Police Chief Norman Williams announced on Tuesday honorees for Officer of the Year, Non-Sworn Employee of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.
The 2010 Officer of the Year is Officer Barton E. Norton, a 20-year veteran. In nominating Officer Norton, Lt. Alan Prince noted that Officer Norton has “an outstanding ability to conduct thorough and competent investigations and is persistent when it comes to following up on leads. He treats every burglary scene as if it were his own house.” Officer Norton has helped reduce crime in the North 41-beat area through foot patrol, community involvement and extensive follow-up on crime scene DNA and fingerprint results. His work has resulted in the arrest of six burglary suspects this year.
The Non-Sworn Employee of the Year is Crime Scene Investigations Supervisor Cory M. Rodivich. He has been in the Technical Services Bureau as a C.S.I. since 2003 and a supervisor since 2008. He served as the Interim Commander of the Technical Services Bureau earlier this year. In nominating his co-worker for Non-Sworn Employee of the year, WPD official Alex Dean said Rodivich “assumed the role of command responsibility for the detection, collection and preservation on several major crime scenes” in 2010. He also noted that. Rodivich is the only C.S.I. in the WPD certified by the International Association for Identification. He also holds the honor of being the first Kansas law enforcement professional to have completed the 10-week National Forensic Academy at the University of Tennessee.
The 2010 Cooper/McKee Volunteer of the Year is Wichita Police Reserve Officer Paul C. Holmes. Holmes served as a police officer and detective in the WPD from 1976 to 2009 when he retired and joined the Reserve Unit. In nominating Holmes, Reserve Deputy Chief Galen Davis said that Holmes dedicated 1,281 volunteer hours throughout his 19-month reserve career. During this time, he developed an innovative and productive “felony criminal repeat offender identification program.” As a result of this program, 195 offenders have had state, federal and county probation revoked and 200 people have been sent to state or federal prison.
These three honorees will be recognized at 2 p.m. on Wednesday in the first floor Boardroom, City Hall, 455 N. Main. The public and media are invited to attend.
