Stamford PD Sergeant Molina Selected as 2024 Citizen of the Year
Honoree recognized for impactful contributions to the city and charitable organizations
STAMFORD — Across the city, many community groups and active residents will instantly recognize the 2024 Citizen of the Year, Sergeant Adriana Molina, who was announced as the recipient on Friday, January 5. A member of the police force for more than two decades, Molina is an advocate for unhoused people in Stamford, and launched a groundbreaking Stamford PD effort to help with instances of mental health, substance abuse, and domestic crises.
“Sergeant Molina exemplifies selflessness, compassion, service to others and is a role model to many,” Mayor Caroline Simmons said. “She is always going above and beyond the call of duty and I want to congratulate her on this well-deserved recognition.”
The nomination was submitted by Building One Community (B1C) Executive Director Dr. Anka Badurina, Rev. Robert Jackson of Bethel AME Church, Retired Judge and former Citizen of the Year Mary Sommer as well as Molina’s boss, Police Chief Tim Shaw, and other community leaders, according to a press release sharing the announcement.
Molina and her family emigrated to Stamford from Colombia when she was two years old. A graduate of Westhill High School, she began her public service as a police dispatcher and then served as an officer, later achieving the rank of sergeant.
Molina, who also raised her three children in Stamford, has become an invaluable resource to numerous local organizations including the Domestic Violence Crisis Center, the St. Joseph Parenting Center, DOMUS, the Boys and Girls Club, Saint Mary of Stamford Parish, B1C and the Bethel AME Church, among others, according to the release. She also often participates in charitable endeavors like backpack distributions, COVID testing and vaccinations, as a Stamford EMS CPR/defibrillator instructor, and as a Girls Leadership Program mentor.
Former Citizen of the Year and COTY Selection Committee chair Cathy Ostuw said “Adriana Molina has spent decades of her life making Stamford a safer and more welcoming place for everyone. An immigrant herself, she is a beloved ambassador to the City’s immigrant community, working with churches and nonprofit organizations to break down barriers and increase understanding. She is very well deserving of the title of Citizen of the Year.”
Molina was the only sergeant in mind, Police Chief Tim Shaw said, to spearhead the Behavioral Health Unit after it began. “Adriana is the consummate professional and due to her dedication and drive our BHU has received over one million dollars in grants in support.”
In an acknowledgment of her trustworthiness and capabilities, Captain Tom Barcello, her immediate supervisor, said “when a situation is developing or doesn’t have a standard response, we give it to Adriana. [I]f she touches it, she finishes it to a proper resolution.”
Molina will be honored during two upcoming events. These will include an opportunity for the Sergeant’s name plaque to be added alongside previous Citizens of the Year at the Government Center, and the 2024 Stamford Citizen of the Year dinner which will be held this spring. Details for both occasions will be provided in the coming weeks.
The selection process criteria, which has not changed since the Citizen of the Year award started more than half a century ago, require that the nominee:
Demonstrate a belief in interfaith harmony.
Possess the highest standards of responsibility in civic life.
Help in the promotion of projects for the public welfare.
Has personally worked with distinction to benefit Stamford on a community-wide basis.
Organized by Jewish War Veterans (JWV) Fred Robbins Post 142 and the Citizen of the Year Committee, the highly regarded recognition goes back nearly eight decades with its start in 1945 with dozens of acclaimed Stamford residents having received the City of the Year award since then for their dedication to the city and its residents. Among past honorees were Board of Education President Adele Gordon, community leader Juanita T. James, and Governor Dannel P. Malloy. Learn more at stamfordcoty.org/coty.
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