“Z-MAN” AWARD
Mark Y. Zylawy, “Z-Man”, a highly regarded Portland police officer, died January 27, 2008, in a tragic and untimely accident at the age of 40. He worked as a district officer in Northeast Portland for 17 years with passion, dedication, and enthusiasm throughout his career.
Kenneth Lester, EVOC Coordinator at the Ontario Police College said this about Mark:
“In the small amount of time that we knew Mark, it was quite noticeable that his passion was Police Driver Training. He was a true advocate of innovation and improvement. He was also very outspoken with his positive views on networking with other training personnel, to always ensure that we were all using the latest and most innovative training material available. He knew that this was made possible by simply getting together and sharing ideas, including training triumphs and failures.”
In memory of Mark and what he stood for in regards to Emergency Vehicle Operations Training, ALERT International has set up the ACHIEVEMENT AWARD. This award is presented on an annual basis for the best innovative idea in Police Driver Training in the past year.
Innovative ideas could be as simple as methods reducing the student to instructor ratio during training, strategies utilized to increase training time or the combining of driver training with other training such as officer safety or firearms. Do you know of a training unit that has made an impact on EVOC? We welcome your submissions at alert.president@gmail.com.
Winners of the “Z-Man” Award
2023 Spokane Police Department EVOC
2022: Spokane Washington Sheriffs Office EVOC
2021: Arapahoe County Sheriff’s Office (Shannon Lofland)
2019: Fishers Police Department, Indiana (Dave Dunbar)
2018: Md. Police & Correctional Training Commission, Maryland (Albert Liebno, Jr.)
2017: Lake Oswego Police Department, Oregon (Mike Brady)
2016: New Jersey State Police (Chris Sharpe)
2015: Pennsylvania State Police (Geoff Bush)
2014: SkidCar Systems, Inc. (Dane Pitarresi)
2013: Ohio Peace Officers Standards (Jeff Eggleston)
2012: Fox Valley Technical College (Tom Witczak)
2011: Winnipeg Police Service Vehicle Operations Program (Jamie McDonald)
2010: Oklahoma State University Precision Driving Center (Randy Jacoby)
2009: Southwest Washington Regional EVOC Team
2008: Portland Police Bureau Emergency Vehicle Operations Training Unit
Mark’s Mother, Sister & Father-In-Law with the Portland Police Bureau EVOC Unit.
About The Z-Man
Officer Zylawy was born in Versailles, France, and moved to Montana where he graduated from high school in 1986. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice from Montana State University in 1990 and moved to Oregon the same year, where he became an officer with the Portland Police Bureau.
Officer Zylawy earned the respect of his fellow officers and community members through the way he lived his life – following the values of the Portland Police organization – integrity, compassion, accountability, respect, excellence and service. Officer Zylawy was publicly recognized for his superior police service, receiving 30 commendations, two unit citations, and the Medal of Valor from the Bureau. The “Z Man” was also a dedicated Field Training Officer. Officer Zylawy had a high moral and ethical standard that was apparent in his dedication to his duty as a police officer. He worked every day to improve his organization and to give back to the community he loved. His daily service in Northeast Portland made a lasting and significant impact on the Northeast community and its residents.
Mark was struck by a truck in 2008 after pulling over his vehicle on the side of a Washington State highway. At the time of his death, community members who knew Z-Man and the kind of officer he was, marched near Northeast Precinct to celebrate his life and the tremendous impact he had on the community.
In an effort to honor Officer Zylawy, the Z-Man Scholarship Program was created. The scholarship program is a unique effort which blends donations from Bureau members, community members and corporate sponsors to provide youth full-ride scholarships. Scholarships winners are offered a full-ride at La Salle College Preparatory School and De La Salle North Catholic.