Petaluma officer honored as 'Peace Officer of the Year' by Santa Rosa club

<p>This year's annual peace officer of the year award by the Exchange Club of Santa Rosa is Petaluma Officer Walter Spiller for his dedication to catching suspected drunken drivers.</p><p>Wednesday's 62nd annual dinner will include a keynote address by Carmina Salcido, the only survivor of Sonoma County's most notorious murder rampage.</p><p>In April 1989 her father, Ramon Salcido, killed Carmina's two sisters, her mother, grandmother, two child-aged aunts and his work supervisor. He tried to kill then three-year-old Carmina, but the girl survived having her throat cut.</p><p>Carmina Salcido is living in Sonoma Valley and last fall her story was highlighted on a television news magazine show “20/20.” She also co-authored a book, “Not Lost Forever: My Story of Survival,” released last fall. </p><p>Ramon Salcido remains living on Death Row at San Quentin State Prison.</p><p>Officer Spiller was chosen to receive this year's honor for having arrested 131 suspected drunken drivers in 2009. That total was more than 20 percent of all such arrests that year by the Petaluma department.</p><p>Spiller also is on the department's SWAT team and is a firearms instructor.</p><p>The annual award highlights the work of a Sonoma County law enforcement officer, picked from nominations submitted by the Sonoma County Law Enforcement Chiefs Association.</p><p>The Exchange Club dinner is open to the public. Tickets are $45. The banquet will start at 6 p.m. and will be at the Fountain Grove Inn.</p><p>For tickets contact Ray Carlson at 528-7649,</p>