Awards

Each year IACP recognizes and promotes excellence in law enforcement throughout the State of Indiana through the presentation of awards. Nominations for these awards shall be for the year prior to the scheduled awards presentation at the IACP Mid-Winter Conference. Nomination applications shall be from IACP member departments. The IACP Awards Committee selects the recipients from among the nominations.

Awards:

  1. Police Officer of the Year (Full-time Municipal Police Officer)
  2. Telecommunication Operator of the Year
  3. Community Service Award (Designated for a civilian or civilian employee of a member department, e.g. Victim Advocate, etc.)
  4. Legislator of the Year (State or Federal)

Criteria:

Police Officer of the Year

It is fully understood by the Awards Committee that law enforcement officers are at risk each and every time they put on their uniform. To be eligible for the Police Officer of the Year award, the nominee must have gone well beyond his or her duties as a police officer. The extenuating circumstances of an incident are sometimes the difference between a normal day on shift and extraordinary action taken by an officer. To be nominated, an officer, in the view of the Committee, must have been exceptional and gone well beyond what is to be expected in the line of duty.

Telecommunication Operator of the Year

As above, the importance of all communications officers cannot be stressed enough. However, the nominated communications officer should, within the incident for which he or she is being nominated, clearly demonstrate action above and beyond his or her normal duties and responsibilities. 

Community Service Award

Any citizen within your community can be nominated for the Community Service Award. The service for which this individual has been nominated, however, must be unique and solely identifiable with the nominee.  Please relate specifically how your community would be lessened if the nominated individual was not engaged in the activity for which he or she has been nominated. In addition, please describe how your community has been enhanced by this individual, with specific reference to any person(s) that have been materially assisted by your nominee.

Legislator of the Year

This person shall be nominated by the vote of the Government Relations Committee and accepted as presented by the Awards Committee. If a legislator with whom you are familiar has provided outstanding service to the law enforcement community, please advise your District Director, who will then contact the Government Relations Committee.

Nominations

  1. All nominations, except those for the Legislator of the Year, shall be submitted on an approved IACP Nomination Application.  
  2. All Nomination Applications shall be from IACP member departments.
  3. All Applications shall be signed off and approved by the member department’s agency head.
  4. All Nomination Applications shall include in narrative form the stated purpose for which the Member Department believes the nominee should be recognized.
  5. All Nomination Applications shall be submitted to the IACP Awards Committee.
  6. Nominations for these Awards shall be for the year prior to the scheduled Awards Presentation at the IACP Mid-Winter Conference in January.
  7. The Member Department’s agency head, or his/her designee, shall attend the Awards Presentation along with the honoree for the express purpose of sharing their story of why the honoree has been recognized.

Officer

Police Officer of the Year

Year Candidate Department
     
2019 Nathan Graf Porter County S.D.
2018 Mike Steffen Noblesville P.D.
2017 Not Awarded  
2016 Not Awarded  
2015 Shad Grile Anderson P.D.
2014 Not Awarded  
2013 Brady Sorrells Frankfort P.D.
2012 Jerame Simpson and Keith Perez Valparaiso P.D.
2011 Not Awarded  
 2010 Eric Mitchell Newburgh P.D.
Lawrence Wilson Indianapolis Metropolitan P.D.
2009 Billy Bolin / Paul Kirby / Patrick Phernetton Evansville P.D.
2008 Eric Morris Chandler P.D.
2007 Allen Gansman Evansville P.D.
2006 Brian Turpin Evansville P.D.
2005 Kevin Kobli Fishers P.D.
2004 Brent Hoover Evansville P.D.
2003 Keith Smith Evansville P.D.
2002 Dean Pontjeris Porter Co. S.D.
2001 Bernard J. Johnsen St. John P.D.
2000 Marc A. Premil Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
1999 Darryl G. Bliss Northern Indiana Commuter Transportation District
1998 James Anderson Danville P.D.

Telecommunications Operator

Year Candidate Department
 2020 Not Awarded  
2019 Not Awarded  
2018 Not Awarded  
2017 Not Awarded  
2016 Not Awarded  
2015 Not Awarded  
2014 Not Awarded  
2013 Not Awarded  
2012 Not Awarded  
2011 Not Awarded  
2010 Not Awarded  
2009 Teri Barker Greensburg P.D.
2008 JeanAnne Cruser Greensburg P.D.
2007 Amy Kaiser Seymour P.D.
2006 LuAnn Wunderlich Aurora P.D.
2005 Heather Smart Rensselaer P.D.
2004 Not Awarded  
2003 Not Awarded  
2002 Robyn Wells Schererville P.D.
2001 Linda D. Brandle Lawrence P.D.
2000 Gabriel T. Treon FBI
1999 Tonia Tucker Indiana State University Public Safety
1998 Terri Heitlinger Munster P.D.

Community Service

Year Candidate Nominating Agency
2020 James Ghrist Munster P.D.
2019 Not Awarded  
2018 Not Awarded  
2017 Not Awarded  
2016 Not Awarded  
2015 Dale Pflughaupt Chesterton P.D.
2014 Not Awarded  
2013 John Schnadenberg Chesterton P.D.
2012 Wayne Merriman West Lafayette P.D.
2011 Not Awarded  
2010 Indiana's D.A.R.E. Officers  
2009 Not Awarded  
2008 Mike Koning West Lafayette P.D.
2007 Not Awarded  
2006 Holly K. Dunn-Pendleton Evansville P.D.
2005 Sheryl Laney Crown Point P.D.
2004 Not Awarded  
2003 Justin Ash Milltown P.D.
2002 Chaplain Jack Anderson Hobart P.D.
2001 Not Awarded  
2000 Charles C. Burch Indiana Law Enforcement Academy
1999 Patricia Smallwood Fort Wayne P.D.
1998 Catherine R. Vautaw FBI

Legislator

Year Candidate Body of Government
2020 Greg Steuerwald Indiana Senate
2019 Jon Ford Indiana Senate
2018 Ron Alting Indiana Senate
2017 Not Awarded  
2016 Kevin Mahan & Ben Smaltz Indiana House of Representatives
2015 Not Awarded  
2014 Ryan Mishler Indiana Senate
2013 Not Awarded  
2012 Jim Arnold Indiana Senate
2011 Randy Head Indiana Senate
2010 Not Awarded  
2009 Thomas J. Wyss Indiana Senate
2008 Greg Steuerwald Indiana House of Representatives
2007 Linda Lawson Indiana House of Representatives
2006 William J. "Bill" Ruppel Indiana House of Representatives
2005 Not Awarded  
2004 Not Awarded  
2003 Not Awarded  
2002 Pete Visclosky U.S. House of Representatives
2001 Not Awarded  
2000 Thomas J. Wyss Indiana Senate
1999 Robert L. Meeks Indiana Senate
1998 Dan Stevenson Indiana House of Representatives