Bowie Police honors promotions and lifesaving work at Nov. 10 ceremony

BOWIE, Md. — The Bowie Police Department held its combined promotion and awards ceremony on Nov. 10, 2025, elevating five officers and recognizing dozens of personnel for life‑saving actions, major investigations and emergency communications. Chief Dwayne Preston presided over the event, which included remarks from City Manager Alfred D. Lott and a benediction by Chaplain Johnny Hodge.

The department announced promotions for Lieutenant Anika Howard; Sergeant Ryan Shiflett; and Police First Class Vette Anderson Tippett, Jude Kilo Bunuel and Adonis Phillips. Chief Preston presented a framed recognition to City Manager Alfred D. Lott dated Nov. 10, 2025; Lott noted he will retire next month.

Alfred D. Lott, the city manager, delivered the keynote and urged recipients to preserve their certificates as milestones. "Have them framed," Lott said, "because someday in your life, it'll mean something to you." He used military leadership examples to encourage continuous learning and mentoring among supervisors.

Awards acknowledged multiple incidents and office achievements. The department presented a Chief's Award to the Criminal Investigation Section; the award citation noted the unit closed "80% of assigned cases," including robberies, burglaries and assaults tied to Bowie High School. Other recognitions included:

- Chaplain Services: Chaplain Johnny Hodge was honored for mentoring officers and providing chaplain services in Bowie and Prince George's County.
- Life‑saving awards: Officers were cited for separate rescues, including pulling a special‑needs person from Allen Pond (March 31, 2025) and performing CPR to save a seizure victim when an ambulance was delayed (Feb. 27, 2025). Several officers received life‑saving awards for entering a locked vehicle to assist an unconscious person after a welfare check (Aug. 20, 2025) and for a barricade/hostage rescue in which officers forced entry and freed two victims (March 18, 2025).
- Emergency response and investigations: Awards recognized officers who managed complex crime scenes that led to subsequent arrests and homicide follow‑up (May 18, 2025), as well as officers who subdued an armed suicidal subject after prolonged negotiations (Feb. 21, 2025).
- Dispatch and communications: Communication Specialist John Rivera and Kaylee Lowry received Chief's Awards for coordinating calls, perimeter setup and liaising with partner agencies during high‑risk incidents.

Chief Preston closed the ceremony by thanking staff and volunteers who organized the program and invited attendees to a reception in the lobby. Chaplain Hodge delivered a benediction and blessed the food services that followed.

The event highlighted both routine and high‑risk police work and emphasized leadership and professional development as officers assume new responsibilities.