September Honorees

Sergeant Luke Montgomery came to the Maryland Capitol Police from the Baltimore City Sheriff department where he spent approximately 19 years, serving his community. Sgt. Montgomery is a hard-working supervisor, respectful and polite to all that he comes across. He does not shy away from a call for service and backs up his fellow officers from this agency and others.

On September 6, 2023, at approximately 1250 hrs., Sgt. Luke Montgomery, was working at the Maryland Department of the Environment detail, located at 1800 Washington Blvd, Baltimore, MD. He was advised a state employee was having an unknown medical issue. Sgt. Montgomery responded to the 5th floor and upon his arrival it was determined that the state employee was choking.

Sgt. Montgomery immediately notified Maryland Capitol Police Communication Center and requested emergency medical personnel. Sgt. Montgomery remained calm, assessed the situation. Seeing the individual was still choking he immediately began performing lifesaving measures on the individual by performing the Heimlich maneuver! After several attempts, Sgt. Montgomery was successful in dislodging the item from the individual’s throat. It was further ascertained Ms. Cox had swallowed some medication which lodged in her throat causing her to choke. Sgt. Montgomery’s actions reflect the highest standards of the Maryland Capitol Police.

Pete Wagner was given a project for roof leaks that were damaging the interior of the Upper Shop roof at the Crownsville Veterans Cemetery on May 18th, 2023. Pete immediately called the site contact and set up a site visit for the next day to get an idea of the issues and what was needed to replace the roof system. Pete had the specifications written within a few days and held the pre bid meeting on May 26th, 2023. After the project was awarded, Pete met with the contractor and the using agency to get the new roof system installed in the quickest way possible to keep interior damage to the building to a minimum. Pete would visit the site many times during the duration of the project to keep the project moving and to get the project completed in a timely matter. The project was completed on time and under budget and the using agency also sent in a letter to let us know how well Pete handled this project and how happy they were with DGS.

Philip Palazola took the lead on preparing the departed office space for the transition of the administrations. He often had to work around many scheduling obstacles and a major leak that impacted office space. Still, Philip got it done and did so with phenomenal timing. Meanwhile, William Ketner helped to prepare for the Inauguration and the Legislative Session. William worked to ensure that all of the requirements for the Inauguration were met while also ensuring that the building was ready for the Legislative Session to begin. Both of these gentlemen went above and beyond to ensure that the needs of both Governors were met, and the offices were ready for the new administration.