Sergeant Amy Babb of the Colebrookdale Township Police Department has been named First Responder of the Year and will be honored at the Citizen of the Year Awards Gala on April 22.
Babb has been an officer with Colebrookdale Township for 17 years and has been nominated by Mark Malizzi for the impact she’s made.
Babb says her favorite part about the job is the community.
Since the early 2000s, the police department has hosted Shop with a Cop during the holiday season. This is something Babb helps to organize every year. She said that event is all about the kids.
“You hear stories where they’re not going to have a Christmas without help. That sparked it, the kids.”
Another community outreach she’s involved with has to do with the safety of children – car seats.
Babb says she receives car seats through grants and if a person cannot afford a car seat they can come to her. “We’ll get them a brand new car seat right out of the box.”
In addition to these specific programs, the officer also takes part in community days and safety days at the local schools.
When asked about the most difficult part of the job, Babb replied, “Being the only female, local.” She thinks the next female officer working locally is in Amity.
Her favorite part about the job is the community.
Babb received this award back in 2010, and said “I was not expecting – even though its 7 years later – I was not expecting to receive it again. It’s really kind of awesome.”
Also in 2010, Babb was given an award for her work with children in the Berks County Community Youth Aid Panel Program
Admitting she’s less comfortable in the limelight and prefers the background, Babb says she’s getting excited about the awards gala on Saturday. Her mom and her sister are coming up from Virginia, where Babb is originally from.
This is the first year she’ll be able to attend the event since it’s moved from Hookies to the museum, and she’s anxious to see the changes.