galling memorial disservice

"Wendy Knoebel had been employed by UAlbany since 1995. She received the Lawrence E. Gall Award in 2002 after 'exhibiting excellence in police services' to the campus community, according to a 2009 article posted on the university’s website."

Mason, Justin. "Ex-UAlbany cop gets no jail on drug count." Daily Gazette. http://www.dailygazette.net/standard/ShowStoryTemplate.asp?Path=SCH/2012/05/15&ID=Ar01100&Section=Local_News

"In 2002, Knoebel received the Lawrence E. Gall Award, awarded to officers exhibiting excellence in police services to the UAlbany community."

"Wendy Knoebel: Driven by Evidence." April 20, 2009. Campus News. University at Albany. http://web.archive.org/web/20090504133846/http://www.albany.edu/news/campus_news_6077.php

I'd been curious who Lawrence E. Gall was. There's very few mentions of the award online.

The UPD Investigator who'd encouraged Wendy Knoebel to bring her weapons on campus, and then removed her unregistered handgun from her locker, no questions asked, while she was being investigated by the state police and the DEA, then brought it back on campus himself and logged it in as evidence himself, was Matthew A. Griffin. He'd won the award too:

"Lawrence Gall Memorial award for professional police service"

"Matthew A. Griffin." http://police.albany.edu/Member2.asp?LName=Griffin&FName=Matthew

Thankfully, someone who doesn't seem to have been investigated has won it as well:

"Lawrence E. Gall Award for excellence in exhibiting excellence in police services"

"Kim Sigond." http://www.albany.edu/news/campus_news_6047.php

The above really does says "excellence in exhibiting excellence": the phrase appears on the page twice, no less.

Memorial awards are usually best when they do justice to the person being memorialized... and when they remember the name of the person. It seems his name may not have been Lawrence E. Gall, but Lawrence E. Gaal.

"Mabee was the recipient of the Lawrence Gaal Award in 2003 for Professional Service"

"Michael Mabee." http://police.albany.edu/Member2.asp?LName=Mabee&FName=Michael

"the Lawrence E. Gaal Award for Professional Service (Police Officers) was awarded to offers [sic] Peter Farnum and Alan Lapage"

http://www.albany.edu/studentsuccess/assessment/docs/2008-09%20Annual%20Report%20-%20COMPILED.pdf

Spelling "officer" correctly might have been a little more professional.... The Gaal family has been done an injustice, I think.

EDIT: Indeed, the late Lawrence E. Gaal had been a University at Albany peace officer who'd been shot in the line of duty:

Reinhart, Janice. "Mental Patient Found Not Guilty." Albany Student Press. January 29, 1980: 3 cols 1-5. http://library.albany.edu/speccoll/findaids/issues/1980_01_29.pdf

According to that article, Lawrence E. Gaal saved that shooter's in-laws' lives. It's a noble line of work; I've had some family serve as police as well. Officer Gaal subsequently died young of cancer:

"The year 1985 was a very difficult year for Ted. Both his wife, Marie and their oldest daughter, Georgiana (Gaal) Schamens died of cancer the same week. Another blow fell in 1987, when their son, Lawrence E. Gaal also died of cancer."

"Theodore Daniel Gaal." Post Star. January 1, 2010. http://poststar.com/lifestyles/announcements/obituaries/article_79bf8ffe-f756-11de-b35a-001cc4c03286.html

Ms. Knoebel had won another award, but UPD is disinclined to remind anyone at present. Mr. Wiley had given her the Chief's Award for Excellence in 1999:

"On Tuesday, February 9, 1999, University President Hitchcock officiated at the police officer swearing-in ceremony. Also present were Vice Presidents Kirchner and Doellefeld, and the New York State Director of University Police, R. Bruce McBride. Many officers brought their families to share in the celebration as their took their oath of office as police officers.

"This event, held at the Alumni House, also served as the Department's annual awards ceremony. Tim Brady received the award for 1998 Officer of the Year, and Investigator Wendy Knoebel received the Chief's Award for Excellence"

"What's New…" University at Albany, Department of Public Safety. http://web.archive.org/web/19990501211630/http://www.albany.edu/public_safety/whatsnew.html

What had Investigator Knoebel done in 1998 that was so excellent? They'd failed to solve their biggest of 1998, the disappearance of Suzanne Lyall http://www.suzannelyall.com

The picture to the right of the "ONGOING INVESTIGATION Missing Person Suzanne Lyall" at the following link is of Investigator Wendy Knoebel holding what might be her 1998 Chief's Award for Excellence, flanked by Investigators Paul Berger and Garry Slyke. http://web.archive.org/web/19991023053405/http://www.albany.edu/public_safety/ciu.html#lyall

Every cold case cries out to be solved. UPD's page for the Lyall investigation is hard to find and doesn't appear to have been maintained in years, from all the broken image links there: http://police.albany.edu/2ColPage.asp?PageSName=SL. The NYS Troopers, however, still have a more prominent page for the investigation http://www.troopers.ny.gov/Wanted_and_Missing/Missing/view.cfm?ID=7d2586b3-87fc-44bb-b602-52825c71e4f0, though it was last updated on March 3, 2004. There's an age-progression picture (to 2004), as well as very unusual jewelry she was thought to have been wearing.