BE LIKE BLAKE AWARD WINNERS share their Police Week experiences

Mustache March 4PD and their sponsors sent the 2026 Be Like Blake Award winners to Washington, D.C. for National Police Week, providing an experience the officers have called life changing and eye opening. (Submitted photo)

By Steven Spencer

The recipients of Mustache March 4PD’s 2026 Be Like Blake Award recently reunited to share their experiences at National Police Week.
The Mustache March 4PD (MM4PD) raises funds to help support local police departments throughout the area.
To help promote a positive relationship with local officers and the communities they serve, the MM4PD utilizes the funds raised to support different community engagement programs as well as equipment.
“Our goal is to promote a more positive rapport between the police departments and citizens, while raising funds for items that their budgets are unable to purchase,” MM4PD said.
In addition to the various community outreach programs, MM4PD and their sponsors send the winners of the Be Like Blake Award to experience National Police Week in Washington, D.C.
“In 2023, we introduced a new initiative in an effort to further embody the spirit of humanizing the badge. This initiative was the creation of the Be Like Blake Award, established to honor officers whose dedication to their community, department, and family reflects the values of Officer Blake Snyder. Named after Officer Snyder, who tragically passed in the line of duty on October 6, 2016, the award represents everything he stood for. The foundation of MM4PD itself was inspired by Blake’s profound impact on his community, his loved ones, and all who were fortunate enough to know him,” MM4PD said about the award.
This year nine officers were able to make the trip to National Police Week with the group including Sergeant Travis Liles with the Jerseyville Police Department, Corrections Officer Nicole Neal with the Jersey County Sheriffs Department, Chief Investigator Lee Brousseau with the Madison County States Attorney, Sergeant Brian Brenner with the Alton Police Department, Officer William Eller with the East Alton Police Department, Sergeant Jason Sandidge with the Madison County Sheriffs Department, Sergeant Jack Wofford with the Bethalto Police Department, Sergeant Brent Rombach with the Wood River Police Department and Officer Seth Weshinskey with the Roxana Police Department.
Officer Neal said the trip was a real eye-opener and that it’s difficult to pinpoint any one specific thing that stands out because she enjoyed every bit of it.
Seeing the memorial and talking with families of fallen officers was a reminder of what can happen.
“Like others are saying, it’s a once-in-a-lifetime trip,” Neal said. “For me, it was an eye-opener because you go to work every day, like it’s a normal day. I’ve been a corrections officer for eight years, and nothing has happened. You don’t put that in your mind every day, but to go to that, it just opens your eyes to what can happen and what people truly go through. It’s a humbling experience.”
Sergeant Liles said he’s been to Washington, D.C. before, but it’s nothing like being there during Police Week, and he’s glad he was chosen to go.
“Being there during Police Week is just a whole different experience. Seeing the families and how it affects them. It’s an eye-opening experience,” he said.
Sergeant Rombach said he’s been working in law enforcement for nearly 13 years and was starting to feel some burnout, but is feeling rejuvenated and inspired to help get more officers to experience Police Week.
“You see the stuff of the news. You hear people complaining about what we’re doing and why we’re doing it, but this kinda recharged my battery,” he said. “Trying to think of the highlight of this trip is hard. I’d say the highlight is everything. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
Rombach said he’s talked with his Fraternal Order of Police lodge to try and find ways to send more officers out with Mustache March 4 PD.
“We need to send as many police officers as we can,” he said. “That’s kind of inspired me to help out, just so more people can go.”
Wofford said his military family and law enforcement family are incredibly important to him, and was very thankful for the experience.
Sandidge said it was a life-changing experience.
“It was absolutely amazing,” he said.
MM4PD works to help support over a dozen local departments and is always looking for community support to help serve more departments in the area. More information on the organization can be found online at mustachemarch4pd.com.