Edmonds honors 21 for serving community

EDMONDS — Jenna Zaback was home alone on June 24, 2009, when someone banged on the back door. She went to her bedroom to grab her cell phone. When the 16-year-old turned around, she saw two people walk by in the hallway. One of them had a gun.

They didn’t see her, so Jenna hid behind the door in her room and called 911. Meanwhile, the pair started ransacking the home for electronics.

The burglars were loading electronics into a car when they heard sirens and drove off. Police caught up with them and asked Jenna to identify them. “It was pretty scary,” Jenna, now 17, recalled on Monday.

For keeping her cool that day and helping put the burglars behind bars, she was honored with a Citizen Service Citation at the Edmonds Police Department’s annual awards ceremony Monday evening.

Four civilians and 17 police officers were recognized for their commitment to serving the community.

A 15-year veteran of the Edmonds Police Department, officer Linda Mack received the Award of Excellence. She spent the last four years in the traffic unit, focusing on getting drunk drivers off the streets.

Mack said she found her calling in law enforcement in a class in college. Looking back on about 20 years of police experience, it’s hard to believe she once planned to study pharmacy, she said.

“I fell in love with law enforcement,” she said.

These people were honored at the annual Edmonds Police Department Awards Ceremony:

Noncommissioned employee of the year