2008 Award for Merit

Officer Ronald Guichon, University of Illinois at Chicago

Police officers who are considered the “best of the best” have always had one important common trait. They act out their profession as a vocation. They have that interior requirement to provide service and protection to all those in need regardless of the sacrifice they themselves must make. These sorts of officers not only put themselves in harm’s way for the protection of society but also dedicate themselves to the long lonely hours that must be worked on holidays and to be away from home during family events.

Officer Guichon is such a police officer. In his tenure as a UIC Police Officer, he has exhibited an array of police related talents such as street-level police intuitiveness, perseverance, dedication, and courage that have resulted in a remarkable record in the service to the University of Illinois at Chicago. During the last year, Officer Guichon has either responded to or initiated approximately four thousand services calls. Beyond the adjudication of these service calls, Officer Guichon has arrested 83 offenders in separate incidents. These arrests have been for Robbery, Burglary, Unlawful Use of Weapons, Public Indecency, Narcotics, and Criminal Trespass to State Supported Property. Officer Guichon has been recognized as the UIC Police Officer of the Month twice and Officer of the Year (2007). He has accumulated a remarkable array of awards that include 13 Department Honorable Mentions, 72 Department Salutes, and has been recognized by the Illinois Department of Transportation for his work in the critical area of DUI enforcement. Finally, Officer Guichon, as a Field Training Officer, passes on his expertise as a police officer to the next generation of officers ensuring that the University will, in the future, have well trained officers.

This is the sort of well rounded, fully engaged police service that significantly enhances the safety, security, and quality of life within the University of Illinois at Chicago.

Officer Guichon was nominated by Commander Frank J. Cappitelli, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago.