Officer of the Year – Officer Robert P. McKenzie
Throughout the course of the past year, Officer Robert P. McKenzie has accomplished several things that distinguish him among his peers. He has demonstrated a strong commitment to the Police Department and the community alike. He routinely demonstrates a professional attitude and strong work ethic.
Officer McKenzie is among the department leaders in all areas of measured productivity. He performs best in the areas of self-initiated work. For example, he made 13 DUI arrests, compared to his shift’s average of 9. He wrote 36 parking violations, compared to his shift’s average of 7. He also conducted more than 2,000 Directed Patrols, Foot Patrols and Field Interviews while making over 50 Misdemeanor and Felony arrests.
He works diligently to patrol his assigned zone and seek out incidents that may require police action. Because of this he has been directly involved in two major incidents. First, Officer McKenzie located a stranded motorist who was in full-term labor on the phone with York County 911 who was giving birthing instructions to a family member. He was able to help with the delivery and calm the situation. Second, while on routine patrol, Officer McKenzie identified, chased, caught and arrested two juveniles that had been committing a series of vandalism and property damage crimes in a certain area. Because of his actions, a number of cases were able to be closed. Officer McKenzie also took on the leadership of the department’s Explorer Post. He has increased the number of participants as well as officers involved in the instruction of the classes. I believe this says a lot about his commitment to the community due to the fact that he has not even been a member of the police department for a full two years.
It is for these reasons that Officer Rob McKenzie has been selected as the 2007 Officer of the Year for the James City County Police Department. Officer McKenzie represents the best of what is expected of a James City County Police Officer and is recognized for his efforts and outstanding service to the community.
Officer of the Year 2006 - Senior Officer Prasit Niranont
Over the last year, Senior Officer Prasit “Nuey” Niranont (pronounced knee-ra-noon) has assumed a key role on Day Shift and within the Police Department. On a routine basis, he is above the shift averages in productivity. During the course of this year, he currently holds an exceptional 52 percent clearance rate in case files that he has been assigned – in addition, he has been assigned more cases than any other officer on the shift. On a daily basis, Senior Officer Niranont brings a professional attitude to work and is an example of what a James City County Police Officer should be.
More important are the contributions that he makes above what is expected of an officer. He is a member of the Department’s SWAT Team, a defensive tactics instructor, ASP instructor, and a Field Training Officer. While he is one of many that hold these certifications, he is one of a few that routinely accept assignments utilizing this training. He has assisted with the in-house training and post-academy training of newly hired recruits. Senior Officer Niranont is also an assistant shift supervisor in the absence of the shift Lieutenant/Sergeant. He currently is assisting with the implementation of the Mobile Field Reporting system.
Senior Officer Niranont has, for the last several years, volunteered his time to assist the Community Services Unit with National Night Out, acting as McGruff, and helping with weekend functions. He also assists with recruitment in training by attending job fairs and career days throughout the area. Moreover, Senior Officer Niranont performs all of these tasks while attending college on his own time. For these and many other reasons, Senior Officer Prasit Niranont is named the 2006 Officer of the Year.
Officer of the Year 2005 - Officer Thomas N. Johnson, Sr.
From May 2004 to May 2005, Officer Thomas Johnson lead the entire department in the number of traffic summonses issued at 321. He was second in the number of warrants served (163), misdemeanor arrests (86), and suspended drivers (45). None of the other top producing officers on the department rank higher in so many different areas of measured productivity. He accomplished this despite only working 11 months in patrol prior to transferring to the Colonial Narcotics Enforcement Task Force.
Officer Johnson is also a member the department’s SWAT Team and Honor Guard. He has been involved in several high-risk incidents and performs extremely well under stress. He received a Commendation for an incident in August where he, Officer Gary Stokes, and Officer Sterling Perry were confronted with a subject armed with two knives who talked as if he was considering putting the officers in a situation where they may have to shoot him. All of the officers in this case did an excellent job negotiating (face-to-face) with this individual and showed a great deal of restraint.
Officer Johnson is also well respected in the community and among other officers. He maintains an excellent attitude and will do anything that is asked of him without hesitation or complaint. His work ethic, calm demeanor, reliability and high degree of professionalism are an example to others. He distinguishes himself as a model police officer in every possible way and is worthy of the honor of James City County’s 2005 Police Officer of the Year.
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