisis negotiation team since 2016 to present and is a member of the U.S. Marshal’s Service Fugitive Task Force.

Other award winners from the ceremony, held at DeSales University, included Whitehall police Sgt. Joseph Remmel as Officer of the Year and Dr. Benjamin Iobst with the Officer David M. Petzold Memorial Foundation Beyond the Badge Award. Iobst is a retired Allentown police sergeant and currently serves as an officer with Fountain Hill Police Department.

Officers at many other departments were also recognized, including those in Whitehall, Upper Saucon, Upper Macungie, South Whitehall, Salisbury, Fountain Hill and Emmaus, as well as PSP.