SIDNEY — The Sidney Police Department Officer of the Year was announced Monday night during Sidney City County’s meeting.
“In 1962, President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation which designated May 15th as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the week in which that date falls as Police Week. Currently, tens of thousands of law enforcement officers from around the world converge on Washington, DC to participate in a number of planned events which honor those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice,” said Sidney Police Chief Will Balling in a press release..
The Sidney Police Department has traditionally selected an “Officer of the Year” in connection with the National Police Week and Peace Officers Memorial Day. Any member of the Sidney Police department can submit nominations for the award which are reviewed by a committee of peers that renders the final selection based on merit. This year we had four individuals nominated for the award. The award committee was made up of a captain, a sergeant, and two officers. All of the award committee members were past Officer of the Year winners and two also represented the departments unions. This year they selected Officer James Jennings as the 2020 Officer of the year.
“Officer Jennings was hired in July of 1998. Officer Jennings has specialized in drug enforcement throughout his career. Prior to starting with the City of Sidney, he worked as an undercover operative alongside the Sidney Drug Unit to identify and gather evidence on several individuals involved in drug trafficking. His dedication and hard work were apparent from the start,” said Balling.
Jennings served the department and many different ways throughout his career. From being on the Tactical Response team to a Drug Detective he is always willing to put in the time and effort to accomplish any mission. Currently, Officer Jennings and his partner Kilo form a very effective duo combating drugs within the City of Sidney.
The officer who nominated him advised the following:
“Officer Jennings is always the go-to guy when a question comes along. He will answer the question without hesitation and always seems to know the answer or will find the answer out for you. He is always willing to come in for extra duties, such as a K9 call in, swat call in, search warrant call in, and any other time he is called. I think he is a very good example of our core values, a good example of how to be proactive, and a good example of trying to help other officers and his willingness to have them succeed.”
