Cpl. John Bunting recognized as the 2020 NASBLA Southern Region & National Officer of the Year
*This is a transcript of the "NASBLA recognizes the 2020 National Officer of the Year " video from the virtual recognition ceremony on Wednesday, November 18th, 2020.
DARREN RIDER:
Hello everyone! Thank you all for joining us. Since the 2020 NASBLA Annual Conference was held virtually this year, we were unable to recognize all of the award winners.
Today, we are meeting virtually again, to recognize and show our appreciation to one of our 2020 NASBLA award winners!
Numerous individuals and organizations assist NASBLA in various ways throughout the year. To show our appreciation for this invaluable assistance, NASBLA identifies outstanding individuals and groups for their contributions to recreational boating safety through our awards program.
First presented in 2000, the Marvin “Butch” Potts Memorial Award, known as the Boating Law Enforcement Officer of the Year Award, is presented annually to a boating law enforcement officer who has made outstanding contributions to the field of boating law enforcement.
The 2020 Southern Region Boating Law Enforcement Officer of the Year and, yee-haw, the National Boating Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award winner is Corporal John Bunting with the Maryland Natural Resources Police.
Corporal Bunting has been employed by the Maryland Natural Resources Police since 2011. Over the course of his career, Cpl. Bunting has always exemplified each of the Agency's core values: courtesy, integrity, dedication and professionalism. He carries himself with pride and humility, on and off the job, and is well-respected throughout the law enforcement community, judicial system and by the people he serves.
During the recreational boating season, June through September, Cpl. Bunting's devotion to the safety of Maryland’s community is unrivaled. He consistently volunteers to work all weekends and a vast majority of late shifts. It is evident that Cpl. Bunting’s focus is on boating safety and enforcement.
In 2019, Cpl. Bunting responded to 830 calls for service, made contact with 760 recreational vessels, issued 737 safety violations, and completed 46 incident reports. He responded to a total of 12 boating incidents, and assumed the role of lead investigator for seven of them. Throughout the year, Corporal Bunting made a total of 32 custodial arrests - 17 of which were for Boating Under the Influence (BUI).
Not only did Cpl. Bunting lead the state in BUI enforcement, but also dedicated his time to mentoring fellow officers on the subject. Additionally, Cpl. Bunting consistently shares his techniques for report writing, detection and courtroom testimony to help lead to successful BUI prosecutions.
Recognizing the need for saturated boating safety patrols, Cpl. Bunting led the charge for the implementation of the agency's Boat Safe Program. This program consists of the use of boating safety saturation patrols to promote the use of personal flotation device (PFDs) and other safety equipment. The goal of this program is to prioritize education over enforcement to help generate a more positive response in regards to boating safety from the public. Corporal Bunting volunteered to work 60% of these patrols.
As a lifelong resident of Maryland, Cpl. Bunting’s knowledge of boating safety is second to none. He draws on experiences learned from an early age and extends them to his career in law enforcement. His dedication, integrity, professionalism and courtesy to others are exemplified every day on the job. Many would say that Cpl. Bunting is truly making a difference in the recreational boating community. Congratulations Corporal Bunting!
I would now like to give Colonel Adrian Baker the opportunity to say a few words…
ADRIAN BAKER:
Okay, thank you very much. I'm joining you by phone, and so whatever technical difficulties we have, I'll apologize in advance, but I certainly want to thank NASBLA for this prestigious recognition.
I congratulate Corporal John Bunting from the Maryland Natural Resources Police. I'm very proud of him, and that little resume there, that you just read is just fantastic, outstanding work.
I also would like to congratulate the other officers that were nominated. You know, we sometimes have a single individual that's well-deserving and recognized, but we don't want to fail to recognize all the other officers throughout the country that dedicate their careers, their lives, and their time. Many cases, the time of their own, to making sure that our people are safe when they're boating. It’s really important work. I'm very proud of all of you and congratulations, John!
DARREN RIDER:
Thank you, Colonel.
So, John, congratulations man, that's awesome! So if you'd like to say a few words, please do so…
JOHN BUNTING:
Certainly. I just would like to thank NASBLA, first of all, for the awards that they presented to me, I appreciate it very much. It's always nice to be recognized for the work that you do, no matter what you do. I would like to obviously thank the agency that I work for, for affording me the opportunity to do the work that I do. It's been a dream of mine since I was just a little kid.
You know, I grew up working on water with my dad, and he's always instilled in me the importance of safety on the water and a deep, deep respect for the ocean and what it can do. And I think that without that, I probably wouldn't have chosen this career path. So a big, big thanks to my parents, my dad, specifically. But I appreciate the opportunity to go out and work every day and do something that I love to do. Really just going out there and having a good time, and the result is apparently decent work. So thank you very much for the opportunity to do it.
DARREN RIDER:
Alright, thanks John. I see you got your awards behind you there in the background.
JOHN BUNTING:
Yes, sir.
DARREN RIDER:
Finally, again, NASBLA would like to thank you for your passion and commitment to ensuring the safety of all boaters on the water. Whether it is encouraging all boaters to wear their life jackets, or removing impaired operators from the waterways, your dedication to the boaters of Maryland is unmatched. Congratulations Corporal John Bunting!
JOHN BUTING:
Thank you, sir.
###
Watch the full NASBLA National Officer of the Year recognition video on NASBLA's Vimeo channel!