Grosse Pointe City public safety officer receives department’s highest honor after first year on the job

GROSSE POINTE CITY — 2024 saw the retirements of two valued veterans of the Grosse Pointe City Public Safety Department — Sgt. Michael Almeranti and Lt. Alan Gwyn — but fortunately, some of the department’s newer members are stepping up to fill their shoes.

Officer Jacob Gentile has only been with the department since Nov. 21, 2023, but he racked up enough accomplishments to earn him Officer of the Year for his efforts last year.

“He’s phenomenal,” Public Safety Director John Alcorn said of Gentile, who was honored in front of the Grosse Pointe City Council at a meeting April 21. “We’re so very fortunate to have him in our department.”

Last year, Alcorn said, Gentile “earned a spot” on the prestigious Special Response Team, which is similar to a SWAT team. The SRT comprises officers from the five Grosse Pointes and Harper Woods, and Alcorn said candidates need to pass a physical test and oral board, among other requirements.

“It’s a very difficult process,” Alcorn said.

Gentile led the department in arrests of intoxicated motorists in 2024, winning him an award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving.

“These arrests are lifesaving,” Alcorn said.

Gentile was also one of the officers in the department who worked on Operation Reaper in 2024, a sting to nab a serial burglar who was targeting victims by monitoring death notices and striking homes when they were empty. The work of officers in multiple local departments led to the arrest and conviction of the suspect.

Gentile was among multiple members of the department awarded unit citations for their work on Operation Reaper. The others include Gwyn, then-Lt. Thomas Martindale (promoted to captain in 2025), Detective Sgt. Joseph Adams, Sgt. Justin Strohmeyer, Detective Michael Narduzzi, then-Sgt. Chris Saunders (now a lieutenant), then-officers Josh Ina and Steve Mukavec (both promoted to sergeant this year), and officers Mark Dombrowski, Jacob Carpenter, Andrew Prueter, Jarod Jones, Austin Giarmo and Andre Jones.

Gentile received a second unit citation as well in 2024 for a case involving larcenies from autos, an award also given to Mukavec and Saunders.

Gentile was excited to be named Officer of the Year.

“I’m ecstatic,” Gentile said after the meeting. “I have a passion for the city and the people in it.”

He now lives in St. Clair Shores, but Gentile grew up in Grosse Pointe Woods. The native east-sider knows the area well.

“I feel a special connection to the community,” Gentile said.

Other officers receiving unit citations in 2024 were Adams, Sgt. Michael Herrgott, Dombrowski, Giarmo and Andre Jones.

Herrgott was honored with a citation for stopping an Eastpointe car theft suspect. Adams was given a commendation for his work on a task force against an organized car theft ring.

“It’s nice to know we’re in such good hands,” Mayor Sheila Tomkowiak said of the Public Safety Department.