“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 info@alertinternational.com.

Winners of the “Z-Man” Award

• 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.

Read about the Z-Man

The Z-Man Scholarship Fund