Los Gatos Cop Receives 'Award of Distinction'

A town cop with a big heart for the less fortunate has earned another accolade to others he's received for his love for the homeless.

The California Peace Officers' Association has given Lits prestigious Award of Distinction, one of only seven given to state police officers.

The recognized Coddington Monday evening during the ceremonial portion of its regularly scheduled meeting and thanked him for his service.

Los Gatos Town Manager Greg Larson told the audience that Coddington graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in the mid '90s. He then served as a company commander in the U.S. Army in Iraq and Afghanistan until 2005, before joining the department in 2007.

During his two-year break from public service, he did a stint as a principal at a private school.

When Coddington was coming to the end of his obligatory police probation period with the local police department, he was asked if there was anything special he wanted to work on as a member of the force, Larson related.

Coddington is said to have taken out a spreadsheet that listed every homeless person in Los Gatos and documented each person's circumstances, including camp location, medication, behavioral issues and social services contacts.

"He clearly demonstrated a level of initiative and commitment to address underlying issues with the challenging population," Larson said. 

Coddington was asked to formalize his homeless information to be shared with other officers, which he then improved by adding photographs of the homeless.

"Through his work he developed a reputation among the homeless population as trustworthy and sincere, critical qualities to be genuinely effective with this population," Larson added.

Coddington has partnered with and community organizations that provide weekly meals and services for the destitute and he has helped organize special days when a full range of services such as medical, dental, mental health, housing and justice services are provided, Larson noted.

He serves on the Santa Clara County Collaborative on Housing and Homeless Issues, whose mission is to increase the supply of affordable housing and reduce homelessness in the county, which plans to conduct a homeless census this year.

He's also been asked to participate in Destination: Home, a public-private partnership in Santa Clara County formed to end homelessness.

Los Gatos Mayor Joe Pirzynski thanked Coddington for his service in helping the homeless "to not just left to be silent, invisible members of our community."

Coddington thanked the audience for attending the meeting and Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Chief Scott Seaman for his leadership and guidance and "getting me started on the right path."

He also thanked his fellow officers for assisting him in his work with the homeless.