2 officers receive top honors

Charleston Police Cpl. Christopher Costanzo was named Officer of the Year for 2009 in a departmental ceremony held this week, police public information officer Charles Francis said. Also, Officer Terryann K. Ferguson was named Probationary Officer of the Year.

Costanzo, 41, has been with the department for 16 years and is a member of the department's TOPS Unit, Francis said. TOPS stands for Tourism Oriented Policing Service.

Ferguson, 23, joined the department in 2008 and was honored for having helped save the life of a potential suicide victim and catching an armed robber moments after the crime. Ferguson has demonstrated an ability to not only be in the right place at the right time but to do the right thing, Francis said.