Law enforcement officers from across the county gathered this morning to celebrate the 2013 Officer of the Year recipients at the annual Respect for Law breakfast. The event recognizes officers within their respective departments who have been chosen because of their service to the community.
The event is sponsored by the Salisbury Optimist Club and was held at Holiday Inn.
This year’s Officer of the Year for each agency are:
China Grove Police — Officer Nena Stillwell.
East Spencer Police — Officer Eric Waters.
Granite Quarry-Faith Police — Officer Matthew Milette.
Kannapolis Police — Patrol Officer II Christopher Fisher.
Landis Police — Officer Josh Barlow.
N.C. Highway Patrol — Trooper C.J. Doty.
Rockwell Police — Officer Jimmy G. Richardson.
Rowan County Sheriff’s — Master Deputy Kevin Myers.
Salisbury Police — Sgt. Bryant Willis.
Spencer Police — Officer Hunter M. Shue.
VA Medical Center Police — Cpl. Travis Mellis.
Salisbury Police Chief Rory Collins received the Paul G. Wilson Award. Rowan County Sheriff’s Chaplain Michael Taylor received the state’s highest civilian honor, the Order of the Long Leaf Pine. This week is National Police Week. See more in Wednesday’s Post.